Night by Elie Wiesel: A Web Quest
Introduction: You will soon begin reading the book Night by Elie Wiesel. In preparation for this reading, it is extremely important
that you gain the necessary background information in order to understand what Mr. Wiesel is referring to. This book is very
disturbing as Mr. Wiesel shares his experiences in a Nazi Concentration Camp during World War II. Throughout the book, you will
read about his horrific journey through the evil and terrible process a young Jew in Hitler’s way often suffered. Mr. Wiesel has taken
it upon himself to “bear witness” and share his testimony with the world in hopes to prevent such terrible genocide in the
future. He has left his written word so that the world may never forget… “When we are forgotten, we cease to exist.”
Task: Your community is contemplating building its own museum dedicated to remembering victims of execution all over the
world. Your class has been put in charge of accumulating information regarding the history of the Holocaust and how it has affected
our world today. You will then be asked to research aspects of the Holocaust. Once you have researched your topic on the
approved sites, you should answer the questions following on the topic.
Conclusion: Hopefully after your research you will have found some of the events leading up to and defining the Holocaust and can
be prepared to share this information with the rest of the world. Unfortunately no matter how many facts or how much research we
do, we cannot possibly begin to imagine the terrifying events many of the survivors faced. Keep in mind as we begin reading the
book Night, all of the information you have researched and use it to help you attempt to imagine the world that shaped Elie Weisel’s
childhood.
Topic 1:
What was Kristallnacht (Crystal Night or “The Night of the Broken Glass)?
1. When did Kristallnacht happen AND what was Kristallnacht?
Kristalnacht is the “Night of Broken Glass” on Nov. 9, 1938 and for two days afterward, when violence against Jews broke
out by the Nazis in Paris, France. The result was that over two days, more than 250 synagogues were burned, 7,000
Jewish businesses were trashed and looted, dozens of Jews were killed, and Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, and schools were
damaged or destroyed.
2. What was the supposed spark that initiated this violence?
3. What was the role of police on this night?
4. What is a “pogrom?”
5. After Kristallnacht, what happened to many Jews?
6. Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.
Sites to Search:
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https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007697
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005201
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005183
http://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/kristallnacht
http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-features/special-focus/kristallnacht
Topic 2: How did Hitler gain power and begin Nazi Rule?
1. How and when did Hitler gain power and what was the Third Reich?
2. Who were the SS?
3. What was “Nazi Propaganda” and how was it used?
4. What is euthanasia?
5. What is “Anti-Semitism?”
6. Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.
Sites to Search:
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https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007671
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005141
http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-nazi-rise-to-power
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/t4.html
http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/anti-semitism
http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-nazi-rise-to-power
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-of-the-nazi-euthanasia-t-4-program
https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007691
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005202
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005200
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007403
Topic 3: What was life like in a Concentration Camp?
1. What are some of the things that happened to the prisoners when they first got to the camps?
2. What was “Selection?”
3. What was the difference between death camps and labor camps?
4. What happened to the personal items people brought with them?
5. What were a crematorium and a gas chamber?
6. Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.
Sites to Search:
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http://www.jewishgen.org/ForgottenCamps/Camps/TreblinkaEng.html
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007734
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007732
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005145
https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007754
https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007714
http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-final-solution/auschwitz-birkenau/selection
http://70.auschwitz.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85&Itemid=173&lang=en
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007387
http://www.holocaust.com.au/mm/camps.htm
Topic 4: What was a “ghetto?”
1. How was a ghetto formed?
2. What kind of things did they have in a ghetto?
3. Who was in charge of a ghetto? How did they run it?
4. How did the Nazi’s keep the Jews in the Ghetto?
5. What happened after Jews left the ghettos?
6. Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research.
Sites to Search
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http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005059
http://www.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%206286.pdf
http://www.aish.com/ho/o/48959726.html
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007708
http://www.rossel.net/Holocaust07.htm
Topic 5: What was the “Final Solution?”
1. What was the “Final Solution?”
2. Who were implementers of the “Final Solution?”
3. How was the “Final Solution” supposed to be carried out?
4. How many Jewish lives were lost as a result of “The Final Solution” and the Holocaust?
5. Add any other interesting facts you think would be valuable to your research
Sites to Search:
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http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005151
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/killedtable.html
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Himorder.html
http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks4/the-final-solution/planning-the-final-solution/thesignificance-of-the-wannsee-conference/#.WKs8VlUrLct
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007710