# data[].attributes.body
When describing Mrs. Schachter and her husband he writes, "her husband was a pious man who spent most of his days and nights in the house of study. It was she who supported the family" (24).

# data[].attributes.body
Describing his initial experience at Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel writes, "our clothes were to be thrown on the floor at the back of the barrack. There was a pile there already. New suits, old ones, torn overcoats, rages. For us it meant true equality: nakedness" (35).

# data[].attributes.body
Wiesel encounters a number of Jewish musicians in Buna when he is assigned to the Orchestra block. He writes, "We struck up conversation with our neighbors, the musicians. Almost all of them were Jews. Juliek, a Pole with eyeglasses and a cynical smile in a pale face. Louis, a native of Holland, a well-known violinist. He complained that they would not let him play Beethoven; Jews were not allowed to play German music" (49).

# data[].attributes.body
Yiddish is the language spoken by Elie Wiesel and the people of Sighet. The novel was also originally written in Yiddish.

# data[].attributes.body
At the beginning of the book, Elie Wiesel references his religious studies, saying "as for me, my place was in the house of study, or so they said" (4).

Describing Mrs. Schachter, he writes, "her husband was a pious man who spent most of his days and nights in the house of study" (24).

# data[].attributes.body
Clothing was heavily influenced by the requirements of halakhah, Jewish law. Men were required to wear prayer shawls, called tallits, to morning prayer though this requirement varied across communities. This is a photograph of a tallit located at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

# data[].attributes.body
Many religious obligations were primarily fulfilled by men. Religious leaders were male and usually, only men could hold official membership in a synagogue though women also played a role in religion. Men and women also occupied different areas of synagogues. Men sat in the main area while women sat in a different gallery above or in a separate structure. This is a photograph of the leaders of Sighet's Jewish community from 1928-1930.

# data[].attributes.headline
Jewish mandolin and guitar orchestra-Vabalninkas, Lithuania (1932)

# data[].attributes.subject
Jewish mandolin and guitar orchestra-Vabalninkas, Lithuania (1932)

# data[].attributes.body
Elie Wiesel is a Hasidic Ashkenazi Jew. Describing his religion he says, "I was almost thirteen and deeply observant. By day I studied Talmud and by night I would run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple" (3).

He later describes his desire to learn about Kabbalah, a key aspect of Hasidism, saying, "One evening, I told him how unhappy I was not to be able to find in Sighet a master to teach me the Zohar, the Kabbalistic works, the secrets of Jewish mysticism" (5).

# data[].attributes.body
Yiddish is believed to have been created in the 9th century CE, coinciding with the emergence of the Ashkenazi Jews in Central Europe, though the first Yiddish texts are from the 12th century. Yiddish comes from a combination of languages. There is a Semitic component consisting of Hebrew and Aramaic, brought by Middle Eastern settlers in Europe, and a Germanic component. Yiddish spread from Germany, where it began, throughout Eastern Europe, where it also gained elements of Slavic languages.

# data[].attributes.body
Women's clothing strongly incorporated the idea of modesty. Most women wore long sleeves and covered their legs. In addition, married women were often required to cover their hair. Despite opposition from religious leaders, the sheitel, a type of wig, became popular in the 1800s. In this image, taken around 1880, a Jewish woman wears a sheitel.

# data[].attributes.body
In much of Central Europe, Jewish women were primarily responsible for running and maintaining the household while men upheld religious obligations. In this photograph, taken in Kolbuszowa, Poland in 1934, a woman, her four daughters, and a maid do the laundry.

# data[].attributes.headline
Jewish first grade class in Cologne, Germany (1929-1930)

# data[].attributes.subject
Jewish first grade class in Cologne, Germany (1929-1930)

# data[].attributes.body
Both men and women commonly wore low-cut leather shoes and women's shoes often had a low heel. Men's shoes had little to no heel and could be tied or slipped on. This is a photograph of the shoes of Holocaust victims who were killed in concentration camps.

# data[].attributes.body
Cheders, Hebrew for rooms, were Jewish religious elementary schools. The cheder served to provide a foundational knowledge of Judaism through the study of the Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud. Both boys and girls attended cheders, either separately or together. The cheders were generally organized into three levels of increasing difficulty. The cheder was taught by a Melamed, a religious teacher. Students who excelled in cheders went on to study in yeshivas.

# data[].attributes.body
The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/gender

# data[].attributes.body
This photograph, taken in the Austrian Empire around 1890, depicts Leyzer Rosenfeld wearing a kapote. The kapote became popular in the seventeenth century and was worn on special occasions. It was sometimes made out of expensive materials and lined with blue or yellow silk.

# data[].attributes.body
The YIVO Encylopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/dress#id0ep5ag
My Jewish Learning
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tallit-the-prayer-shawl/

# data[].attributes.body
The Yiddish language uses characters from the Hebrew alphabet.

# data[].attributes.body
Describing his parents' occupations, Wiesel writes, "my parents ran a store. Hilda and Bea helped with the work" (4).

# data[].attributes.body
Yeshivas were Jewish schools dedicated to studying Jewish law in the Talmud along with the Torah and Jewish philosophy. By the 1900s Yeshivas were in decline and the Bet Midrash (a study house and synagogue) became a common substitute for those seeking Jewish religious education. Hasidic Judaism adopted Yeshivas, and most Hasidic courts had a Yeshiva. Historically, Yeshivas were for men only.

# data[].attributes.headline
Portrait of a Girl Sleeping at the Table by Gela Seksztajn (circa 1932-1939)

# data[].attributes.subject
Portrait of a Girl Sleeping at the Table by Gela Seksztajn (circa 1932-1939)

# data[].attributes.body
Within societies of both Jews and non- Jews, Jews often had managerial or commercial jobs. In many communities, common areas of jobs included commerce, supply, finance, handicraft manufacturing, and different forms of art. However, in several places across Central and Eastern Europe, Jews were pushed out of manufacturing jobs. Jewish people were often seen as second class members of society and were given the less desirable jobs. In many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Jews were prevented from owning land, being officers in the military, or holding governmental offices.

# data[].attributes.headline
Classroom in the Slonimer yeshiva, Vilna, Lituania (1930s)

# data[].attributes.subject
Classroom in the Slonimer yeshiva, Vilna, Lituania (1930s)

# data[].attributes.headline
Jewish Theatre Company in Vilna, Lithuania

# data[].attributes.subject
Jewish Theatre Company in Vilna, Lithuania

# data[].attributes.body
YIVO
https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Heder

https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Yeshiva/The_Yeshiva_after_1800

# data[].attributes.body
Encylopaedia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yiddish-language

# data[].attributes.body
Hasidic Judaism is a Jewish religious group, which places a heavy emphasis on spirituality and mysticism. Hasidism was founded in the 18th Century and spread rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Hasidism focuses heavily on the teachings of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, alongside traditional Jewish beliefs. Hasidic Judaism is organized into sects or "courts" each headed by a rebbe. By Wiesel's time, Hasidism as a whole was in decline but the Hasidic community in Transylvania, where Wiesel lived, remained active under the leadership of Rebbe Yo'el Teitelbaum.

# data[].attributes.headline
Fragments of Torahs rescued from Vienna synagogues after Kristallnacht

# data[].attributes.subject
Fragments of Torahs rescued from Vienna synagogues after Kristallnacht

# data[].attributes.body
The Torah, made up of the first 5 books of the Hebrew bible, is one of the most important Jewish religious texts.

# data[].attributes.body
This artwork was made by Pavel Sonnenschein in the Theresienstadt ghetto. It contrasts the other child's artwork because it portrays conditions in the ghetto rather than memories of life before the Holocaust.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Source: BBC                                            https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/the-holocaust-year-by-year/zkxwgwx 

# data[].attributes.headline
Jewish owned storefront after Kristallnacht

# data[].attributes.subject
Jewish owned storefront after Kristallnacht

# data[].attributes.headline
Jewish store in Vienna with anti- Semitic slogans graffitied on the windows

# data[].attributes.subject
Jewish store in Vienna with anti- Semitic slogans graffitied on the windows

# data[].attributes.body
A synagogue is a Jewish house of worship, in which the congregation assembles for religious services and education.

# data[].attributes.body
Jews in Europe are grouped into 2 main sects: Ashkenazic and Sephardic. Ashkenazi Jews (Green) follow the German rite synagogue ritual whereas Sephardic Jews (Yellow) follow the Spanish rite. The 2 sects differ in their pronunciation of Hebrew, their cultural traditions, and in their language (Yiddish was only spoken by Ashkenazi). Elie Wiesel and many Jews targeted by the Holocaust were Ashkenazi Jews.

# data[].attributes.body
Encyclopaedia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/question/What-are-the-main-differences-between-Ashkenazi-and-Sephardic-Jews

YIVO
https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/hasidism/historical_overview

Judaism 101
https://www.jewfaq.org/ashkenazic_and_sephardic

# data[].attributes.body
USHMM Holocaust Encyclopedia https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism-in-history-the-early-modern-era-1300-1800

# data[].attributes.body
This artwork was made by Mariana Langová during her time in the Theresienstadt ghetto before being deported to Auschwitz. It depicts memories of her life before being in the ghetto.