night: chapter 1

To begin the 1st section of the book, Night, Elie Wiesel introduces a poor, Jewish, man from his childhood in Sighet, Transylvania. This man unlike other needy people in the small town was generally liked by everyone because he stayed out of other's way, they called him Moishe the Beadle. Moishe taught Elie in "kabbalah", even though he was far to young. As his lessons went on Elie realized that the poorest man in Sighet was the one that would help enter eternity, "when question and answer become ONE."(pg 5.) Elie also talks about how he wasn't worried about the Nazi movement, to him it was just a change in ministry. A lot of other people, all over Europe, viewed it this way as well. Then one of Elie's friends returned to town for Passover, he told them how the Nazis attacking Jewish stores, synagogues, and other anti-Semitic acts took place in Budapest. Elie says the news spread fast and his town was in panic. Eventually Ghettos were formed and Elie's family home was on a street where on of them was. The Nazi control got worse, Elie's father was called to a meeting, when many people of the town waited in the courtyard. When Elie's father returned he had bad news, "Transports". All of the Ghetto's were liquidated. The section ends with Elie and others boarding the cattle cars, "trains", and leaving the small town, Sighet.