Sonderkommando
German term meaning “special unit,” Sonderkommando refers to Jewish prisoners in Nazi killing centers who were forced to operate gas chambers, crematoria, and other sites to dispose of the bodies of those murdered by Nazis.
shtetl
Yiddish for a small community. The residents of many such villages or town in eastern Europe shared traditional Jewish values.
sealed
Jewish ghettos were “sealed” to obstruct passage into and out of the ghetto, keeping the Jewish inhabitants isolated. Sometimes ghettos were “sealed” by order of German public health officials with false claims that Jewish people spread diseases.
SS (Schutzstaffel)
Initially formed as a small unit of Hitler’s personal bodyguards, the SS (Schutzstaffel, 1925-1945) grew into a powerful elite corps and one of the most powerful organizations in the Nazi state. Under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler, the SS combined responsibility for internal security and racial purity in Nazi Germany and oversaw Nazi efforts in pursuit of the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question.”
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Roma and Sinti
The Roma and Sinti are nomadic tribes who migrated to Europe from northern India and Pakistan. They have long been persecuted and referred to as "Gypsies," a term now considered derogatory. Declared “racially inferior” by the Nazis, they were subjected to discrimination, forced labor, internment, and murder. Between 250,000 and 500,000 Sinti and Roma were murdered by the Nazis during World War II.