1. The Ukrainian city where elderly Jews and women with young children were forced to jump into trenches and be killed is Babi Yar. This horrific massacre took place in Kyiv during World War II, carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators.
2. The leader of the Soviet Union who conducted a purge from 1934 to 1939, killing thousands of people, was Joseph Stalin. This period known as the Great Purge targeted political opponents, intellectuals, and perceived threats to Stalin's rule.
3. Himmler used the phrase "repulsive duty" to describe the soldiers' task of killing prisoners. This dehumanizing language aimed to normalize and justify the brutal actions carried out by the Nazi regime.
4. The city where many Jews died because they were made to wade across the river is Rovno. This tragic event occurred during the Holocaust when Jewish victims were forced into the water by the Nazis and drowned.
5. Einsatzgruppen were mobile killing squads that followed the German army during World War II to kill any Jews they found. These units played a significant role in carrying out mass shootings and extermination actions in occupied territories.