On the evening before Pentecost, the Jews find out they are all being deported.
Things have already not been going well. It happened in stages. First, the Jews were forced into ghettos. These were kind of like walled neighborhoods, but very much like prisons. The outer houses had their windows boarded and no one could leave. Conditions were harsh. Jews had to wear yellow stars marking them. Then, on the night before Pentecost, Stern is called to a special meeting.
"What's wrong?" we asked.
"I don't know. I have been summoned to a special meeting of the Council. Something must have happened." (Ch. 1)
Wiesel’s mother says she has a bad feeling about it. She is right to worry. Stern was a shopkeeper. He and anyone else who used to be important are being called in because something terrible is about to happen. Moishe’s predictions of doom are coming true. The Jews are all being deported now.
When Wiesel's father returns, they hope nothing is wrong, but they can tell from looking at him that this is not the case.
"The news is terrible," he said at last. And then one word: "Transports."
The ghetto was to be liquidated entirely. Departures were to take place street by street, starting the next day. (Ch. 1)
The way the Germans rounded the Jews up was very systematic. Of course, it would have been next to impossible to take everyone overnight. They put the Jews in ghettos first to get them out of sight and out of everyday life. It had the added benefit of getting them in one place. Then they were trapped and easy prey.
Pentecost, or Shavu'ot , is a two day harvest festival celebrating the Torah. This is a particularly disruptive time for the Germans to be transporting the Jews. To try to destroy an entire religious or ethnic group is bad enough, but to do it during a time of religious significance is worse.
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