How is it possible to understand the significance of genocide if we do not understand what was lost?

In a matter of a few years the Nazi regime and its collaborators destroyed Jewish communities which had been present in parts of Europe for over 2000 years. Reflecting on this long history can help students grasp the voids created by the Holocaust; it can also broaden perceptions of Jewish life before the war and enable understanding of the invaluable contributions made by Jewish communities to European society and culture.