Transcript Night by Elie Wiesel

Night by Elie Wiesel
 Greek word
meaning “sacrifice
by fire.”
Why Did Nazis Wish to Exterminate the Jews?
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Ayran Race
Ayran Race believed to have
biological superiority if it was
kept pure
Racial inferiority of Jews
threatened the superior race of
Germany.
Believed other races reproduced at
a higher rate than Ayrans. Had to
be stopped.
Weed out weaknesses: physical
and mental disablilties, homeless,
promiscuous women, addicts,
those unable to hold a job
Other Groups Targeted by
Nazis
 Roma (Gypsies) - immoral
 Slavic people (Poles,
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Russians, etc) Wipe them out
to take their land for Ayran
expansion
Communists, Socialists
Jehovah’s Witness / Catholics
German Homosexuals (men,
not women)
Black Germans
Basic Terms of Judaism
 Torah – First 5 books of Bible, only books Jews
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recognize – Gen, Ex, Leviticus, Num, Deut (thx
Dre)
Talmud – Oral tradition handed down.
Interpretation of Torah
Rabbi – religious teacher of Jews, authorized to
make decisions on issues of Jewish law
Synagogue – Jewish house of prayer, study, town
hall
Messiah – Hebrew word meaning “anointed”, one
who will end all evil, rebuild the temple, bring
exiles back to Israel, and usher in the world to
come – hasn’t come yet.
Name of God – For many Jews, not spoken or
written out, for fear that it might be used in vain or
defaced / treated in a blasphemous way.
Israel – The Jewish Holy Land
•Importance of Holy
Land
•Jews promised land
through Abraham’s son
Isaac (with Sarah)– his
sons would people the
earth.
•Ishmael was the son of
Abraham with Hagar,(
Sarah’s servant). God
promised that he too
would have a long line
of sons and land – even
though he and his
mother were exiled. He
was first born son.
Modern –Day
Israel
Ancient Israel
Temple
 Temple Mount site of temple built by Jacob, rebuilt by Solomon,
destroyed by Romans in 70 AD.
 Jews were exiled from Jerusalem, briefly took it back in 1967, now
controlled by Muslims, Dome of the Rock mosque is there
 Jews await Messiah to return holy land to Jews and rebuild temple
Interesting Facts about Judiasm
 618 Commandments “mitzvot”
 Life is most valued gift – almost all commandments can be broken
to save a life
 Israel – Homeland given to Jews by God through Abraham and his
descendents
 Types of Judaism
 Orthodox – follow Judaism strictly, in a traditional way
 Conservative – believe that traditions and laws can change to fit the
times
 Reform – individuals can make choices about what traditions to
follow
Jewish Dietary Laws from Torah
Kosher means “clean” / Trief
means “torn” (not Kosher)
 Acceptable animals to eat
 Cloven hooves + chews cud – no
rabbit, pig, camel. OK – cow,
sheep, goat, deer, bison
 Fish – must have fins and scales.
No oysters, shrimp, crabs
 Kosher slaughtering / butcher –
draining of blood, removal of
certain nerves & fats which are
prohibited
 Can’t die of natural causes or be
killed by another animal- “torn”
No mixing of Dairy and
Meat
 No cooking, serving, or eating
of meat and dairy together, or
meat and fish. Poultry and
dairy is ok
 Applies to utensils, pots, pans,
plates, flatware, even
dishwasher, sink, etc.
NIGHT
Setting:
Sighet, Transylvania:
Modern-day Romania
Concentration camps
in Germany /Poland
1. Auchwictz
/Birkenau
2. Buna
3. Gliewicz
4. Buchenwald
Concentration Camps in Night
Important Terminology
 Ghettos – originated in Venice in 1516, but term
used for enclosed areas where Jews were forced
to live in isolation from the rest of the population
– “holding tanks” before camps
 SS - Schutzstaffel German “protective echelon” –
Hitler’s elite paramilitary force
 Gestapo - German Secret State Police; could
never face criminal charges under German law
 Jewish Holidays
 Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement
 Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year
 Hanukah – Festival of Lights
Other Important Terms
 Shekina – majestic presence of God which has descended to dwell
among men
 Kabbalah – study of Jewish Mysticism
 Hasidic movement – form of Orthodox
Judaism
Works Cited
 Jewish Virtual Library
 Website of the US Holocaust Museum
 Judaism 101 Website