"To forget a Holocaust is to kill twice" Elie Wiesel
During World War II, Nazis conquered vast territories which resulted in many Jews coming under their rule. Considered subhuman and not worthy of life, endless unsuccessful attempts were explored to expel Jews from Germany. Soon, concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, were established to exterminate Jews. As the war came to an end, over six million Jews were murdered at the hands of Nazis. The Holocaust is the largest mass genocide in history.
Elie Wiesel and fellow Jews share similar barracks at Auschwitz Birkenau (Soffer, April 16, 2016)
The Auschwitz Birkenau memorial in memory of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust (Soffer, April, 16, 2016)
"How does one mourn for six million people who died? How many candles does one light? How many prayers does one recite? Do we know how to remember the victims, their solitude, their helplessness? They left us without a trace, and we are their trace." Elie Wiesel
Wiesel's Early Life
Wiesel was born in Sighet, Transylvania. Elie grew up a very devout Jew--praying and studying Torah and Kabbalah. As the Nazis continued to acquire new territories, Elie and his family were required to become citizens of Hungary while living in the Sighet Ghetto. Shortly after, the family was deported to Auschwitz. Upon arrival, Wiesel, his father, and two older sisters were sentenced to work, while his mother and youngest sister were sentenced to death. While witnessing and experiencing the atrocities of the Nazis, Elie lost faith in God. He questioned why innocent people deserved to endure such torture. Elie grew more infuriated as he observed the horrors around him. Once his father died, Wiesel lost his motivation to live. Elie willed himself to survive to ensure the Holocaust would never be forgotten.
Wiesel's childhood home in Sighet, Transylvania located in present day Romania (Kharrati, July 7, 2016)
Wiesel (front) with his mother and two older sisters, Hilda and Beatrice (Learn to Question)
"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in the camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky. Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and soul and turned my dreams to ashes. Never shall I forget those things, even if I was condemned to live as long as God himself. Never. Elie Wiesel, Night, pg. 34