Entrance to Auschwitz I
Hi. Our names are Stephanie and Tiffany from the Kentplace School in New Jersey. We have just finished reading the book Night and felt that it was really good, although we only read the shortened version of it. In response to what somebody said about integrity -- who had it, and who didn't, we felt differently about that. We don't think anybody had less integrity than anyone, just because they had to kill to try to survive. We are not saying that their actions were okay or that they were just; we are just saying that we don't think we have the power to say who had integrity and who didn't, when we weren't ever put into a situation like that (the Holocaust). We really don't even think it was their fault that people had to go to such extremes. When you are in such a situation like this, you are so wrapped up in trying to survive that you lose faith in your values, or you just don't think about them. The saddest part of all is that the Jews tried so hard to survive and in the end so many died anyway.
What exactly is a "death march"? I've learned about the Holocaust, but I've not come across anything about a death march, and it would be nice if you could respond and explain what the death march is. Also if you are learning about any other genocides that have occurred, you could talk about that also and tell me what you have learned. I am presently studying the genocide in Cambodia, but I can't tell you much about it yet. Please respond; thanks. My name is Teoma, and I am a sophomore at the International Studies Academy, in San Francisco, California.
Dear Lindsay, My name is Pamela Chaya and I'm from the International School in Bangkok, Thailand. I read what you wrote about the book called Night. It seems to be a good book. Please give me some information about it, so I can go and look it up. I am also learning in my history class now about the Holocaust and the killings of the Jews by the Germans, and about Hitler. I feel very sorry for the Jews who were killed in both concentration camps and death camps. One example is the Belzec camp. There was only one survivor from that camp. This is totally hopeless for the Jews. I believe that the Germans were killing the Jews off when they knew that they lost the war. Therefore, the Jews were the victims of all this. There were many more camps that were hidden from people's eyes. Some people even believe that the death camps did not exist. They think that the Allies just made this up in order to get people to believe that they were right. If that is true, why are there proofs like photographs and films? Anyhow, I am totally against what Hitler did toward the Jews. As you say, all those who were put into the camps were totally normal and did not cause any problems to the society. I believe that Hitler was wrong in doing this and that he should have paid for it. Thank you.
Dear Teoma, Hi. My name is Greg Eisner, and I am a sophomore in Cold Spring Harbor High School, New York. The death march occurred late in the war. The Germans tried to march the people from the concentration camps in Poland to Germany, so that the allies wouldn't be able to find out what happened. Many of the people died from the march, because they were given little or no food; they were wearing hardly any clothing, and it was in the middle of winter. Many people froze to death or became so weak that they could not keep up. If someone couldn't keep up, he or she was shot and left to die. When you are done writing about the Cambodian genocide, please send a copy to me. I would really like to learn more about it. I hope to hear from you soon.
My name is Dustin Perkins, and I am a junior. The book I am reading is We are Witnesses. It is the diaries of five young people during the Holocaust who were all killed. One of the children's diaries We are Witnesses explores was that of Moshe Flinker. He was a Jew who lived in Holland. He was taken to the ghetto, where he was eventually killed by the Nazis. This book is readable, but jumps around a lot and it's hard to follow. I heard the book that you are reading is Night. I read that book and found it very interesting. It describes Elie Wiesel's life in the camp in great detail. It was hard for me to believe he made it through the camps. His perseverance impresses me, and I admire him.
Dear Dustin, Hello. My name is Marijana, and I am in the tenth grade. The other day, my English teacher told our class that there are students who would like to discuss Holocaust books over the Internet. I was very excited because I am constantly online and I enjoyed Night. as much as you can enjoy a book that is about senseless killings. One thing that I will never be able to understand about the Holocaust is how thousands of Nazis could have ever been brainwashed into thinking that killing the Jews was a good thing for their country. Speaking as an individual, if President Bill Clinton were to have told me, and our country, to kill a group of people, I would think that he was insane. It just does not make sense. What do you think about it? How could anyone kill innocent men, women, and small children? I thought that Night was an amazing book. Did you know that when Elie Wiesel wrote the book, it was 800 pages? My English teacher told us that fact. Isn't that crazy? I, too, found it amazing that Elie was able to survive all of that pain and suffering. I would love to hear back from you.
My name is Don Perea. I am a student at Mingus Union High School. I hear your class is studying the Holocaust too! How does the Holocaust make you feel? What is the book you are reading? How does the book make you feel? The book I'm reading is Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi. This book is really good, because it makes you think a lot and you read details of what happen during the Holocaust and in the concentration camp. This book really made me think, and I felt real sad for what happen to the Jews and others. I wonder what gave these people a way to survive this horrible era?
Dear Jennifer, I am Kate, a student at Cold Spring Harbor High School, in New York. In English class, we just finished the book Night, by Elie Wiesel. When I read things about the Holocaust, I learn new things each time, and the things I already knew still surprise me. Many events affected me in this book. We discussed many of these events in class. One event that particularly affected me happens on page ninety-six. It occurs on the train heading toward Buchenwald. Some Germans start throwing pieces of bread into the trains to watch the people inside literally kill each other to get the crumbs of bread. An old man cries, "Meir. Meir, my boy! Don't you recognize me? I'm your father...you're hurting me...you're killing your father! I've got some bread...for you, too...for you, too!" I believe this quote explains so much about the Holocaust. It shows how absolutely ruthless people can become, and how they are living for themselves and not anyone but themselves, even their own fathers. I could not believe anyone could become so hungry that he or she would kill their father for a piece of bread. When the boy got the bread, others killed him to get the bread from him. It is just so unbelievable. I could never imagine ever killing my father, even for bread. But in that situation, I would not know. I suppose the book forces me to ask that question. It is so hard to think this could happen. I am wondering what event affected you most from this book. Sincerely, Kate
Hello. My name is Erika Wingard. I am fifteen and in the tenth grade at Mingus Union High School. I am currently taking a Holocaust Studies class. Right now, we are doing class projects; my group is doing rescue and resistance. I am finding a lot of interesting things in a book named Rescue by Milton Metzler. I just wanted to let you know about this book, in case you ever have to find some information on the subject. Anyway, you are reading Night now, correct? I read it last year; it was really important. I remember that, when I was reading it, nothing seemed like it was happening in the daytime; the book always had this dark feeling to it. Do you agree, or is that just me?
Hey, Erika; this is Liz Wenk. I am also fifteen and in tenth grade, but at Cold Spring Harbor High School. I just received your letter about the Holocaust class you are taking. It sounds very interesting, especially your project about rescue and resistance. So far, what have you learned about this topic? Just about five minutes ago, our English class had a Holocaust survivor speak to us. His name is Irving Roth. He told us his story of the Holocaust. Although I found the book Night very powerful, actually getting to meet and shake hands with someone who experienced the Holocaust was moving. One thing that I thought you might find interesting, that Irving told us, was that his parents were saved and hidden by a nurse. This nurse's husband was a member of the Nazi Party. Do you have any stories of others who hid or saved Jews? Hiding a Jewish couple was a very risky thing for her to do! But because of her action, two lives were saved. Although two lives sound like none, compared to the other six million killed, just imagine telling that fact to Irving, when those two lives were the lives of his mother and father. This story really puts the Holocaust into some sort of perspective that I can understand. If two lives are that important, I can't even begin to imagine how two hundred, two thousand, two million, or even six million lives affect the world. What do you feel about this? Irving left us with a very powerful closing thought. He basically said that he would not be around in another fifty years, but that we would. He said that, if we ever heard anybody say that the Holocaust never happened, we should tell his story. This really got me thinking, because how could anybody say that the Holocaust never happened? I just don't understand that!
Dear Nora, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to reply to you. Since I wrote to you last, I have read the book Night that you have discussed. I experienced similar feelings to what you experienced. The pain of watching family members die and not being able to do anything about it must have been horrible. The book Night gave me insight into a world I hope I never have to experience. During the last days of Elie's father's life, I thought it was amazing the way he was treated, or should I say the lack of treatment. When the doctor told Elie not to try to help his father by giving him food or water, I had to stop reading for a while and just think. The concept of leaving not just a another person, but your own father, to die seems so wrong and shocking to me; I have difficulty seeing how a doctor could even suggest it. It makes me wonder what the doctor may have thought after the Holocaust. Did he show remorse -- or was he embarrassed that he was unable to more successfully exterminate the Jewish people? The fact that, at the time the doctor said this to Elie, Elie was able to entertain the thought of abandoning his father, makes me wonder if I would behave the same in his shoes. I mean, who is to say that after being malnourished, dehydrated, worked to the point of exhaustion, and being forced to live in such cramped living conditions for years, I wouldn't think and reason in ways that I never would, if I were living as comfortably as I am today? As I read biographies or stories of Holocaust victims, I find myself reading faster than I normally read. I think it is because I want to get to the part in the story where the person is saved. I want to fast-forward to make sure that the character that I have become emotionally attached to will be alright. Do you ever do this? As to your question about how I would feel in the presence of a Holocaust victim, I can try to describe how I felt in the presence of the few survivors I have met. After hearing them speak and tell their story, it amazed me that anyone could ever be so cold-hearted as to want to harm them. Most victims have great strength from their experiences, and they seem to treasure life more than most of us do. They seem so caring and harmless, as though they should be protected, not persecuted. How did you feel in the presence of the Holocaust survivor who visited your class? Carrie Link
Hello; my name is David Kuppersmith, and I'm a sophomore at Cold Spring Harbor High School, in Long Island, New York. I am currently reading Night in my English class. I fully agree with everything that you have stated in your letter. Furthermore, I feel that Elie Wiesel wrote this book to preserve the stories of the Holocaust. It is a fact that everyone involved in the Holocaust will eventually pass away, including Elie Wiesel. I guess Elie felt it is was his job, as a writer, an educator, a survivor, and a human being, to be able to pass something on to future generations. This book is a firsthand account of what the Holocaust truly was, as seen through the eyes of a teenager. We must not ever forget the mass destruction that one man, Hitler, caused. Moreover, we must not forget of how easily something like this can occur again. I am almost done with the book, and I feel that it is one of the better Holocaust memoirs written. It truly does exemplify the determination and courage that, not just Elie and his father had, but of what over six million Jews and five million others experienced every single day of their lives. The Holocaust was a dehumanizing experience for close to eleven million people. Men, women, and children were treated like animals, and it is our job, the youth who are going to carry the world into the twenty-first century, never to forget the horrors and tragedies of the Holocaust.
Drawing by Kate Huges andAmalia Homewood, Broadford