What was the Holocaust?
The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators.
When did the Holocaust begin?
Major institutions such as USHMM use 1933, when Hitler and the Nazis came to power, as the beginning of the Holocaust era. Systematic mass murder expanded decisively in 1941.
Was Auschwitz the only killing center?
No. The five principal killing centers were Chełmno, Bełżec, Sobibór, Treblinka and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Were all Jews murdered in gas chambers?
No. Jews were murdered in mass shootings, gas vans, ghettos, camps, forced labor, death marches and through deliberate starvation, disease and abuse.
How do historians know the figure of six million?
Through overlapping Nazi records, deportation lists, census and demographic data, community records, testimony, physical evidence and postwar investigation. The number is a rounded historical synthesis, not a claim that one complete victim list survived.
Why did Jews not simply leave?
Emigration depended on visas, money, safe transit, timing and a country willing to admit refugees. Restrictions abroad and rapidly changing Nazi rules trapped many people.
Did Jews resist?
Yes. Resistance included armed revolt, escape, sabotage, documentation, clandestine education, worship, smuggling and mutual aid.
Did the Final Solution begin at Wannsee?
No. Mass shootings and killing operations were already underway. Wannsee coordinated the participation of government institutions in a Europe-wide program.
Are Holocaust survivors alive today?
Claims Conference data released in January 2026 estimated approximately 196,600 Jewish Holocaust survivors worldwide, including about 97,600 in Israel. Counts from different agencies may use different definitions, so figures should be compared only when their date and methodology are clear.