A pogrom is a violent attack, either approved or condoned by authorities, against the persons and property of a religious, racial, or national minority. The term is usually applied to attacks on Jews in the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
. The word "pogrom" comes from a Russian word meaning "to destroy, to wreak havoc, to demolish violently"
. It historically refers to violent attacks by local non-Jewish populations on Jews in the Russian Empire and Eastern Europe, and the term is still used to describe contemporary events
. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "an organized massacre of helpless people; specifically: such a massacre of Jews"
