A Judenrat (German: [ˈjuːdn̩ˌʁaːt], "Jewish council") was a World War II administrative agency imposed by Nazi Germany on Jewish communities across occupied Europe, principally within the Nazi ghettos. The Germans required Jews to form a Judenrat in every community across the occupied territories. While some scholars have described the institution of the Judenrats as a collaborationist one, the question of whether participation in the Judenrat constituted collaboration with the Germans remains a controversial issue to this day.