Etymologically, the term ‘holocaust’ (holokauston in Greek) originally referred to the Jewish ideological practice in which animals were slaughtered and their bodies burnt on a large scale. The term was later used to describe what the Nazis did to Jewish people on a large scale in the 1930s and 1940s because of the striking similarities between the two practices. The word ‘victim’ (victima in Latin) also originally referred to the animal being slaughtered in such practices. The attitude “My victim’s life does not matter because I am more important” is exactly the attitude that gives rise to such atrocities, whether carried out on animals or on people. Jesus showed the only way out when in Matthew 9:13 he said to go and learn what is meant in Hosea 6:6, which reads: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” The answer is to humble yourself and live mercifully instead of justifying acts of cruelty by arrogantly asserting your superiority to the victim.
Here are some perspectives from Jewish Holocaust survivors that went vegan:
http://think-differently-about-sheep.com/Animal_Rights_a%20histroy_Isaac_Bashevis_singer.htm
Swords to Plowshares 