-
Hilda Wiesel
The oldest in the family -
Beatrice Wiesel
2nd born of the family -
Elie Wiesel
3rd born of the family -
Tzipora Wiesel
4th born and youngest in the family -
Moishe the Beadle
He never had surname tended to stay out of people's way with his presence bothering no one and mastered the art of rendering himself insignificant, invisible. He was very awkward boy and met Elie when was almost thirteen. I see Moishe being mentor to Elie due to him actually being his master who taught him Kabbalists and read Zohar together over and over again. -
Moishe's Tragedy
The train with the deportees crossed the Hungarian border then in Polish territory that was taken over by the Gestapo. The jews were order to truck where they will have to dig huge trenches in forest where they were killed without haste or passion using babies as target practice for their guns. By some miracle he was able to escape with his life trying to spread what happened to him, but everyone thouhgt he was mad. Moishe's Tragedy is the calling. A warning what's going happened to them. -
Moishe question
Moishe asked the question "Why do you pray?". Elie respond with "Why did I pray? Strange question why did I live? Why did I breathe?... I don't know" I believe this holds important towards his religion -
News from Russian Front
There could no longer be any doubt that Germany would be defeated and it was only mater of time, months, or weeks. People were saying "Red army is advancing with giant strides... Hitler will not be able to harm us, even if he want to"(8) -
Disquieting News
German troops had penetrated Hungarian territory with the government's approval. The Jews in Budapest live in an atmosphere of fear and terror while people in Sighet were talking about how Germans will not come this far and stay in Budapest for strategic and political reasons. -
Transformation
It accepts his freedom. "Free At Last!" he had this freedom and thoughts to himself to keep him afloat instead of him and his father. -
Period: to
The Eight Days Of Passover
Germans were already in the town, so people gathered in private homes cause they didn't want to provoke them. Mostly every rabbi's home became a prayer house due to synagogues were no longer allowed to be open and even though the bible commands them to rejoice during the celebration. Their hearts couldn't do it. -
The Seventh Day of Passover
On the seventh day of Passover, the Germans arrested the leaders of the Jewish community, and in their first edict Jews were prohibited from leaving their residences for three days under penalty of death. Elie's mentor and friend came running into their house and said he warned without a response back. That same day Hungarian police told every Jew that owning gold, jewelry, and everything valuables was forbidden. Elie's father went down to the cellar and buried the last of his savings. -
New decrees
Every Jew had to wear the yellow star, no longer allowed to frequent restaurants or cafes, not travel by rail, attend synagogue, and be on the streets after six o 'clock in the evening. -
Ghettos
Two ghettos were created in Sighet and the street Elie lived on Serpent Stree meaning they got to stay in their home. Life returned to "normal" and Germans added barbed wire that encircled them like a wall, but it didn't fill them with real fear. During this time this small Jewish republic happened with a council, police force, welfare agency, labor committee, and health agency. The ghettos were ruled by neither Germans nor jew, but by delusion A challenge -
Leaving The Ghetto
They were going to transport and the ghetto was going to be liquidated. Each of them was allowed to bring personal belonging with some food, a few items of clothes, and nothing else from there. At one o 'clock in the afternoon, everyone was signaled to leave -
The Small Ghetto
-
The Start of Cattle Car
Hungarian police made them climb into a cattle car each one filled with 80 people with some bread and a few pails of water. If anyone managed to escape they would be shot. -
Journey On The Cattle Car
Laying down and sitting wasn't an option, so they all had to take turns sitting down. Very little air was coming into the room and you were lucky to be next to the window to watch the countryside. No one never ate enough -
Period: to
Cattle Car Journey
-
Period: to
Auschwitz Camp
-
Arrival Aushwitz
Arriving here is the last time he sees his mom and his little sister forever. He and his father are told to lie about their ages and career. Elie was now "18' and "farmer". This was all to avoid the crematorium where they would be killed and burned. Another challenge -
Change in personality
His father went up to the Gypsy just to ask "where is the bathroom?". His father ended up getting slapped landing on the floor. Elie expresses that he changed so fast in a day that he didn't even blink when his father was struck by the Gypsy. His father had to tell Elie that he was ok and "It doesn't hurt." -
Change of Name
All prisoners got tattooed numbers on their left arms and they were to be called those numbers. Not any other name. Elie was A-7713 -
New Camp
They were given new clothes and settled in two tents. He was placed into quarantine for three days and was signed to have a medical checkup -
Medical Checkup
The checkup wasn't really for seeing how Elie's health was, but checking if he had any gold teeth. Elie had a gold crown that would be taken out of his mouth but was avoided a lot. Elie pretend he was sick to get out of the dentist's check-up and eventually the dentist's office was shut down. The dentist was in prison and was ing going to be hanged. Elie kept his gold crown. -
Send Off
All the Skilled Workers were sent out and it was his block secretary time to leave with the next transport. They were counted and sent through village to different camp -
Afraid Losing His Father
His father thought he was going to be gone and started giving his son everything he had that would be Elie's inheritance in this camp. His father was going to give him a knife, and spoon and start saying he didn't need them. Elie was on verge of crying and didn't want his father talking like that. He told his father that he will see him after work. His father was alive and passed selection. -
Relationship With His Father
Elie wanted to stay close to his father the best he can. When the new year came up he ran to find his father to wish him Happy Year. He was no longer in the same block as his father and when came to selection he questioned how his father would be able to pass at his age. -
Selection
Elie was told to run, try to move his limbs, and give himself some color. These would increase his chances of passing when it was his time to start running. He felt like he had been running for years and telling himself that I'm too skinny and too weak. They didn't write down his number. When he found out his father pass he was happy -
His Father Losing Hope
He told his son "I can't go on . . . It's over . . .". Elie's father's spirit is dying with him repeating those words. He could no longer fight, no more strength, and no more faith. He even told Elie "It's over. God is no longer with us." -
Injury
Elie's right food started hurting from the cold to the point it was hard to stand on it, so he went infirmary where they did an operation on him. He had stayed in the infirmary for two weeks and he was able to use his leg again after those weeks -
The Battlefront
A rumor went by saying that the battlefront was drawn near and a false prophet announced to them Peace-in-the-world, the-Red-Cross-negotiating-our-liberation, or other fables. Everyone in the infirmary wasn't going to evacuate. When he and his father were planning to evacuate with the others, Elie didn't go back to the infirmary even though the wound reopened -
Elie almost gave up
Another challenge was he almost gave up. His father's presence was the only thing that stopped him and he was his sole support. When they finally halt his father shook him telling him to get up and go a little farther down. He didn't want his father to fall asleep in the snow and move to a safe spot like a shed. -
The Camp Were Liquidated
Elie and other Jews in the camp were finally free men. They didn't have thoughts of revenge just bread and the next few days young men tan into Weimar to bring back clothes, and potatoes, and to sleep with girls. No traces of revenge. Elie got a form of poisoning and was transferred to hospital and spent two weeks between life and death. He looked in a mirror which seem to be a long time since he did that. The look in his eyes never left him -
Elie's Greatest Challenge
Elie's father dragged him to a pile of snow he told Elie to leave him and that he can't go on anymore. Elie didn't want his father to go and had become childlike with being weak and vulnerable. Elie felt ashamed of himself thinking about leaving his father. His father loses his painful battle with dysentery, a disease that attacks the intestines. Elie woke up to someone else on his father's cot finding out his dad died and he had a sense of relief that his dad passed. "Free at Last"