Night
By Elie Wiesel
An Introduction
Night: An Introduction © 2013, Lauren Colletti. All Rights Reserved.
Night by Elie Wiesel
In Night, published in 1958, Elie
Wiesel recounts his experiences
during the Holocaust.
Night is part of a trilogy; it is
followed by Dawn, then Day.
Elie Wiesel
• Elie Wiesel was born in
Sighet, Romania, on
September 30, 1928.
Town of Sighet
Transylvania (Romania after 1940)
Life in Sighet
In Sighet, Elie lived with his mother,
Sarah, his father, Shlomo, his older
sisters Hilda and Bea, and his younger
sister Tzipora.
Elie’s parents ran a store.
Elie’s little sister, Tzipora.
Wiesel Home, Sighet.
Elie’s Childhood
Elie Wiesel:
“My childhood was really a
childhood blessed with love and
hope and faith and prayer. I come
from a very religious home and in
my little town I was not the only
one who prayed and was loved.
There were people who were
Elie Wiesel with his mother and sisters.
poorer than us, yet in my town,
we were considered to be not a wealthy family, but well-to-do, which
means we weren't hungry. There were people who were.”
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/photocredit/achievers/wie0-009
Shlomo Wiesel, Elie’s Father
Elie’s father, Shlomo, was a
respected member of the
community.
“My father was a cultured man,
rather unsentimental. He rarely
displayed his feelings, not even
within his family, and was more
involved with the welfare of others
than with that of his own kin. The
Jewish community of Sighet help
him in highest esteem; his advice on
public and even private matters was
frequently sought.”
Night by Elie Wiesel, page 4
Elie’s Religious Life
Elie, a teenager devoted to
studying the Kabbalah, found a
teacher in Moishe the Beadle.
“I met him in 1941. I was almost
thirteen, and deeply observant.”
After Moishe had a terrifying
experience, he tried to warn the
town of Sighet of impending
danger, but no one believed him.
By the time they found out
Moishe was right, it was too late.
Temple in Sighet
“Today, out of two temples, six
synagogues and 13 prayer houses only
the Igniter Klaus Temple is left. It was built
in 1885, rebuilt, repaired and restored in
1936, 1950, 1970 and 1981.”
http://www.romaniajewishtours.com/synagoges-and-cemeteries/#sig
Elie Wiesel
Elie was just 15 years old when the Nazis invaded his
hometown, and changed his life
forever.
Interview with Elie Wiesel
In this video clip, Elie Wiesel
returns to Auschwitz with
Oprah Winfrey, who interviews
his about his experiences.
As you view…
•
Jot down 5 facts and 2
questions about the
Holocaust.