Night queries
Acc. C.S.8/C.S.8-Ms. DROST
Section One of
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2,
3.
4.
5.
When and where did Elie Wiesel grow up?
Who was "Moshe the Beadle'o? Why doo you suppose the author begins his story
with Moshe? What did Eliezer's parents and the others in the community think of
him?
What are your impressions of Eliezer's family? What was Elie's father like? What
was his position in the Jewish community? How do you imagine his mother?
What happened to Moshe that caused a great change in him?
Why were the Jews of Sighet heartened by the news of the radio in late 1942 and,
1943?
6.
7.
What news did Berkovitz bring from Budapest?
Why was celebrating Passover like playing a o'comedy"? What is meant by the line,
"On the seventh day of Passover the eurtain rose"? What decrees were made by
the Germans?
What were the ghettos? I{ow did the Jews of Sighet feel about these ghettos?
9. why did the Jews of sighet think they were being deported? why do you suppose
their destination was kept secret from them?
Section Two of the reading
1. Could the Jews of Sighet have escaped from the Nazis? How did they prepare for
deportation?
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2. How do you suppose Eliezer felt as he watched the procession of deportees?
3. Who offered Eliezer's family safe refuge? Why do you suppose the father did not
accept the offer? Do you think this was a mistake?
4. On what day of the week was Eliezer's family expelled? What was ironic about the
fact that it was a Saturday?
5. How were the Jews moved out of Sighet?
Section Three of the reading
1. Why did the Hungarian lieutenant move among the prisoners with a basket?
2. Who was Madame Schachter? How did the others treat her?
3. Who were the SS men? How did Elie and his father get separated from Mother
and Tzipora? What was Elie's last view of them?
4. Why did some of the younger men want to attempt escape? Why didn't they go
8.
ahead?
Why did Elie and his father lie to Dr. Mengele?
6. what is the Kaddish? why didn't Elie join his father in reciting this? what
change is happening in Elie?
7. How did the prisoners already in the barracks treat the newcomers? How did Elie
change physically, emotionally and spiritually that first night?
8. How did Eliezer keep his shoes from the "Kapos" at first?
9. Why did the gypsy strike Eliezer's father? How did Elie react?
10. To what new camp were the prisoners marched? Who was in charge of the block?
What was his advice?
11. What number was tattooed on Eliezer? What was roll calt like?
5.
12. Who was Stein? Why did Eliezer lie to him?
13. Akiba Drumer believed God was testing the Jews and that the punishment was
actually a sign of love. What is your reaction to this theory? 'What did Eliezer
think of it?
Section four of the reading
l. 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?
2. Why was the dentist so conscientious?
3. 'Where was music played in the camp? Why do you suppose theNazis ordered this
music? Why couldn't the musicians play Beethoven?
4. Why was Wiesel sent to the dentist? Why was he so desperate to keep the tooth?
5.
\ilhy didn't
he succeed?
Who beat Eliezer in front of the French girt? Why? Why was she afraid to speak
to him?
6. Why did Idek beat Eliezer's father? Why do you suppose Elie was angry at his
father for getting beaten?
7. Why did Elie give his father 66marching lessons"?
8. Why did Elie taugh at Idek? What was the result?
9. What did the air raid sirens signify? How did Elie feel when the raid was over?
10. Who were some of the people who died on the gallows? What phrase did many
repeat before their deaths? Why do you suppose these people weren't shot or
killed some other way? Whose death moved EIie the most? Why? Why did he
find the soup "excellent" after one execution, but tasting of (corpsest' after
another?
Section five of the reading
1. What is Rosh Hashanah? Why do you suppose even "Kapos, functionaries of
death" came to the service? What was going through Elie's mind? Was he in the
minority when he 66rebelled" inwardly? Why does he call the place where the Jews
met to pray a "mirage"?
2. What does Wiesel mean when he says of his fatherr "'We had never understood one
another so clearlytt?
3. What is Yom Kippur? Why didn't Elie fast?
4. What was the "fine New Year's gift" the SS gave the prisoners? Why is this
situation ironic?
5. Do you think the advice the head of the block gave about how to avoid selection
helped Eliezer?
6, What does Wiesel mean when he says that the prisoners stood naked..."This must
show how once stands at the last judgment"?
7. What was Dr. Mengele's attitude during the 66selection"? What were Elie's
thoughts as he went through the'6race"?
8. What sorts of '6presents" and "inheritance" gifts did Wiesel's father give him?
Why did Elie give the knife and spoon back? What does this show you about how
life changes when mere survival is a struggle?
9. What happened to many of the prisoners when they lost faith?
10. How did Elie end up in the hospital? What decisions did he fact there? How did
he make the choice to leave the hospital so soon after the operation?
z
11. Why was the camp being evacuated? Why did the prisoners want the Russians to
arrive first? What does Wiesel say the prisoners asked themselves "'Were they (SS)
going to let the Jews hear the twelfth stroke sound?"
12. How did the "face of the camp" change on the morning of the evacuation? Why
did the head of the block order the prisoners to clean the floor?
Section six of the
1.
:
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reading
!
What does Wiesel mean by the observations of the SS men, 6(their fingers on the
'
triggers, they did not deprive themselves of this pleasure"? Where else have you
seen evidence of sadism in the book?
2. What happened to Zalman?
3. In what way were Wiesel and the other Jews who kept rushing onward "masters of
nature"-then, in the morning 66without strength, without illusions'o?
4. How did Wiesel and his father help each other stay alive?
5. Why does Wiesel telt the story of Rabbi Etiahou? Why was he glad that the rabbi
"should continue to look for his beloved son"?
6. How did Wiesel avoid suffocation? Why did he think he was hallucinating? Why
do you suppose Juliek played the violin in this terrible situation?
7. How did Wiesel's father avoid being "selected" at Gleiwitz? Why did Wiesel run
after him to the left?
Section seven of the reading
1. How does Wiesel convey a sense of hopelessness in this final section of the book
("indifference deadened the spirit") What do you think would have happened to
him if his father had died much earlier?
2. \ilhy did the two men try to throw Wiesel's father from the carriage? Why did the
living "rejoice" when the order came to throw out the corpses?
How
3.
did the prisoners in the wagon act like animals? Why did the German
workmen take a "Iively interest in this spectacle" when they had merely stopped
and stared at the marching prisoners, before?
4. Why didn't Wiesel join in the scramble for food? How were Meir and his son like
other fathers and sons Wiesel has described? \ilhat is he saying about how the
concentration camps affected the bonds between loved ones?
5, How did Meir Katz save Elie Wiesel's life? Ifow did Elie's father try to save Katz?
How do you know he didn't succeed?
6. Why is it that Wiesel "could have wept with rage" when his father begged for rest
upon arrival at Buchenwald? Why did Wiesel feel that he was arguing "with
death itself'?
7. Why did Wiesel leave his father when the sirens wailed? How can you tell that he
felt guilty about this later? Was his father angry? Why did EIie Wiesel feel that
a
"no better than Rabbi Eliahou's son had I withstood the testt'?
8. What emotions did Wiesel experience as he watched his father die that last week?
9. Why did Wiesel decide to be an "invalid"? Why didn't he see his father die? Why
didn't he cry?
10. What were Wiesel's thoughts during the months after his father's death? How did
he ttcopett?
1
11. What would have happened if the ehildren had gone to the assembly place as'
ordered?
12. Why did the SS flee the camp? ^When was Wiesel finally freed? Why was he sent
to a hospital?
13. On what note does the book end?
t