Religion In Night By Elie Wiesel

As a triumphant survivor of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel once said, “Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?” (Wiesel, 33). The millions of Jews whose lives were shattered by the Holocaust were left asking themselves this question, struggling to reconcile their faith in the God they once treasured and loved. During the Holocaust, some individuals began to worship God with more intensity, while others abandoned their teachings completely. In Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night, the religious identity of the Jewish population differs depending on each individual's perspective. He evaluates the role of religion during the Holocaust, the experiences

They led Jews in singing, reading, and bonding experiences. It was because of their efforts that people could become more united and cope with their traumatic experiences (Fallon). In the Jewish community, rabbis were essential in preserving their culture and traditions. Hence, they risked their lives on many occasions to smuggle religious texts into the camps (Bassi) . This goes to show how important religion was to the identity of Jews. Unfortunately, an unavoidable consequence of these religious meetings was the scheming of violent and non-violent Jewish

The role religion plays in the Holocaust, along with the experiences of victims and the impact the event had on survivors is all evaluated in Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night. With regard to the role of religion, Wiesel conveys the importance of praying and having rituals, how religious leaders provided comfort, and resistance to Nazi persecution. In highlighting the gruesome experiences of victims, readers learn about everything from the deportation to ghettos, to death marches, and an innocent pipel being hung. The religious identity of survivors was scarred, leading to some people abandoning their faith and others having it strengthened. Perfectly illustrating the mindset of survivors, Qamar Rafiq states, “I am a victim of religious persecution, and this tragedy has changed my life forever. Anything I write about freedom of religion is therefore colored by what has happened to me...”