Elie And His Father example essay topic

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 Eliezer Weise l, 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 cabalistic 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 Bir kenan, 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 that he would see his mother and sisters again. One prisoner asked how old they were, they were told to lie about their age. The younger ones wanted to revolt but the older ones begged them not to. They were inspected by Dr. Men gale a SS Officer. He asked their age and occupation and their state of health.

He made the decision if you went to the left to live or right to be terminated. Their life was spared at that moment. Elie and his father marched two by two; they were taken by a ditch which an infernal heat was rising. People began reciting the Kaddish, the prayer for the dead. Elie could not forget the face of the little children that were thrown into the pit of fire.

How could humans doth is to someone? He would never forget that night. Later that night they returned to the barracks which they would live. They had to take their clothes off and stand there naked with just their shoes and belts in hand. They were then taken to a barber were all their hair was shaved off their body. They finally dressed in their prison garb like the rest.

Elie and his father would wander into the crowd to find old friends and acquaintances. These meetings filled them with joy. Thank God they were still alive. After what Elie had seen and experienced he ceased to feel fear. The instincts of self-preservation kicked in. It was a regular affair that the Kappos would make them come out of their barracks naked and stand in the icy winds.

They were also beaten from time to time by their captures. Before they were allowed to return to the barracks they were made to soak in petrol for disinfection purposes and then made to take hot showers and then put back out in the cold. The clothes that they were made to wear were thrown at them and they would have to fight each other for ones that would fit. Elie remembered an SS Officer tell them they are at a concentration camp and that they had to work or they would go to the furnaces. He could remember when his father was given his first punch which knocked him to the ground. Elie felt nothing in response to this act and that is when he realized that Auschwitz has changed him.

One day in April, they were made to march to a different camp where they were engraved with a number on their left arm. From now on Elie would be known as A-7713. They were given rations of bread, soup and water. That was the only nutrition they received. After being at Auschwitz concentration camp for a few months they were being transported again to a new camp four hours away which they had to march to. This camp was called Buna.

Buna seemed empty and dead. They were given clean clothes and Elie and his father were enlisted in the labor unit. They would look for familiar faces to ask questions about the new camp they were in. Everyone they encountered said that Buna was a good camp. Elie wanted to stay with his father so in turn he had to give up his new shoes. They would again have to go through medical examinations, the dental examine was the most thorough because the dentist was looking for gold crowns and fillings.

The Kappos would choose the men who were suited for the jobs that they had. They were pointed to and chosen like cattle. Elie was chosen to work in a warehouse, the work wasn't hard and all he had to do was count bolts, bulbs and small electrical items. Their captures assured them that anyone caught slacking off would be dealt with harshly.

Elie's father eventually got to work at his side. One day after work, Elie was told that he had to report to the dentist. Elie knew he did not have any dental problems and that the dentist just wanted his crown. When he arrived at the dentist he pretended to be ill so the dentist gave him a few days to get better. When he went back to the dentist's office the office was closed and the dentist was gone to jail. Elie was only spared for a while and eventually did lose his crown to another dentist.

While at the camp they had to march everywhere, this was a problem for Elie's father and caused him to be a favorite target of the Kappos. Elie too was a target because of his curiosity. To avoid the many whippings that they endured, Elie and his father looked after each other trying to keep each other from punishments. While at Buna, they experienced many air raids. During one raid a young man stole soup from the cauldron. When this was discovered he was put to death by hanging.

This type of treatment was meant to prove a point and discourage other from doing the same. Unfortunately this did not discourage some people. Later on two adults and a child were executed for supposedly sabotaging the power station and possession of arms. When all this was happening most people questioned where God was to let all this happen to them. As the New Year came Elie decided not to fast as was his tradition because he felt that God's silence was God's way of abandoning him. Elie explained how it was like to go through the selection process by the SS officers.

Unfortunately, his father had to go through the selection process twice. Luckily he made it threw. Winter was upon the camp, they were given slightly thicker shirts but they still were cold. Because of the extreme cold, Elie's foot began to bother him and swell up. He was seen by another prisoner who was a doctor. The doctor told him that he needed an operation.

He was taken to a hospital where surprisingly was treated well. The operation was a success but he needed to stay off his feet so he stayed at the hospital for awhile. While at the hospital, rumors were flying around about the Red Army advancing on Buna and that it was only a matter of hours. Hearing that the camp was going to be evacuated but the hospital was not, Elie decided to join his father instead of risking death in the hospital. When morning came they were made to march, double time, in the snow and cold for miles.

Many men dropped and fell to their snowy graves. Elie and his father ran side by side until they reached a run down brick factory. When they reached the factory Elie's father begged him not to sleep even though he was tired and his foot was bleeding badly, for if he did it was surely his death. Finally, they reached Gleiwitz where they stayed for three days. Three days without food or water, on the third day a selection had occurred. Once selected, they were made to put blankets around their shoulders and wait for a train to show.

Many ate snow to satisfy their growing thirst. Once the train arrived they were loaded in roofless cattle cars one hundred men per car. Elie and his father huddled together to keep warm on the journey. Eventually, the train stopped and the SS officers ordered the heads of the cars to throw out the dead. These people were deprived of a proper burial. During the journey, many men fought over crumbs of bread, some even fought with their own fathers.

Finally, they arrived at their destination Buchenwald. One hundred men began the journey and only a dozen of them finished including Elie and his father. Once there they were given showers and told to lie down. Elie father had become ill from the trip but no one would give him any medical attention. The block leader told Elie that it was every man for himself and that he should take double the rations since his father was dieing any ways.

Elie could not bring himself to do such a thing. Elie's father only wanted water and begged for it constantly. An SS officer gave his father a blow to the head that nearly killed him. Later that night Elie went to sleep in the bunk above his father and in the morning his father was gone. They must have taken him to the crematory in the middle of the night. Elie could not weep and that bothered him.

It seems as his time in the concentration camp had hardened him. On April 10th, Buchenwald was liberated. Eli became ill from food poisoning and was hospitalized. For the first time since he was in the ghetto, he looked in a mirror only to see a corpse looking back at him. This story tells of how cultured people turned to hatred and genocide and how the rest of the world remained silent and watched it happen. It also tells of how life was like in the concentration camps..