Night

As the Jews suffered through the Holocaust and the concentration camps religious practices and observances became less important and people began to lose their faith.

At the beggining of night, whenever someone died the Kaddish, a prayer for the dead, was said. Towards the end, even when Elie's father had died, no one really said the Kaddish. Elie recognizes " There were no prayers at his grave. No candles were lit to his memory," (Chapter 8, page 80). Both of these things were important to the Jewish culture at before the holocaust would have been recognized.

The Kaddish

Night;Religious Observances

Thesis

Over the course of night, Elie and many of the other Jews began to lose faith. On multiple occasions Elie began to doubt and admitted it to himself "Where is God now?" (Chapter 4, page 48). Towards the end of the novel, when his father is dying, Elie says " In spite of myself , a prayer rose in my heart to a God in whom I no longer believed," (Chapter 6, page 67).

Loss of Faith

Before Deportation, when Elie and his family were in the ghetto, they celebrated passover even though they were worried and were unsure of the events to come. Elie even says "We ate, we sang. The Bible bade us rejoice during the seven days of feast," (Chapter 1 page 8)

"Yom Kippur. The day of Atonment. Should we fast? The question was hotly debated. To fast would mean a surer, swifter death," (Chapter 5, page 51). Elie and the other Jews in the concentration camps did not know whether they should fast as an observance of their holy day or if they should continue to eat what little food that they could. Elie eventually decided along with most other Jews to continue to eat so that they may survive.

Yom Kippur

Passover

ErinJohns Period 7