 The Holocaust (from the Greek ὁ λόκαυστος holókaustos: hólos, whole and kaustós, burnt ) also known as the Shoah (Hebrew: השואה, HaShoah, catastrophe ; Yiddish: חורבן, Churben or Hurban, from the Hebrew for destruction ), was the mass murder or genocide of approximately six million Jews during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, throughout German-occupied territory.GreekHebrewYiddishgenocideWorld War IINazi GermanyAdolf HitlerNazi Party