Holocaust And Western Culture

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The word Holocaust itself comes from the Greek words holos and kaustos, which means burned as whole. It also signifies a tradition in which the Jews burned people as sacrifices for their Gods. Before the Holocaust, the Jews in Germany and Western Europe were a part of the nation; they only differed in their religion. They had the same rights and opportunities as the Germans there. Nearly two-thirds of the 500,000 Jews were engaged in trade and commerce, one quarter worked in industry, and about one-eighth were in public service and the professions--mainly law and medicine. In Western Europe, Jews had high political positions. On the other hand, the Jews in Eastern Europe lived a separate life as a minority within the culture of