Holocaust

This is a story of how a young boy and his family lived through the holocaust. It begins in a town called Transylvania. The young boy was Elizer Weisel, one of four children and the only son. Elie was very spiritual, in which he wanted to find a master in Sighet to instruct him in the Zohar (the cabbalistic books, the secrets of Jewish mysticism). Moshe the Beadle was a poor man of the town that lived humbly. He was the one that would begin teaching Elie the Zohar.

But one day, Moshe the Beadle, was expelled from Signet by the Hungarian police. He and others were crammed into box cars on a train. Several months had passed when Moshe the Beadle was spotted sitting in a bench in town. He began to tell his story of the terror he encountered. They were taken to a Polish territory where the Gestapo was in charge. They climbed into trucks and were driven into a forest where they dug their own graves. Then the Gestapo began firing at the Jews and throwing babies in the air as flying targets. Moshe was shot in the leg and pretended to be dead. Moshe began to make the journey home telling the horror that he experienced. No one could believe such an unimaginable story. The people just simply thought that he had gone mad. He begged people to believe his story but no one would.

Elie's family listened to the London radio every evening. It was at the end of 1942 life had returned to normal. Bu the spring of 1944 all the Jews of Sighet were convinced that Germany's defeat was near and they were all safe from harm. They even doubted Hitler wanted to exterminate them. But one day, they heard that German troops had entered Hungarian territory which brought on some anxiety. Then they moved on to Budapest where the Jews there were living in fear and terror. The Jews of Signet convinced themselves that the Germans would not move any further. But three days later German army cars had appeared in the streets. The officers were put up in private homes even some Jewish homes. Their first impressions of the Germans were mostly reassuring. They were calm, likeable, polite and sympathetic. The synagogues were closed.

The week of Passover they gathered at private houses to celebrate, but their hearts were not into it because of what was happening to their town. On the seventh day of Passover, the Germans arrested the leaders of the Jewish community. From this point on their fear and anxiety arouse within each person of the uncertainty that awaited them. That same day the Hungarian police burst into each Jewish home and told them they had to hand over their gold, jewelry and anything of value. They also told them that they didn't have the right to keep these things in their own house. They said that if they did not comply the penalty would be death.

Elie's father went to the cellar and buried their savings. At this time a new decree was made that all Jews were to wear a yellow star. More decrees followed: Jews were not allowed to go to restaurants or cafe', travel on the railroad, attend synagogue or go into the street after six o'clock. Then came the ghetto, two ghetto's were set up in Sighet. So their house was inside the first ghetto so they didn't have to move, but some Jews hat to move to be within the ghetto. This was done so that all the Jews were segregated. They were contained together in a little Jewish community.

They had to clock certain windows that faced the street and barbed wire fencing surrounded the ghetto. They began to feel reassured that they would remain in the ghetto living amongst other Jews until the war was over. So they appointed people to act on certain behalf within the community. There were some unpleasant moments when different ones were pulled to stoke the furnace on the train. But pleasant one's also when people walked in the streets and children played on the pavement.

The Sunday before the Pentecost, Stern, a policeman, entered and took Elie's father aside. Since his father was appointed head of the council he had to go to a meeting with the Gestapo. He came back from the meeting to tell everyone that they were deported. He said that rumor had it they were going somewhere in Hungary. They had to begin to wake the neighbors to tell then the terrible news. They were only allowed to take one bag filled with food and clothes.

That night, the woman were baking breads, cooking meals and making knapsacks for the unknown journey. That same night someone was knocking on the blocked window but buy the time they open the windows the person was gone. It wasn't until after the war that Elie learned it was the inspector of the Hungarian Police, a friend of Elie's father. Before they went into the ghetto, he told them not to worry about anything that if they were in any danger he would warn them. Elie and his family waited with the others in the synagogue for 24 hours. They waited so long that people were relieving themselves in the corners.

The next morning the Hungarian Police entered the streets of the ghetto, shouting "All Jews outside". One by one houses were emptied and the streets filled with people. The Hungarian police struck them with their rifle butts with out discrimination. They were again searched for any valuables, and then their march began, the march to death. Obscenities were yelled at them as they marched in double time. At this point is when Elie began hating his oppressors. They marched to the train station where they were put into cattle cars, 80 people in a car. They were given a few loaves of bread and some buckets of water. One person was put in charge; if anyone escaped the person in charge would be shot. They were cramped on the train for two days straight. Finally the train came to a stop and a German officer entered and passed a basket for all to get rid of any valuables that they might still have in their possession. Then they were on their way again after the cattle car was nailed shut. They were so tightly placed that could hardly turn around. There was a woman on the train with them named Madame Schachter and her ten year old son. She was distraught because the rest of her family left on the first transport. She would scream hysterically about the fires of hell. The men had to tie her down and gag her only to have hours pass by and then she would erupt again. The men eventually beat her unconscious.

The train finally came to a stop and in the distance there was a tall chimney with flames erupting from it. Elie could remember the lingering odor in the air. It was the smell of burning flesh. When they finally arrived at their destination it was Birkenan, the reception center for Auschwitz.

When they arrived the woman were made to go to the right and the men to the left. Elie never realized that would be the last time