Night History & Background
Information
Night by Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel (1928 
Born in Sighet, a village in Transylvania, Romania
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Jewish
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Forced to live in a ghetto during World War II
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1944 – taken to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland
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Separated from mother and sisters
Never saw them again
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Had to go on a “death march” which he describes in Chapter 6 of Night
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1945 – Allies liberated the concentration camp
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1985 – won the Congressional Medal of Freedom
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1986 - won the Nobel Peace Prize
)
Night
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Memoir = type of autobiography that concentrates on a
particular period or series of events
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An account of Wiesel’s experience as a young Jew in
Nazi Germany and in concentration camps (between
1941 and 1945)
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Considered to be one of the most powerful accounts of
the Nazi atrocities
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Wiesel does not intend his autobiographical account to
be a comprehensive view of everything that took place
in the Holocaust
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Wiesel did not write Night until 10 years after the
Holocaust
World War II
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Began in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland
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Ended in 1945 with the Allied invasion of
Normandy, France on D-Day
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Allies = United States, Britain, France, Soviet
Republic
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Axis = Germany, Italy, and Japan
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Nuclear bombs dropped on Japan lead to the end of
WWII
The Holocaust

Was the systematic, planned extermination of 6
million European Jews (and others) by the Nazis
during WWII
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Many non-Jews died also, but the Holocaust only
targeted the complete extermination of the Jews
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Holocaust = a Greek term, meaning “burnt whole”
The Holocaust was
Genocide…
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From the Greek term genos- (race or nation) + -cide
(killing)
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Term created AFTER WWII to describe the
deliberate and systematic murder of an entire
political, cultural, or religious group

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The word DID NOT exist before the Holocaust
Nazis used phrases such as “Final Solution” and
“resettlement” in place of genocide
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)
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Born in Austria
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Developed anti-Jewish and anti-democratic views
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WWI veteran
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Dedicated, courageous soldier, but never promoted
beyond rank of Private because he didn’t have
leadership qualities (SITUATIONAL IRONY)
Nazi – National Socialist German Workers

Hitler was elected party chairman with full dictatorial
powers
Adolf Hilter continued…
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Wrote Mein Kamph (My Struggle) while in prison
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Rebuilt the Nazi party after WWI; took power of
Germany and established himself as dictator
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One of the 20th centuries most powerful dictators
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Launched WWII in 1939 with the invasion of
Poland
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Anti-Semitism (hatred toward Jews) = a keystone
of Hilter’s propaganda and politics
Being Jewish is NOT a race;
being Jewish is a religion
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Religion is a choice.
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You are not born with a permanent religion in your
genes/DNA.
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You can CHOOSE your religion.
Race is NOT a choice.
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You are born with genes/DNA that makes you a certain
race.
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You CANNOT choose your race.