Pogrom

Pogrom (from Russian for “devastation” or “riot”), term for the officially condoned mob attacks on Jewish communities in Russia between 1881 and 1921. More generally, it is used to describe any massacre of a defenseless minority, particularly Jews, such as those organized by the Nazis. The pogroms were a major factor in the large-scale emigration of European Jews to the United States.

See also: Jews.