Judenrat[a] (German: [ˈjuːdn̩ˌʁaːt], "Jewish council") was a World War II administrative agency imposed by Nazi Germany on Jewish communities across occupied Europe, principally within the Nazi ghettos. The Germans required Jews to form a Judenrat in every community across the occupied territories.[1]

The Judenrat constituted a form of self-enforcing intermediary, used by the Nazi administration to control larger Jewish communities. In some ghettos, such as the Łódź Ghetto, and in Theresienstadt, the Germans called the councils "Jewish Council of Elders" (Jüdischer Ältestenrat or Ältestenrat der Juden).[2] Jewish communities themselves had established councils for self-government as early as the Middle Ages. The Jewish community used the Hebrew term Kahal (קהל) or Kehillah (קהילה), whereas the German authorities generally used the term Judenräte.[citation needed]

While some scholars have described the institution of the Judenrats as a collaborationist one,[3][4][5] the question of whether participation in the Judenrat constituted collaboration with the Germans remains a controversial issue to this day[6][7][8]


presentation Section: Enduring Occupation And The War