Holocaust
Sir: Paul Johnson is correct (29 August) when he states that —holocaust" . . . origi- nally meant a sacrificial offering which was entirely consumed for the honour of the god'. He is incorrect when he states, 'Jews use it of the Nazi genocide in Eastern Europe.' It is not used, precisely because of the very connotations Mr Johnson enumerates. The word he searches for is not 'hecatomb' but `Shoah', if he wishes to distinguish Hitler's genocide from that Stalin practised on the kulaks. Even the Vatican has the sensitivity to use the word these days. A leading Catholic layman or he was when he edited the New States- man — particularly one who has written A History of the Jews, should have the same trait.
David M. Duckels
38 Exchange Street, Driffield, East Yorkshire.
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