Murdered

The more precise and loaded term that better reflects the nature of the Holocaust

The choice to use murdered rather than perished emphasises the active role of the Nazis in killing Jews during the Holocaust, highlighting their deliberate, systematic destruction of Jews and their guilt. Perished is a passive term that can imply that their deaths were a natural consequence, while murdered shows the crime, violence, and intent of the killers.

Why murdered is more appropriate

Legal and historical accuracy: The Holocaust was not a passive event, but a genocidal act of systematic persecution and murder.
Role of the perpetrators: Murdered emphasises the role of the Nazis as the killers and their responsibility for the acts.
Emotional impact: The term murdered evokes a more powerful image of the violence, terror and cruelty that the victims endured.
Emphasising intent: The use of murdered underlines that the Nazis killed the Jews deliberately and with a desire for destruction.

When perished can be used

When referring to the total number of victims in a broader context, without specifically emphasising the perpetrators or the circumstances.
When the focus is on the fact of death, rather than on the manner in which it was caused.

In short, murdered is the more precise and loaded term that better reflects the nature of the Holocaust as a planned genocide.