The Holocaust Quotes By Elie Wiesel
“To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time” is a quote by Eliezer Wiesel, the author of Night. The quote explains how remembering those who have departed from us is important and pays tribute to their loss. However, dismissing it would just be as bad as killing them again. The Holocaust was one of the biggest events in human history, considering the mass genocide of over six million Jews and the extreme anti-semitism that occurred. It is truly important to study the Holocaust and should not be forgotten. The Holocaust can shed light on cruelty of humanity, life lessons, and tolerance. Eliezer Wiesel emphasized the existence of evil in the Holocaust through his literature. Racism was an entirely major factor of
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One lesson you can learn is to not take sides. Picking the side you believe is right and beneficial will help you more in the long run rather than fluctuating between both choices. According to Elie Wiesel, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim… Sometimes we must interfere” (118). The quote explains how neutrality only gives the victim permission to continue doing what they’re doing because they are not reprimanded or confronted for their actions. Whereas, neutrality hurts the victim because they are not given the support that they need to take down the oppressor. Students learning about this can learn to make decisions for themselves. The second lesson to learn is how dangerous silence can be. Staying silent in situations can only lead to the worse precautions. Elie questions himself in the book, saying “How was it possible that men, women, and children were being burned and the world kept silent?” (32). In his acceptance speech, he also says that “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented” (118). He is furious about the inhumanity happening around him, but nobody was batting an eyelash about it. Students learning this will help them become assertive, to stand up for their beliefs, and to not be a bystander. It can apply to events in school like bullying or unjust rules. They must rid of the mindset that “this is bad but it probably will not get any more worse.” The third lesson students can learn from the Holocaust is to always be aware of your surroundings. In Night, Elie and the Sighet Jews disregarded the signs of danger and were uneducated about the Holocaust. They believed that the Germans would stay in Budapest and would not know of Sighet, but were proven wrong when they saw German Army vehicles on their streets (9). If students are properly educated and cautious about current events, they can save themselves from potential
One lesson you can learn is to not take sides. Picking the side you believe is right and beneficial will help you more in the long run rather than fluctuating between both choices. According to Elie Wiesel, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim… Sometimes we must interfere” (118). The quote explains how neutrality only gives the victim permission to continue doing what they’re doing because they are not reprimanded or confronted for their actions. Whereas, neutrality hurts the victim because they are not given the support that they need to take down the oppressor. Students learning about this can learn to make decisions for themselves. The second lesson to learn is how dangerous silence can be. Staying silent in situations can only lead to the worse precautions. Elie questions himself in the book, saying “How was it possible that men, women, and children were being burned and the world kept silent?” (32). In his acceptance speech, he also says that “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented” (118). He is furious about the inhumanity happening around him, but nobody was batting an eyelash about it. Students learning this will help them become assertive, to stand up for their beliefs, and to not be a bystander. It can apply to events in school like bullying or unjust rules. They must rid of the mindset that “this is bad but it probably will not get any more worse.” The third lesson students can learn from the Holocaust is to always be aware of your surroundings. In Night, Elie and the Sighet Jews disregarded the signs of danger and were uneducated about the Holocaust. They believed that the Germans would stay in Budapest and would not know of Sighet, but were proven wrong when they saw German Army vehicles on their streets (9). If students are properly educated and cautious about current events, they can save themselves from potential