The Holocaust Essay, Research Paper
The Holocaust was a catastrophic, cataclysmic event in history that took place
over 55 years ago, but why is it still so important to us today? One of the many
reasons it is still widely discussed today, is because of the many rights it
violated for the Jews as human beings. The main goal of the holocaust was for
Nazis to try and kill every Jewish person alive in Europe. Many Nazi leaders
tried their hardest do to this, and went unpunished for their actions. All of
this tradgedy and calamity started when Adolf Hitler came into power.
Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich came to power in 1938, the Jews in Europe
knew they were in trouble. Hitler blamed them for Germany’s rapid fall as a
world power and he made sure they were to be punished for their supposedly wrong
doings. Elie Wiesel’s novel Night, is about his own
family’s struggle to survive the terrifying years of the early
1940’s. Wiesel exists in a minority of Jews who lived to share his
unfortunate and disturbing experiences. Elie, his three siblings, and
parents
were from Sighet, Transylvania. Most of the townspeople believed that living
in Sighet put them far out of Hitler’s reach, but they eventually were forced
to face the harsh reality near the end of the war. This came as a surprise to
them because the Jews had been following the path of the war
closely by listening to the radio. The Jews of Sighet began to question
themselves and ask is it possible for one man and his Fascist party to wipe
out
an entire race of people. Although Elie
217;s family was financially stable, their ownership of the family store made
them more visible to the Nazi’s, and therefore put them in great danger.
Elie pleaded with his father to sell the family business and liquidate it so
they could move far off to a place where Hitler could not get to them. He
feared that the Fascist party was coming to wipe out the town of Sighet and
that his family would lose everything that they dreamed of and worked for.
His
father insisted that
they not sell the business because he felt there was no reason to fear the
Nazis because they would not come as far as Sighet. He figured by that time
the
war will be over and Hitler will lose his power of Germany. In addition, his
father argued that they were too old to start over in a new place and that
they
would be suffer financially. Elie’s father decided to take his chances.
While reading, I felt that at this point the Jews should have taken the
situation much more seriously then they were because now German army cars were
approaching there town.
The town was in shock, no one thought it would go this far and it did. The
soldiers pulled up in there steel helmets and the emblems that signified death
head, but it was unexpected that the soldiers would actually be kind. Some
stayed in Jewish homes and were even polite. One soldier brought chocolates
to
Madame Kahn, a captured Jew. “The Kahn family even said they were
likeable and everyone felt rejoiced and at ease (Wiesel 8).” As a result
of many of the soldier’s kindness, the townspeople were still not
prepared for the ultimate attack. What they did not know was that the Nazis
were only waiting for reinforcements to help secure the town before beginning
extermination. It was the week of Passover and all the synagogues were closed
by the Nazis. Instead, the Jews gathered for prayer at the Rabbi’s house.
His house later became known as the house of prayer for the people of the
town. Passover is supposed to be a time of prayer, food, drink, and singing
for seven days of happiness, but how much happiness could come from this event
knowing that the Nazis were preparing them for deportation to concentration
camps where they would be enslaved with work and little food. The townspeople
stayed strong and for the most part stayed upbeat about the situation keeping
there tradition alive through prayers, eating good food, and singing songs to
ease the tensions. The Nazis continued their attack by arresting the Jewish
leaders of the community and controlling the town. Life for the people of
Sighet quickly changed. Jews could not leave their homes for 3 days or they
would be killed. Gold, jewels, objects of any real value had to be handed over
to the soldiers, but Elie’s father was smart and buried the family
valuables in the seller. After three days, every Jew was issued a yellow star
that had to be worn at all times in order to preserve their lives.
Restraunts,
cafes, and synagogues were taken away from the people and they were not
allowed
out in the street past six o’clock. The town of Sighet was to be split
into two ghettos, a large one right in the middle of town that took up four
streets, and the other one would be spread out all over the town in small side
streets of the district. Elie’s family lived on Serphant Street, which
was in the large ghetto in the middle of the town. Some of the rooms in his
house had to be given up for relatives who have lost everything they owned.
The townspeople came together to form a little Jewish Republic because all
they
had was each other to help make it through these tough times. They appointed
the Jewish police, office for social assistance, labor committee, a hygiene
department and a government of machinery. T
alk of deportation began to spread throughout the town. The Jewish Republic
would not be able to prevent the deportation. The people would only be able
to
bring what they could carry and everything else has to be left behind.
Everyone was asked to leave their houses and form a line outside to receive
there deportation times Many of the Jews knew that if they made it to the
concentration camp and they could be sent straight to the crematory. In
readying themselves Elie’s parents said, “We must fast as much as
we can before we are deported because we do not know when they will be feeding
us next (Wiesel 16).” The synagogues were used as huge stations for
checking baggage to be sure that people were not jewel smuggling. From there
they were sent off to be put in wagons that tightly fit eight people, one
window with bars so no one could escape a few loaves of bread and two buckets
of water. In the wagon they were not allowed to lie down; they were only able
to sit if they others decided to stand and take turns. The time came for
Elie’s family to be deported.Ellie’s family, like the other Jewish
families, went through the station were put into their wagons. Elie’s
family was split up at this point. His mother was put in one wagon with his
little sisters and Elie and his father were put into another one. After two
days of being tortured by thirst in the wagon, the heat became unbearable.
Food was never enough to satisfy their hunger. One Jewish woman, Madame
Shacter became delirious after her and her husband was separated at the
station. The whole ride she moaned and weeped. At night she would scream
that
there was a fire, but sure enough, they were always false alarms. When the
wagon finally stopped at the camp, the woman yelled fire again, but this time
she was right. She saw the chimney to where the Nazi’s burned the Jews.
They had reached Auschivitz concentration camp where the families would be
separated and meet the Angel of Death. “The Angel of Death was the most
feared and powerful man besides Hitler for the Nazis (Wiesel 33).” Their
fate was in the hands of one man, and in just a few short seconds one could
either be dead or tortured for the next few years. All the Jews were ordered
out of the wagons and immediately Elie and his father began to look for his
mother and wife. When they found them, it was too late– his mother and
sisters
were on there way to the crematory to be killed. As Elie and his father
waited
in line to learn their destination from the Angel of Death, others were giving
him and his father advice on how to stay alive. They told them to lie about
their age because anyone over 40 or under 18 would be murdered. His father
was
over 40 and Elie was under 18. Without that helpful information they both
would have been sent straight to the crematory. As Elie and his father
entered
the camp, they were issued prison- like clothing and all the hair on there
body
was shaved off. Next, they were all sent to work. Reflecting on the
situation
Elie said, “If I was sent to the crematory I would have run straight for
the fence and jumped on it (Wiesel 39).” The fences were electrical and
anyone who touched it would be shocked to death. He felt that if he was going
to die it would not be at the hands of the Nazis. He would be able to rest in
peace if he killed himself rather then having some Nazi kill him. Every day,
they had to face the guards of the camp, who were mostly so cruel to the Jews,
but some of the Nazi’s were nice and tried to befriend the Jews, but
those who were lenient towards the Jews were executed by being hung. The Jews
were given very little food and very little time to rest. Each week they had
one day off and that would be on Sunday, on that day they could do almost
whatever they wanted. They were even treated a little better by receiving an
extra portion of food or bread that is all the Jews were served. Because of
these conditions the older Jews began to die because their bodies we not able
to fight the hunger and the harsh winters they faced with the little clothing
they were issued. Elie was young and was able to withstand rougher conditions
then most of the others in the concentration camps. He also had a little
something else; he would not give in to hunger and the bitter coldness because
he would not leave his father there by himself. They both used each other as
motivation to keep themselves living. Elie looked in his father’s eyes
and knew the harsh conditions were taking its toll on his father. Near the
end
of the war with Russian soldiers coming to the rescue the Nazi’s began
deporting Elie’s concentration camp once again. Just like in the
beginning if one was not up to par with their health and physical ability that
person would be sent to the crematory. Elie knew his father might not pass,
he
thought he might not even pass because of his foot condition. Elie had to get
surgery on his foot because it became badly swollen from a puss buildup and
faced amputation but the doctors at the camp caught the problem in time and
corrected it with the surgery. With the Russian’s attack on the
concentration camp the Jews were issued as much clothing as they would need to
face the bitterness of the cold to march to the next concentration camp to
steer clear of the Russians. As Jews were forced to flee the camp people were
being trampled on and killed because the officers were forcing them to run
faster and if anyone was to stop they would be shot on the spot. With
Elie’s foot conditions he was unsure if he was able to make the journey,
he was just recovering from surgery and with no shoe on he reopened his wound.
Blood flowed into the white snow as he ran alongside his father who urged him
to keep running. The pain soon left his mind because he could not concentrate
on that anymore; all he cared about was making it to the next camp alongside
his father. On the way many of his friends and colleagues were shot because
they were not able to keep up with the rest of the group. They stopped
running
and the officers without thinking shot one after another. Everyone felt the
pain and the sorrow of their friends being shot but they knew they had to move
on or they would be next. The gate to the new concentration camp was near,
they made the march. It was more of a triumph for the Jews because now they
could rest and get the attention they needed if they were wounded. They were
glad just to be alive and to make it through everyone being trampled on.
Elie’s father became very ill and was not able to make another march to
another concentration camp if they had to leave again. As he begged his son
for water a soldier told him to keep quiet but he paid no mind to the soldier.
The soldier cracked him over the head with his gun and his father lay there
still. He was still breathing but close to death. “I awoke on January
29, 1945 at dawn. In my father’s place lay another invalid. They must
have taken him away before dawn and carried him to the crematory. He may
still have been breathing (Wiesel 106).” Elie d
id not weep because there were no more tears left for him to cry. “It
pained me that I could not weep. But I had no more tears (Wiesel 106).”
For the next couple of months Elie was to await his freedom, keep hope alive
that he was going to make it out of this concentration camp. Word hit that
the
Russians were on attack again and the Nazis were preparing another move to a
new concentration camp. This time they moved to late and the attack began and
after a few hours the attack was over. At the foot of the gate they saw the
first American tank. “The first act of as free men was to throw
ourselves onto the provisions. We thought only of that. Not of revenge, not of
our families. Nothing but bread (Wiesel 109).” Shortly after the rescue
Elie became ill with food poisoning and was transferred to the hospital and
spent a few weeks between life and death. Elie had made it to freedom and
only
wished his family could have been there to share the joy of being free
again.Many Jews died for no reason during this era of madness over in Germany
during the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. Millions upon millions lost their
lives and were separated from their families. Elie and his family were
separated at the station back in Sighet. Elie and his father had to watch his
mother and sisters go off to the crematory, many families had to watch their
family members go straight to death or even watch them die as they are being
beat to death because there work is not up to par. Elie now only has a life
of
loneliness without his family to look forward to and the horrible memories of
seeing people be killed or how his friends suffered to their death. That is a
great deal of trauma for one child to witness at such a young age. The
numbers
they were issued and tattooed on there forearms will always remind them of
those terrible
days at the concentration camps. Those memories alone are enough to drive one
to be crazy and not want to live on. Elie went on to be an accomplished
writer
and
professor at Boston University and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Elie is
a
success story who made it through those tough years and became one of the most
influential writers of the Holocaust. This was his story and how he survived
and became a hero.