Night By Elie Wiesel

Author’s bibliographical information Born in Sighet, Transylvania Very religious child; studied sacred Jewish texts His father owned a grocery store and was well-respected in his community, but the family was not rich. Elie Wiesel was very close to his mother as a child, but was a fragile and often sick child. His two older sisters are Hilda and Bea. His younger sister was Tzipora. He was sent to Auschwitz and Buna (in Poland) as a teenager at age 15, then to Gleiwitz, and finally Buchenwald before liberation. He was freed from Buchenwald on April 11, 1945 at age 16. He was sent to France after WWII (did not speak French at the time) He moved to the United States in 1956 and is now a citizen.

Night is his only book written in his native language (Yiddish). He writes in French. His works are then translated into other languages, including English. (Since Night was not originally written in English some of his diction and syntax may seem disjointed.) Night is an autobiographical memoir about Wiesel’s experiences during the Holocaust. The original manuscript of Nigh t was 865 pages, but it was edited to the current version prior to its original publication in One of his favorite phrases is, “and yet” – look for it and annotate the phrase in the text! Elie Wiesel won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 (his acceptance speech is published at the end of the book). He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Humanities at Boston University and a powerful speaker and advocate for human rights.

Historical background information Most Jews in Europe lived in eastern Europe, primarily in the Soviet Union and Poland. The Nazi party came to power in Germany in 1933 led by Adolf Hitler. The Germans moved to extend their power in central Europe. Germany invaded Poland in The Germans established ghettos in occupied eastern territories. They isolated and persecuted the Jewish population when liquidating ghettos, in concentration camps, and in death camps. By the end of WWII in 1945 over 6 million Jewish people had been killed by the Germans.

Important terms in Night TransportSelection HolocaustGenocide GhettoPrejudice DiscriminationKapo GestapoAnti-Semitism SSLiquidation Death campConcentration camp *We will discuss these terms and the importance of the author’s diction during seminar. Be sure to annotate the terms and references in the text as they are introduced to you while you are reading Nigh t.

Important names, places, and essential terms for understanding Night Adolf Hitler – A leader and dictator of Germany (Chancellor – 1933, President – 1934). He was a master of propaganda. Heinrich Himmler – The head of the SS Adolph Eichmann – Devised a plan for the Final Solution Rudolph Hess – The commander of Auschwitz Dr. Mengele – Famous doctor who performed experiments and brutal treatments on camp prisoners. Nicknamed “The Angel of Death” Third Reich – Republic of Germany under Hitler’s rule from

“Schutz Staffel” – SS established as Hitler’s bodyguards and became the elite Nazis guards in charge of concentration camps Gestapo – secret police and part of SS Auschwitz – The largest death camp The Final Solution – Plan devised in 1941 to increase the efficiency of the killing of Jews and other prisoners by the Germans. This plan created the death camps that included gas chambers and crematoriums. Kaddish – A Jewish prayer that is said for the dead. Rosh Hashana – Jewish New Year Synagogue – A Jewish house of worship and study Yellow star – Nazis forced Jewish people to wear a cloth badge that was a yellow six pointed star, so they could be easily identified. Yom Kippur – a day of Atonement; a Jewish Holy day of fasting and prayer for forgiveness of sins

At age 8, Elie Wiesel received a blessing from Rabbi of Wizhnitz who was highly respected and visiting his town. His mother mother cried when she spoke to the Rabbi and Elie never knew why until almost 25 years later when he visited his cousin Anshel in a hospital in NYC. This was the prediction the Rabbi gave his mother: “Sarah, know that your son will become a gadol b’Israel, a great man in Israel, but neither you nor I will live to see the day” (Wiesel 13). -from his book, Memoirs: All Rivers Run to the Sea As you read Night and learn about Elie Wiesel’s life and struggles, think about the Rabbi’s words. Did they come true? We will discuss this idea in relation to the text after you read the book.