Night by Elie Wiesel Intro

Night
by Elie Wiesel

A memoir about suffering, injustice, silence, and darkness. Where were the heroes? Why were the atrocities against Jews allowed to happen? What lessons in the importance of acting heroically can we take away from this devastating experience?
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​Watch this video THREE TIMES.
With your group, discuss these questions:
1. What is the impact of the repetition of the phrase "Never shall I forget..."?
2. What does the diction reveal about the central themes of the text? Words like smoke, flames, faces...children, silent.

Word Cloud

What central concepts or emotions are revealed in this book trailer for Night?

Drag and Drop

The Holocaust was a period of time from 1938-1945, in ​

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, where the Nazi regime of Germany went to great lengths to wipe out all people of ​​

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faith and decent. Centuries of hate against the Jews - a concept known as ​

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- lead to a collective belief that all Jews were enemies of the German people. ​

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was used to spread hate and to encourage violence against those people who wore the ​

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patch with the Star of David. Firing squads, concentration (slave) camps, and extermination (death) camps were used to effectively murder 6 million men, women, children, and babes.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Europe

Jewish

Anti-Semitism

Propaganda

yellow

There are copies of this passage in the multi-colored organizer. The Green Folder. Front board.
OR

​Go to Schoology and download Night pgs 3-7 in the Night Introduction folder.

​Chapter 1 - Pages 3-7
Moisha the Beadle, the ignored.

Open Ended

What do you learn about the SETTING that this text took place in? Location, time of year, what year, etc.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the main reason the Jews of Sighet were fond of Moishe the Beadle?

• He was rich and generous, always handing out items that the impoverished citizens needed.

• He was a talented singer, and everyone enjoyed seeing his street performances.

• He stayed out of people's way and bothered no one, so they were mostly indifferent to him.

• He was a great storyteller and all the children, especially, enjoyed watching and listening to him.

Drag and Drop

Moishe's personality made most people feel ​

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to him.

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indifferent

hostile

repulsed

connected

Open Ended

Take a moment to think about the author of this memoir, Elie. What do you learn about him in this recount of his experiences? What kind of person does he reveal himself to be?

Multiple Choice

What event caused all foreign Jews, including Moishe the Beadle, to be expelled from Sighet?

• The destruction of the Temple

• The arrival of the Hungarian police

• The outbreak of a war

• An economic crisis

Multiple Choice

What happened to the deported Jews once they crossed into Polish territory?

• They were welcomed by the Gestapo at the new city where they were to live as protected refugees.

• They were taken to a refugee camp where they could be put to work.

• They were forced to dig trenches and then shot by the Gestapo, including children.

• They were offered food and shelter by the locals, and were given warm clothes, food, and water.

Open Ended

What conflict is emerging for the speaker and other people involved? Think about Moishe's warning.

Multiple Choice

How did the people of Sighet react to Moishe the Beadle's stories about the forest?

• They believed him immediately and went looking for the soldiers responsible.

• They listened attentively but were doubtful because they did not want the backlash of helping.

• They thought he was seeking attention and made fun of him for trying to get money from them.

• They ignored him completely and believed that he had lost his mind while he'd been gone.

Poll

Think about Moishe's experiences and his choice to return to Sighet. What is your response to the way the people treated him?

• I can't blame them for refusing to believe they were in danger. Ignorance is bliss.

• It's ridiculous that they ignored and dismissed him like that. And its really sad because of what happened next.

• These weren't a violent people, so they couldn't comprehend that such heinous acts would be possible.

• I'd be looking at him and asking where do we go looking because there's no way I could stand to know people like that were out there.