Glossary

Beer Hall Putsch – 8th-9th November 1923: the Nazi party attempted to seize power in Munich, but were thwarted by the police. This led to Hitler being charged with treason and imprisoned, during which time he wrote ‘Mein Kampf‘
Geltsjuden – those mischlinge who had been members of the Jewish community prior to the Nuremberg Laws. They were subjected to the same treatment as ‘fully Jewish’ people
Gestapo – the Geheime Staatspolizei (Secret State Police): the official secret police of Nazi Germany (a subdivision of the SS) instrumental in planning and executing the Final Solution
Hitler Gruss – the Hitler salute, performed by extending the right arm out straight, with a straight hand, and proclaiming “Heil Hitler” (Hail Hitler) or “Sieg Heil” (Hail victory)
Mischehe – a term used by the Nazis, describing the marriage of a Jewish and ‘Aryan’ person
Mischling – the legal term used by the Nazis to define someone with both Jewish and ‘Aryan’ ancestry
Mischling ersten grades – (Mischling of the first degree) the legal term used by the Nazis to define someone with two Jewish biological grandparents
Mischling zweiten grades – (Mischling of the second degree) the legal term used by the Nazis to define someone with just one Jewish biological grandparent
Nuremberg Laws – enacted by the Reichstag on 15th September 1935: the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour, and the Reich Citizenship Law. A supplementary decree was passed on 14 November, which specified who was Aryan, who was Jewish, and who was a Mischling
Pogrom – from early 20th century Russia, meaning ‘devastation’: violent, large-scale riots aimed at terrorising an ethnic or religious minority
Privileged Jew – A Jewish person married to an ‘Aryan’, with children who are baptised
SA – the Sturmabteilung (Storm Detachment): the Nazi Party’s first paramilitary wing, instrumental in Hitler’s rise to power
SS – the Schutzstaffel (Protection Squadron): initially a small paramilitary force, which eventually superseded the SA. In Nazi Germany, the SS was responsible for general policing, enforcing racial policy, running the concentration and extermination camps, and in some cases engaging in military combat