Reading Assignment #1: Pages 3-10
Vocabulary
1. Hasidic (3)- “He was the jack-of-all-trades in a Hasidic house of prayer, a shitbl.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
1
2. Waiflike (3)- “[Beadle’s] waiflike shyness made people smile.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Kabbalah (3)- “…according to Kabbalah, it [the Shekhinah in Exile] awaits its redemption…”
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Talmud (3)- “By day I [Elie] studied Talmud…”
____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Synagogue (3)- “I [Elie] would run to the Synagogue…”
____________________________________________________________________________________
6. Zohar (5)- “…I [Elie]was not able to find in Sighet a master to teach me the Zohar, the Kabbalistic works…”
____________________________________________________________________________________
7. Gestapo (6)- “...the deportees had crossed the Hungarian border and… had been taken over by the Gestapo.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. Fascist (9)- “Budapest radio announced that the Fascist party had seized power.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
9. Anti-Semitic (9)- “The Jews of Budapest live in an atmosphere of fear and terror. Anti-Semitic acts take place
everyday…”
____________________________________________________________________________________
10. ______________ (____)- “_____________________________________________________________”
____________________________________________________________________________________
Questions
1. When and where did Elie Wiesel grow up? How would you describe that community? How was his
childhood like yours? How was it different?
 He grew up in Sighet, Transylvania, 1930s into 1940s
 The community consists of many Jewish people and seems to have a strong religious foundation
 ____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Who was “Moshe the Beadle”? What did Eliezer’s parents and others in his community think of him? Why
did Eliezer spend a lot of time with him?
2
3. What are your impressions of Eliezer’s family? What was Eliezer’s father like? What was his position in the
Jewish community? (4)
4. What happened to Moshe that caused a great change in him? How did he change? How did the rest of the
community act when he told them what he experienced? (6-7)
5. Why were the Jews of Sighet heartened by the news on the radio in the late 1942 and 1943 (7-8)? What
does Wiesel mean when he says “Besides, people were interested in everything-in strategy, diplomacy,
politics, Zionism-but not their own fate” (8)? What is the tone here?
6. What news did Berkovitz bring from Budapest? Why was it that “optimism soon revived” (9)? Why was it
that “optimists rejoiced” even after the German soldiers appeared in Sighet (9-10)?
Reading Assignment #2: Pages 11-22
Vocabulary
1. Passover (10)- “The eight days of Passover.”
3
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Edict (10)- “First edict: Jews were prohibited from leaving their residences for three days, under penalty of death.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Ghetto (11)- “Two ghettos were created in Sighet.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Phylacteries (16)- “I [Elie] quickly unwound my phylacteries and ran to the window.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Indiscriminately (16)- “The Hungarian police used their rifle butts, their clubs to indiscriminately strike old men and
women, children and cripples.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. Oppressors (19)- “They [Hungarian police] were our first oppressors.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. Conflagration (21)- “The stars were but sparks of the immense conflagration that was consuming us.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. ______________ (____)- “________________________________________________________________”
______________________________________________________________________________________
Questions
1. How did the Jews of Sighet prepare for the deportation? What was it like (15-16)? Why was there “joy ” when the
signal finally came to leave (16)?
2. Describe the scene as the procession of deportees occurred including sights, sounds, smells you might imagine (17).
What do you think had the biggest impact on Elie? What would have the biggest impact on you?
3. Who offered Eliezer’s family safe refuge (20)? Why do you suppose his father didn’t accept the offer?
4. On what day of the week was Eliezer’s family expelled? What was ironic about the fact that it was on this particular
day of the week (21)? What were the 24 hours in the synagogue like? What would you have found hardest about
this time? (22)
4
5. How were the Jews moved out of Sighet? Why didn’t anyone try to escape (22)? Would you have tried to escape?
Reading Assignment #3: Pages 23-46
Vocabulary
1. Irrevocably (24)- “The doors were nailed, the way back irrevocably cut off.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Hermetically (24)- “The world had become a hermetically sealed cattle car.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Pious (24)- “Her [Mrs. Schachter’s] husband was a pious man who spent most of his days and nights in the house of
study.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Tumult (30)- “There was a tumult.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Crematorium (32)- “Poor devils, you are heading for the crematorium.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. Sages (31)- “We mustn’t give up hope, even now as the sword hangs over our heads. So taught our sages…”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. Kapos (36)- “The Kapos were beating us again, but I no longer felt the pain.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. Harangued (38)- “He [SS officer] harangued us from the center of the barrack…”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
9. Veritable (44)- “The new one [Blockalteste] was ferocious and his aides were veritable monsters.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
10. ______________ (____)- “________________________________________________________________”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Questions
5
1. Who was Madame Schachter (24)? Why was she so upset? How did the others treat her (25-26)? What was the first
thing the prisoners saw when they got to Birkenau (28)? Do you think they realized what it was they were seeing
and smelling?
2. Who were the SS men? How did Eliezer and his father get separated from Mother and Tzipora? What was Eliezer’s
last view of them? Why do you suppose he dedicates this book to them? (29)
3. Why did Eliezer and his father lie to Dr. Mengele (31)? Why did his father wish Eliezer had gone with his mother?
(33) What was ironic about this? What do you suppose Elie Wiesel would say to those who claim that children were
not murdered during the holocaust?
4. What is the Kaddish? Why didn’t Eliezer join his father in reciting this? What change(s) do you note in him? (33)
5. How did the prisoners already in the barracks treat the newcomers (34-35)? What were Eliezer and the others
ordered to do? How did Eliezer change physically, emotionally, and spiritually by the end of the first night? (35-37)
6. Why did the gypsy strike Eliezer’s father? How did Eliezer react (39)? What would you have done-under these
circumstances?
7. To what new camp were the prisoners marched (40)? Who was in charge of the block? What was his advice (41)?
Why do you suppose the Germans put prisoners in charge of prisoners’ blocks?
6
8. Who was Stein (43)? Why did Eliezer lie to him (44)? Was he wrong to do so? Why did Stein stop coming (45)?
9. Akiba Drumer believed God was testing the Jews; that the punishment was actually a sign of love. What is your
reaction to his theory? What did Eliezer think of it? (45-46)
Reading Assignment #4: Pages 47-65
Vocabulary
1. Haifa (51)- “We would board the first ship to Haifa.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Wizened (51)- “A young man with a startlingly wizened face.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Untenable (56)- “It [the continued beating of Elie’s father] was untenable.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. A novel experience (56)- “A few days before the Poles left, I had a novel experience.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. Writhed (60)- “Falling to the ground, his face stained by the soup, the man writhed…and then he was still.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6. Gallows (61)- “….there, in the middle of the camp…stood a black gallows.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7. ______________ (____)- “________________________________________________________________”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Questions
7
1. How could Wiesel have bribed the assistant to arrange for him to go with his father to a “good unit”? Why didn’t he
try the bribe? Should he have? (48)
2. Why was Wiesel sent to the dentist? Why was he so desperate to keep his tooth (51-52)? Why didn’t he succeed
(56)?
3. Who beat Eliezer in front of the French girl? Why? Why was she afraid to speak to him? What did her advice show
about her? (53)
4. Why did Eliezer laugh at Idek? Does Eliezer’s or Idek’s behavior surprise you? What was the result? (56-57)
5. What did the air raid sirens signify? Why was this a particularly dangerous time for prisoners? How did the death of
that one man affect Eliezer? How did Eliezer feel when the air raid was over? (58-60)
6. Who were some of the people who died on the gallows (61-65)? What phrase did many repeat before their deaths
(62)? Why do you suppose these people weren’t shot or killed some other way?
8
7. Whose death moved Eliezer the most (63-65)? Why? Why did he find the soup “excellent” after one execution, but
tasting of “corpses” after another (61-65)?
Reading Assignment #5: Pages 66-84
Vocabulary
1. Benediction (67)- “Thousands of lips repeated the benediction, bent over like trees in a storm.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Lament (68)- “But now, I no longer pleaded for anything. I was no longer able to lament.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Reprieve (70)- “Then he would know the verdict: death or reprieve.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Crucible (74)- “All that mattered was to be far from the block, far from the crucible of death…”.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Dysentery (78)- “Next to me lay a Hungarian Jew suffering from dysentery.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
6. Annihilate (80)- “Hitler has made it clear that he will annihilate all Jews before the clock strikes twelve.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. Knell (84)- “At six o’ clock the bell rang. The death knell.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
8. ______________ (____)- “________________________________________________________________”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Questions
1. What was the “fine New Year’s gift” the SS gave the prisoners? What is the tone here? (69-70)
2. Do you think the advice the head of the block gave about how to avoid selection helped Eliezer? What do you
suppose it was like to be a Jew-and put in charge of a block of concentration camp prisoners (71-73)?
9
3. What happened to many prisoners when they lost faith (76)? Why do you suppose that is? At this point, has Wiesel
lost his faith? Why do you suppose he tells the story of what happened to Akiba Drumar-and how everyone forgot to
say the Kaddish for him (76-77)?
4. How did Wiesel end up in the hospital (78)? What decisions did he face there (79-80)? What would you have done?
5. How did the “face of the camp” change on the morning of the evacuation (83)? Why did the head of the block order
the prisoners to clean the floor (84)? How do you suppose the prisoners felt about their task?
6. Re-read the description of the evacuation at the end of the chapter. Why do you suppose the author chooses to use
a series of short sentences in this passage? What is the effect? How do you feel as you come to the end of the
chapter?
Reading Assignment #6: Pages 85-97
Vocabulary
1. Automatons (85)- “We were no longer marching, we were running. Like automatons.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Bewildered (90)- “He [Elie’s father] sat up, bewildered, stunned, like an orphan.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Apathy (92)- “…SS officers on motorcycles drove the length of the column to shake off the growing apathy.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________ (____)- “________________________________________________________________”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Questions
10
1.
What does Wiesel mean by the observations of the SS men, “their fingers on the triggers, they did not deprive
themselves of this pleasure” (page 85)? Are most of the Nazis Wiesel describes apparently enjoying their work?
Following orders mindlessly? Afraid to disobey orders?
2.
What happened to Zalman (86)? Do you think the SS are any less guilty of his death than they would be if they had
shot him?
3.
How did Wiesel and his father help each other stay alive (88-89)? Where do you find evidence in this section and
earlier ones that looking out for oneself took more and more precedence over worrying about others as time in the
camps wore on?
4.
Why does Wiesel tell the story of Rabbi Eliahou (90-91)? Why was he glad that the rabbi “should continue to look
for his beloved son” (91)? Did Wiesel judge the son? Why do you think “sons abandoned their fathers’ remains
without a tear” (92)?
5.
How did Wiesel avoid suffocation (93-94)? Why did he think he was hallucinating (94)? Why do you suppose Juliek
played the violin in this terrible situation(94-95)?
Reading Assignment #7: Pages 98-115
Vocabulary
1. Grudgingly (107)- “But my heart was heavy. I was aware that I was doing it grudgingly.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
11
2. Riveted (109)- “I was riveted to my [Elie’s] father’s agony.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Idleness (113)- “I spent my days in total idleness.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Contemplating (115)- “From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________ (____)- “________________________________________________________________”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Questions
1. Why did the two men try to throw Wiesel’s father from the carriage (99)? Why were the living “glad” when the
order came to throw out the corpses (99)? What is the author saying about the prisoners themselves?
2. Why did the German workman do to the prisoners in the carriage (100)? How did the prisoners in the wagon act
like animals? Can you think of other examples of human beings enjoying the spectacle of other human beings in
pain and misery?
3. Describe the situation about Meir and his son. What happened to them? (101-111) How are they like other fathers
and sons Wiesel had described? What is the author saying about how the concentration camps affected the bonds
between loved ones?
4. Why did Wiesel leave his father when the sirens wailed? (106) How can you tell that he felt guilty about this later?
Was his father angry? Why did Wiesel feel that “no better than Rabbi Eliahou’s son had I withstood the test’? (106107)
12
5. Why did Wiesel decide to be “sick” (page 111)? Why didn’t he see his father die? Why didn’t he cry? (111-112)
6. What were Wiesel’s thoughts during the months after his father’s death? How has he changed? (113)
7. How does Wiesel convey a sense of hopelessness in this final section of the book? What do you think would have
happened to him if his father had died much earlier?
8. Why did the SS flee the camp? (114-115) When was Wiesel finally freed? (114-115) Why was he sent to a hospital?
(115)
9. What do you think of the last few lines of the novel? (“From the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating
me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me.” 115)
10. Would this be a better book if Wiesel had attempted a more “uplifting” tone at the end? Why do you suppose he
does not?
13