To witness (verb)
to see or watch an event take place
Synonyms: bystander, witness, spectator
L1
Moral Obligation (noun)
a sense that you must do or say
something because it is the right thing
to do.
Synonyms: duty, responsibility, commitment
L1
Delusion (noun)
A false belief that is strongly held in spite of
evidence that shows this belief is incorrect.
Synonyms: deception, fooling, tricking
L3
Barrack (noun)
A building or group of buildings used to
house soldiers.
Synonyms: camp, fort, living quarters
L5
Humanity (noun)
The characteristics that belong
uniquely to human beings.
Synonyms: human kind, people, homo sapiens
L6
Dehumanize
(verb)
To deprive someone of human qualities,
personality, or dignity; to treat someone
inhumanely or make them withstand
horrifying conditions.
Synonyms: corrupt, demean, deprave
L6
Emaciated (adjective)
Very thin because of hunger or
disease.
Synonyms: skinny, guant, haggard
L10
Indifferent (noun)
Not interested in or concerned
about something.
Synonyms: unconcerned, nonchalant, uncaring
L11
Abhorrent (adjective)
Causing or deserving strong dislike or
hatred.
Synonyms: repulsive, vile, repugnant
L12
Talmud
A collection of writings about Jewish laws
and customs, used by people in Wiesel’s
community to govern daily life and studied
in great depth.
L2
Kabbalah
An interpretation of Judaism that focuses on the
secrets of God and using study and prayer to become
one with God; usually only older men who were thought
to be wise or experienced were able to study it.
L2
Zohar
The central text of the Kabbalah.
L2
Mourner’s
Kaddish
The prayer Jews say when mourning the loss
of a loved one. Traditionally, the prayer is only
said when there is at least 10 people present
to feel a sense of community.
L3
Ghetto
A section of the city where Jews
were forced to live, usually with
several families living in one house,
separated by heavy wire fencing.
L3
Transport/Holocaust Train
Railway cars under the control of Nazi
Germany used to forcibly deport Jews and
other victims of the Holocaust to Nazi death
camps.
L3
Death Camp
Also known as Concentration Camp, used by the
Nazis for enslaving Jews and other groups of
people at Death camps. Imprisoned people were
either starved, killed, or died from disease.
L4
S.S.
Short for the German word “Schutzstaffel”
which means “Protective Organization”. They
were the Nazi soldiers who controlled and ran
the Death camps; killing and terrorizing the
Jews.
L4
Motif
A repeated idea, image or object
within a story with symbolic meaning
that can help develop the theme.
L5
Kommando
An organization of enslaved laborers in Nazi
concentration camps. Kommandos were
tasked with jobs such as teeth pulling,
crematoria workers, and wood cutting.
L5
Kapo
An imprisoned person in the Nazi
camp who was assigned by the S.S.
guards to supervise forced labor or
carry out administrative tasks.
L5
Blockalteste
The Blockalteste was an imprisoned
German Jew who served as a leader of a
barrack. This was the highest position that a
prisoner could reach and he recommended
other prisoners for selection.
L6
Rosh Hashanah
A Jewish New Year. It is
considered one of Judaism’s
holiest days.
L8
Yom Kippur
Known as the Day of Atonement.
It is considered the most
important holiday in the Jewish
faith.
L8
Israeli-Palestnian Conflict
One of the world’s most
enduring conflicts. 54 years of
conflict with various attempts at
resolution.
L12