Schindler's List

Schindler's List Glossary

Artillery

Large-caliber guns used for land-based warfare

Auschwitz

A German Nazi concentration camp in German-occupied Poland known as being the most brutal of its kind during World War II

Black Market

Illegal trade of controlled or scarce products

Commandant

Officer in charge of a particular group or force; commander

Embezzlement

Fraudulent giving or spending of money or property that was put in the care of a person who does not actually own it

Essential Worker

A worker whose profession was deemed necessary to the war effort, such as a metalworker

Gestapo

Nazi Germany's secret police that occupied much of Europe and sent Jews to concentration camps

Ghetto

The isolated and segregated Jewish quarter in a city

Herr Direktor

The title, meaning "Mr. Director," that indicates Oskar Schindler is important in the Nazi party

Holocaust

The mass murder of Jews by the Nazi regime in Germany from the years 1941-1945

Liquidation

Destruction, termination of a business

Mess Kit

A set of cooking and eating utensils, used especially by soldiers or campers

Miscalibrate

To incorrectly measure the caliber of a gun

Moravia

A region in the Czech Republic from which Oskar Schindler hails

Plaszow

The Polish Nazi work camp of which Amon Goeth was in charge

Profiteer

Someone who seeks to make a profit in an unfair or illegal way

Sabbath

Day of religious observance and refrain from work (Friday to Saturday evening for Jews)

SS, or Schutzstaffel ("Protection Squadron")

The SS started as Hitler's bodyguard unit and ended up similar to an army force rather than a police force

Work Camp

Concentration camp where Jews worked as forced laborers

Zwittau-Brinnlitz

The work camp that Oskar Schindler opens in Moravia to protect the Jews from Auschwitz

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