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Wiesel is born.
Elie Wiesel is born in Sighet, Transylvania. -
Hitler takes power.
Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany. The Nazi Party takes control of Germany, and they establish the first concentration camp, Dachau. -
Nuremberg Laws
The Nremberg Race Laws are enacted. Jews can no longer hold German citizenship. -
Kristallnact, the night of broken glass
Nazis target and destroy Jewish synagogues, businesses, and homes in Germany, Austria, and parts of Czechoslovakia. 91 people are killed. -
WWII begins
Germany invades Poland, starting WWI. The British and French declare war on Germany. In November, Polish Jews are forced to wear the Star of David to identify them as Jews. -
The Wiesel family is forced from their home in Sighet.
At the hands of the Nazis, the Wiesel family is forced to move to Hungary. -
Auschwitz is established
Auschwitz, the largest and most deadly of the over 45,000 concentration camps, is established by the Nazis in Poland. -
Elie Wiesel begins studying the Kabbalah
Elie Wiesel is 12-years old. He begins his journey into deepening his Jewish faith, much to the disappointment of his father, Schlomo, a shopkeeper and prominent figure in the community. -
The Final Solution
The Nazis are authorized to begin discussing their "Final Solution" in their persecution of Jews. As a result, by December 8, 1941, the first killing centers begin operating in Poland. By 1942, the Nazi and SS officers implement the "Final Solution," a plan to murder the European Jews.
