How do the prisoners celebrate Rosh Hashanah in the book ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel?
A) They gather in the synagogue to pray
B) They have a feast with other prisoners
D) They exchange gifts with each other
C) None of the above
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
In Night by Elie Wiesel, the correct answer to how the prisoners celebrate Rosh Hashanah is:
4) None of the above.
During Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the prisoners at the concentration camp do not celebrate in the traditional manner. In Elie Wiesel’s memoir, the prisoners’ observance of this sacred holiday is limited, grim, and marked by reflection rather than traditional celebration. In this setting, the camp is a place of profound suffering and dehumanization, making conventional celebrations impossible. There is no synagogue, no feast, and no exchanging of gifts among prisoners as might occur in freedom.
Instead, Wiesel describes a somber gathering where the Jewish prisoners attempt to honor the holiday through communal prayer, but under extreme duress and limitations. The gathering is not held in a synagogue, as the prisoners have no place of worship; it takes place within the confines of the concentration camp under Nazi watch. Rather than celebrating with joy, the prisoners confront intense emotions and questions of faith. Wiesel himself is filled with doubt and anger toward God, questioning how such suffering and abandonment can exist for people who remain faithful. He is struck by the irony of praying to a God who seems to have allowed such horrific circumstances to unfold, a theme that becomes central to his spiritual crisis throughout the book.
This Rosh Hashanah experience marks a turning point for Wiesel. While many prisoners try to maintain a sense of hope and faith by praying, Wiesel grapples with a sense of betrayal, expressing doubts about his faith and the justice of God. He famously describes this moment as one in which he symbolically “puts God on trial,” refusing to bless the name of God in a setting filled with death and suffering. This marks his transition from devout faith to spiritual questioning, highlighting the inner turmoil and moral complexities the Holocaust imposed on survivors.
Thus, while there is an attempt to observe Rosh Hashanah, it is not a celebration in the traditional sense. Instead, it reflects the prisoners’ desperate struggle to hold onto their identity and faith, despite overwhelming despair. Wiesel’s depiction is both a critique of blind faith and a poignant reflection on the cost of survival in unimaginable conditions.