Night Written by Elie Wiesel

About the Author Elie was born in 1928 in Sighet, Hungary. Father was a shopkeeper who was deeply involved in the Jewish community. Mother was well-educated and wanted Elie to become a rabbi. Immersed himself in religious studies and dreamt of becoming a scholar.

About the Author, cont. In 1986 Wiesel won the Nobel Peace Prize. Has written dozens of novels, short stories, essays, plays and historical studies. Strong force behind the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

About the Author, cont.

Timeline March Germans enter Hungary Transported to Auschwitz and Buna concentration camps April Free at age 16 Sent to French orphanage with 400 other child refugees Becomes a US citizen Starts composing memoir, Night Never intended to write a memoir “You must speak, but how can you, when the full story is beyond language.” Marries Holocaust survivor Marion Erster Rose

Historical Context Much of Night takes place within in single year, Becomes known as the Holocaust Greek word meaning “complete destruction by fire” Between 1933 and 1945, Adolf Hitler and his followers murdered about 1/3 of all the Jews in the world. Young and old alike were killed solely because of their ancestry.

Roots of Antisemitism Meaning discrimination against or prejudice or hostility toward Jews As a small minority in Europe, Jews were particularly vulnerable to attacks by the Christian majority. By the 16th century, many were totally isolated Jews and other minorities were increasingly portrayed as agents of the devil responsible for every catastrophe, from random crime to plague and drought. People had moved from fearing those they did not know to regarding them as the enemy.

Race and Antisemitism Early 1900s, “race” becomes a distorted lens for many people to view the world. Times of stress and uncertainty, such as the depression, begin in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Having a “racial enemy” to blame for society’s problems offered an easy answer to complex problems.

Race and Antisemitism, cont. In 1933, Jews made up less than 1% of the German population. Of the 250 Germans who held prominent government posts between 1919 and 1933, only four were Jews. The myth of a Germany dominated by Jews was fostered by groups like Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist, or Nazi party.

Race and Antisemitism, cont. In speech after speech, they maintained that the Jews were everywhere, controlled everything, and acted so secretly that few could detect their influence. The charge was absurd, but after hearing it again and again, many came to believe it.

The Rise of Hitler January 1933, Hitler becomes chancellor, or prime minister, of Germany. Within weeks, he set into motion a series of laws that replaced a democratic government with a dictatorship based on “race” and terror.

The Rise of Hitler, cont Hitler announced three new laws that stripped Jews of citizenship and made it a crime for Christians to have contacts with them Ruled much of Eastern and Western Europe. In one conquered nation after another, Jews were identified, isolated, and ultimately singled out for murder. By 1943, most European Jews were dead or on the way to death camps.