Transcript Elie wiesel - Scott County Schools

ELIE WIESEL
Elie Wiesel
 Born in Sighet,
Transylvania in 1928.
 Had three sisters:
Beatrice, Hilda, and
Tzipora.
Elie Wiesel
 Wiesel was in a
concentration camp
called Auschwitz from
May 1944 until April
1945.
 He was 16 years old.
Elie Wiesel
 After the war, Wiesel
taught Hebrew and
worked as a
choirmaster before
becoming a
professional journalist.
 He soon learned
French, which was the
language he used most
often when writing.
Elie Wiesel
 For many years, Wiesel
refused to write about
his experiences in the
Holocaust.
 In 1958, Wiesel was
persuaded by Nobel
Laureate in Literature,
Francois Mauriac, to
write about his
experiences.
Elie Wiesel
 The original version of
Night was over 900
pages long and written in
Yiddish.
 He wrote a shortened
version in French, which
is much like the version
of Night we have today.
 Night has been
translated into 30
languages.
Elie Wiesel
 Wiesel moved to New
York and became a
U.S. citizen in 1955.
 1986 he was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize.
Vocabulary
NIGHT
Vocabulary
 Kabbalah – An ancient Jewish tradition based

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on an interpretation of the Old Testament
Synagogue – Where Jews congregate to
worship.
Gestapo – German state secret police during
the Nazi regime.
Red Army – The Soviet army.
Passover – A Jewish festival that
commemorates the exodus of Jews from
Egypt. Typically lasts 7 to 8 days.
Vocabulary
 Auschwitz – The largest Nazi concentration
camp during WWII.
 Birkenau – Municipality in Southern
Germany; where Auschwitz was located.
 Kommando – The basic unit of organization
of slave laborers (the Jews) in German
concentration camps.
 Kapo – Jewish prisoners chosen to serve as
barrack supervisors or wards.
Vocabulary
 Crematorium – Where human bodies were
burned in the concentration camps.
 Blockälteste – Prisoners who were head of
the barrack; considered the leader of the
block.
 SS Officer – A member of the personal army
of Hitler and the Nazi party.
 Buna – The largest Auschwitz sub-camp.