Why “pogromshchik” is a great word
POGROMSHCHIK — [Noun] A person who organizes or participates in a pogrom, especially one directed against Jewish people. From Russian погромщик (pogromščik), from погром (pogrom, "devastation, riot") + -щик (-ščik, agent suffix). Unlike a rioter, whose violence is generalized public disturbance, or a persecutor, whose oppression can be broad and bureaucratic, the pogromshchik is an agent of a specific, historically-anchored terror. He is the neighbor sharpening a pitchfork by lamplight, the hand that paints the mark on the door, the voice translating ancient libel into the crash of breaking glass—a chilling testament to how sanctioned hatred is executed through intimate, mundane violence.