The Holocaust is the historical name given to the Nazis’ attempt to execute all the Jewish citizens of Europe. In addition to Jews, the Nazis also captured and murdered members of numerous other minority groups, including LGBTQ+ people, Roma and Sinti people, Black people, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Ackerman notes that, in addition to the 6 million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis, 3 million Catholics also perished. The intent of the German High Command was to kill not only the Jews but also the intellectuals, professionals, and creative citizens of Slavic nations, beginning with the Poles, for whom the Nazis held great animosity. Among Jewish historians, the Holocaust is called The Shoah—a Hebrew word meaning “catastrophe,” used in the Bible to describe scenes of utter devastation.

The Warsaw Zoo, a fairly new institution, was comprised of a large campus with various installations built to house different kinds of animals. The main house, where the director and his family lived, was called the villa. This large, rambling home had many levels, concealed passageways to other parts of the zoo, and hiding places. Guests staying in the villa knew to remain out of sight during the day, though they had the freedom to roam the house at night.