FINAL SEMSTER 1 Flashcards
Describe Moshe, the Beadle.
Moshe, the beadle, was a homeless man in the town Sighet. He stayed out of the way of people so they were fond of him compared to other homeless people. He rendered himself insignificant and invisible. He also chanted religious stories. He is Hasidic(religion).
Why did Eliezer pray, and why did he cry when he prayed?
He says he doesn’t know why he prays. He cried because “something inside me felt the need to cry”. Praying is just a part of his way of life.
Upon his return, what story did Moshe tell?
When Moshe returned he told him about how he was taken on the train and that they were forced to dig holes and then they were lined up to shoot and infants were tossed as practice targets, they were left for dead. This was done by the Gestapo.
Why didn’t the people believe him?
People didn’t believe him because they thought he wanted pity or he was imagining or even that he went mad.
Cite examples of how the Jewish citizens of Sighet began to lose their rights.
“Jews were prohibited from leaving their residences for three days, under penalty of death.”(PG.10)“ a jew was henceforth forbidden to own gold, jewelry, or any valuables”(PG.10-11) “Every jew must wear the yellow star”(PG.11) and more…(PG.11).
What is a ghetto?
During the Holocaust, the creation of ghettos was a key step in the Nazi process of brutally separating, persecuting, and ultimately destroying Europe’s Jews. Jews were forced to move into the ghettos, where living conditions were miserable. Ghettos were often enclosed districts that isolated Jews from the non-Jewish population and from other Jewish communities.
Why did the citizens resist the truth, even when it was in front of them?
They first thought it wasn’t bad they lived as jews together and there was no need to provoke the germans. (PG.12)
Describe the conditions on the train (at the end of chapter 1).
The train carts were cramped (PG.22)
Explain, “our eyes were open, but too late.” Where was the train at this point?
They realized what was going on and it was too late to do anything about it. They didn’t know where or what to do.(PG.23)
What was foreshadowed by Madame Schacter’s nightmare?
It foreshadowed the flames from the chimney from the gas chambers for jews.(PG.28)
What did some of the passengers do to quiet Madame Schacter?
They bound and gagged her and they shrunk her to the head that could of been lethal (PG.26)
Where did the train finally stop?
They finally arrived at Auschwitz in Birkenau(PG.27-28)
When questioned by the S.S. Officer, why did Elie lie about his age and occupation?
He lied so he wouldn’t be killed “like cattle in the slaughterhouse”(PG.31). They didn’t want to be cremated, “You will be burned!”(PG.31). They also lied because they were told to by an inmate to say they were eighteen and forty,”Fool. Listen to what I say”(PG.30).
What was the first horrifying sight that Elie, at first, disbelieved?
The first horrifying thing Elie saw was “Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes… children thrown into the flames”(PG.32). Elie did not want to believe it, he told his father “I could not believe that human beings were being burned in our times; the world would never tolerate such crimes”(PG.33).
Explain what Elie meant when he said, “Never shall I forget these flames which consumed my
faith forever.”
When he says “Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever”(PG.34) he refers to how this incident and what he saw has changed his faith. Elie was thinking “Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was their to thank Him for?”(PG.33)
What was Elie’s first impression of Auschwitz after leaving Birkenau?
Elie’s first impression of Auschwitz was “better than Birkenau”(PG.41).
What was the “compulsory formality” at the entrance to all camps?
The compulsory formality was that they had to shower every time they entered the camps. “A barrel of foul smelling liquid stood by the door. Disinfection. Everybody soaked in it. Then came the hot shower.”(PG.36).
What sort of identification was used on the prisoners?
The prisoners were identified by a letter and number that was tattooed on their left arm. “tattooed numbers on our left arms. I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name”(PG.42).
Why was the prisoner in charge of Elie’s block removed from this position?
The prisoner(Blockälteste) in charge of Elie’s block was removed because “he was judged too humane”(PG.44).
What were the prisoner’s rations at each meal?
The prisoners’ rations in the evening were “bread and margarine”(PG.44).
What was Bela Katz forced to do once he was chosen for his strength?
Bela Katz was forced to place bodies in the furnaces. “He had been forced to place his own father’s body into the furnace”(PG.35).
What were the objectives of the medical examinations?
The objective of the medical examination is for them to check their health and that they didn’t remove their gold crown. “He was not looking for decay but for gold teeth.Those who had gold in their mouths were listed by their number.”(PG.48-49)
Why were the Jewish musicians not allowed to play music by Beethoven?
“Jews were not allowed to play German music”(PG.49). They couldn’t play Beethoven because he was a German composer.
Describe one of Idek’s bouts of madness.
Elie describes one of Idek’s bouts of madness saying,“One day when Idek was venting his fury, I happened to cross his path. He threw himself on me like a wild beast, beating me in the chest, on my head, throwing me on the ground and picking me up again, crushing me with even more violent blows, until I was covered in blood”(PG.53).
How did Elie initially avoid losing his gold crown?
Elie said that he had a fever and wasn’t feeling well and the doctor said to come back and when he came back he used the same excuse and before he went back again the densest was hanged because he was dealing gold teeth to prisoners. Elie siad “Couldn’t you wait a few days, sir? I don’t feel well, I have a fever…’”(PG.52)
Whom did Elie meet years later on the Paris Metro?
Many years later Elie met the french girl from the warehouse. “I had seen those eyes before”(PG.53).
What happened when Elie refused to give his crown to Franek? What was the end result?
When Elie didn’t give Franek his crown he would find a way to hit him where it hurts. Franek would beat his father for not marching right. “Unfortunately, Franek knew how to handle this; he knew my weak spot. My father had never served in the military and could not march in step”(PG.55). Franek got what he wanted. “We had to give in”(PG.56).
Describe the scene with the soup cauldrons.
The soup cauldrons scene was when there were two cauldrons of soup left united but the guards said if anyone left the block they would be killed. There were some me who craweld on the gravel to the soup even though it was practically suicide.(PG.59-60)
During one of the preliminary “ceremonies” for a hanging, what did Juliek whisper to Elie?
What does this suggest?
Juliek whispered to Elie “This ceremony, will it be over soon? I’m hungary…”(PG.62). This shows how people in the concentration camps have no care anymore, they’re only trying to survive.
During one hanging, Elie and the other prisoners cried. What made this hanging different from
others?
This time the hanging was meaningful, it was a person they all loved and everyone “Loved him like a brother”(PG.63)
Why didn’t Elie fast on Yom Kippur?
On Yom Kippur he did not fast for 2 reasons 1, “to please my father who had forbidden me to do so”(PG.69). The second reason was he “no longer accepted God’s silence”(PG.69), he no longer needed too fast.
What advice was Elie given to pass the selection process?
Elie was given three pieces of advice to survive the selection. First was, “Before you go into the next room, try to move your limbs, give yourself some color”(PG.71). The second was, “Don’t walk slowly, run! Run as if you had the devil at your heels! Don’t look at the SS. Run, straight in front of you!”(PG.71). The third thing, “And most important, don’t be afraid!”(PG.71).
How did Elie’s father respond when he learned his name had been written down?
When Elie’s dad found out he was written down he told Elie. He “tried to reassure”(PG.74) Elie. The father “felt time was running out”(PG.75), so he gave Elie a knife and a spoon. He said “My inheritance…” (PG.75) when referring to what he gave his son.
What did Akiba Drumer ask the others to do for him? Did they do it?
When Akiba Drumer told the others “In three days, I’ll be gone… Say Kaddish for me”(PG.77). Three days after he left they “forgot to say Kaddish”(PG.77).
Why was Elie placed in the hospital?
Elie went to the hospital because his “right foot began to swell from the cold”(PG.78).
Why was the camp to be evacuated? What did Elie learn of the fate of those who stayed
behind in the hospital?
The camp is to be evacuated because of the russians. Elie learned those who stayed in the hospital would be “finished off on the spot”(PG.81)
What happened to anyone who could not keep up with the march?
If someone could not keep up with the march they would be shot. The SS “had orders to shoot anyone who could not sustain the pace”(PG.85).
How did Zalman die?
It is not confirmed whether or not Zalman died but it is most likely assumed that he died. Zalman’s stomach was hurting and he stopped and took off his pants to pee(assumedly). Elie keeps running tho. Elie says “I don’t believe that he was finished off by an SS, for nobody had noticed. He must have died, trampled under the feet of the thousands of men who followed us”(PG.86).
What horrible realization did Elie come to concerning Rabbi Eliahou and his son? How did
Elie respond to this?
Elie remembered that he ran by the rabbi’s son. He also remembered that “his son had seen him losing ground, sliding back to the rear of the column. He had seen him. And he continued to run in front, letting the distance between them become greater”(PG.91). Elie decided not to tell Rabbi Eliahou. Elie also thought that the Rabbi’s son wanted to get rid of his father because he was a burden.
What was Juliek’s last act?
Juliek’s last act was a “fragment of a Beethoven concerto”(PG.95).
How did Elie help his father when the selection was made?
Elie created confusion and ran to the left. “Several SS men rushed to find me, creating such confusion that a number of people were able to switch over to the right–among them my father and I”(PG.96).
How did Elie again help his father when they were on the train?
Elie helped his father on the train when the SS were throwing off the dead bodies . Elie’s father would not wake up so he “hit him harder and harder”(PG.99) till he woke up, and he did open his eyes.
Describe the scene Elie witnessed between the father and son.
Elie saw a son kill his dad over bread he was going to share with him. The son went feral,the dad yelled “you’re killing your father”(PG.101). After that the people around “jumped him”(PG.102)and the son died.
How many got out of the wagon? Where had they arrived?
When they got to the destination only “Twelve of us left”(PG.103) the wagon.
Explain how the father/son roles had been reversed in the case of Elie and his father.
The roles reversed because Elie was now taking care of his father as a father takes care of a son.The father also acted like a child. Elie found his “father crying like a child”(PG.109).
