The Yad Vashem Encyclopedia of the Ghettos During the Holocaust

Since the historiography on the ghettos in Europe during World War II had mainly been limited to the largest ones and that in fact most ghettos had never been systematically researched, the International Institute for Holocaust Research decided to conduct a comprehensive research project on the ghettos with the intention to publish an encyclopedia on the ghettos in Nazi occupied Europe. This pioneering research project is a systematic gathering of data from research studies, historical information, testimonies and documents dealing with more than 1,100 ghettos throughout mainly Eastern Europe where Jews were concentrated and whence they were deported. Information on conditions, the type of administration, the leadership, and individual coping methodologies were collected. As the Nazis never clearly defined "ghettos" themselves, the Institute decided to define "ghetto" for this project in very broad terms, basing it on the phenomenological definition that was obtained through analysis of the historical material. The data compiled records the stories of the Jews who were herded into and concentrated in various locations through the essential characteristics of the phenomenon. It refl