NightBy Elie Wiesel

Setting

Hungary, Poland, GermanySighet, Transylvania

1941-45

Holocaust

Literally means “great fire”Systematic extermination of

Jewish people in Europe during the years that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were in power in Germany

Adolf Hitler

Hitler always had a hatred of Jews

Came to power during a time of high unemployment and economic chaos

Adolf Hitler

Used Jews as a scape goat for Germany’s problems

Planned to build a pure and superior German “master race”—Anti-Semitism

Adolf HitlerCraving for powerBegan invading European

countries in 1939Put into action his “Final

Solution”-extermination of all Jews

Setting

Auschwitz-BirkenauBunaGleiwitzBuchenwald

Author

Elie WieselJewish ancestryConcentration camp survivorNobel Peace Prize winner

AuthorElie Wiesel – a writer

Five Novels3 major plays: Zalmon, The

Madness of God, and The Trials of God

Numerous other works

NightSubjective – recounts the

concentration camps from a personal perspective Focus on Wiesel’s memories as a 15

year old boy Facts and feelings are combined “Autobiographical Novel”

Night as a translation Written in Hebrew in 1954 1958 shortened from 800 pages to 178

pages; translated to French 1960 translated to English, shortened to

116 pages 2006 Marion Wiesel completed a new

English translation

Night Issues and ThemesCruelty of man – how much

evil are humans capable of?

Indifference of God – why doesn’t an all-powerful God prevent evil and pain?

Vocabulary

Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year’s DayObserved in the months of

either September or October (depending on the year)

Yom Kippur“Day of Atonement”Religious festival celebrating

Yahweh’s forgiveness for sinsSeptember-October

Passover – Holiday celebrating the Jews’

liberation from EgyptMarch-April

Pentecost50 days after Passover

TorahThe first five books of the Old

Testament (the Hebrew Bible)Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,

Numbers, Deuteronomy

TalmudWritings of famous Rabbis on

religious subjects

Cabbala/KabbalaMystical, secret knowledge of

the Torah and TalmudTeaching that the Torah has

secret or hidden messages

ZionJerusalemA Zionist is a person who

desires to travel and live in Jerusalem

SynagogueA Jewish place of worship

KaddishHebrew Death PrayerSimilar to the Last Rites of

Catholicism

Gestapo Nazi internal security police

Kapo Foreman of an individual hut

Kommandant Commanding officer of a concentration camp

Lageralteste Concentration camp chief