eliewiesel-nightfulltext_3_26_2014_3_23_04_pm

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NIGHT. No one was praying for the night to pass quickly. The stars were but sparks of the immense conflagration that was consuming us. Were this conflagration to be extinguished one day, nothing would be left in the sky but extinct stars and unseeing eyes. There was nothing else to do but to go to bed, in the beds of those who had moved on. We needed to rest, to gather our strength. At daybreak, the gloom had lifted. The mood was more confident. There were those who said: "Who knows, they may be sending us away for our own good. The front is getting closer, we shall soon hear the guns. And then surely the civilian population will be evacuated…" "They worry lest we join the partisans…" "As far as I'm concerned, this whole business of deportation is nothing but a big farce. Don't laugh. They just want to steal our valuables and jewelry. They know that it has all been buried and that they will have to dig to find it; so much easier to do when the owners are on v a c a t i o n … " On vacation! This kind of talk that nobody believed helped pass the time. The few days we spent here went by pleasantly enough, in relative calm. People rather got along. There no longer was any distinction between rich and poor, notables and the others; we were all people condemned to the same fate—still unknown. SATURDAY, the day of rest, was the day chosen for our expulsion. The night before, we had sat down to the traditional Friday night meal. We had said the customary blessings over the bread 21
and the wine and swallowed the food in silence. We sensed that we were gathered around the familial table for the last time. I spent that night going over memories and ideas and was unable to fall asleep. At dawn, we were in the street, ready to leave. This time, there were no Hungarian police. It had been agreed that the Jewish Council would handle everything by itself. Our convoy headed toward the main synagogue. The town seemed deserted. But behind the shutters, our friends of yesterday were probably waiting for the moment when they could loot our homes. The synagogue resembled a large railroad station: baggage and tears. The altar was shattered, the wall coverings shredded, the walls themselves bare. There were so many of us, we could hardly breathe. The twenty-four hours we spent there were horrendous. The men were downstairs, the women upstairs. It was Saturday— the Sabbath—and it was as though we were there to attend services. Forbidden to go outside, people relieved themselves in a corner. The next morning, we walked toward the station, where a convoy of cattle cars was waiting. The Hungarian police made us climb into the cars, eighty persons in each one. They handed us some bread, a few pails of water. They checked the bars on the windows to make sure they would not come loose. The cars were sealed. One person was placed in charge of every car: if someone managed to escape, that person would be shot. Two Gestapo officers strolled down the length of the platform. They were all smiles; all things considered, it had gone very smoothly. A prolonged whistle pierced the air. The wheels began to grind. We were on our way. 22
Page 3 and 4: Also by Elie Wiesel DAWN DAY (previ
Page 6 and 7: ELIE W I E S E L TRANSLATED FROM TH
Page 8: In memory of my parents and of my l
Page 11 and 12: why not for others more deserving t
Page 13 and 14: the wisdom of their elders understa
Page 15 and 16: "Well?" The SS had flown into a rag
Page 17 and 18: were alive when they were thrown in
Page 20 and 21: Foreword by François Mauriac FOREI
Page 22 and 23: man—this set of circumstances wou
Page 24: Almighty to whom my life had been b
Page 27 and 28: 2
Page 29 and 30: One day I asked my father to find m
Page 31 and 32: AND THEN, one day all foreign Jews
Page 33 and 34: news: the daily bombings of Germany
Page 35 and 36: made no offensive remarks, and some
Page 37 and 38: small Jewish r e p u b l i c … A
Page 39 and 40: "There are rumors," my father said,
Page 41 and 42: By eight o'clock in the morning, we
Page 43 and 44: My father had accompanied the depor
Page 45: We finally arrived at our destinati
Page 49 and 50: German Army. Anyone who still owns
Page 51 and 52: Our nerves had reached a breaking p
Page 53 and 54: strolling down the platform, asking
Page 55 and 56: Behind me, an old man fell to the g
Page 57 and 58: Tell him that I was a student? "Far
Page 59 and 60: mained of my strength in order to b
Page 61 and 62: Suddenly someone threw his arms aro
Page 63 and 64: "And now, stop moving!" There was n
Page 65 and 66: "EVERYBODY outside!" A dozen or so
Page 67 and 68: NO SOONER HAD WE CLIMBED into our b
Page 69 and 70: I knew nothing about them…Since 1
Page 71 and 72: "Mother is still a young woman," my
Page 73 and 74: most important thing is not to be a
Page 75 and 76: gerous. Only Idek, the Kapo, occasi
Page 77 and 78: "What are you going to do, sir?" "I
Page 79 and 80: "Idek, the Kapo…the young Jewish
Page 81 and 82: This went on for two weeks. It was
Page 83 and 84: "Ten…eleven!…" His voice was ca
Page 85 and 86: and, with open mouth, thrust his he
Page 87 and 88: frightened. His manacled hands did
Page 89 and 90: The Oberkapo was arrested on the sp
Page 91 and 92: THE SUMMER was coming to an end. Th
Page 93 and 94: them from paradise. When You were d
Page 95 and 96: transferred me to another Kommando,
Page 97 and 98:
Yes, we were ready. So were the SS
Page 99 and 100:
"Let's have a moment of quiet. I ha
Page 101 and 102:
quickly or not. I was afraid of fin
Page 103 and 104:
We went off to work as usual, our b
Page 105 and 106:
"Doctor?" "Yes?" "Will I be able to
Page 107 and 108:
As for me, I was thinking not about
Page 109 and 110:
TWO O'CLOCK in the afternoon. The s
Page 111 and 112:
"Don't think, don't stop, run!" Nea
Page 113 and 114:
a single bark. Houses with gaping w
Page 115 and 116:
he lay down too, next to the corpse
Page 117 and 118:
There was shouting outside, in the
Page 119 and 120:
I thought he'd lost his mind. His v
Page 121 and 122:
think that the Germans would run ou
Page 123 and 124:
PRESSED TIGHTLY AGAINST one another
Page 125 and 126:
WE RECEIVED no food. We lived on sn
Page 127 and 128:
him. They jumped him. Others joined
Page 129 and 130:
AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAMP, SS off
Page 131 and 132:
The sirens began to wail. Alert. Th
Page 133 and 134:
worldly, the face of a stranger. It
Page 135 and 136:
THE FOLLOWING DAY, he complained th
Page 137 and 138:
When I came down from my bunk after
Page 139 and 140:
This was the end! Hitler was about
Page 141 and 142:
116
Page 143 and 144:
perished? Do I have the right to ac
Page 145 and 146:
Holy Land. Please understand my dee
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