the Holocaust?

 

      Eliezer Wiesel was born on September 30, 1928.  Growing up in a small village in Romania, his world revolved around family, religious study, community and God. However, his faith, community, and family were destroyed upon the deportation of his village in 1944. His first book Night is arguably the most powerful and renowned passage in Holocaust literature. 

      The 15 year-old boy was separated from his mother and sister immediately on arrival in Auschwitz. He never saw them again. However, he stayed with his father for the next year as they were worked almost to death.  They were starved, beaten, and shuttled from camp to camp on foot or in open cattle cars. Sometimes they were in driving snow, without food, proper shoes, or clothing. In the last months of the war, Wiesel's father suffered from dysentery, starvation, and exhaustion.

      Elie Weisel lived just like many Jews during that time period.  The Holocaust was one of the most horrific time periods in the history of Europe, and even the world. 6 million Jews including men, women, and children were systematically slaughtered for no other reason than that they were Jews.  In addition, nearly 5.5 million non-Jews, including Romani Gypsies, Polish nationals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals were also murdered.  

      In Night, Weisel records the experience of the Jews in the holocaust. He dedicates his life to ensure that none of us forget the Jew's experience. He really has helped a lot of people realize the kind of horror that went on, and those of us who complain about the simplicities of life need to take a reality check.