The Night Book: A Journey Through the Darkest Hours

In the summer of 1941, I, Eliezer, was just a 12-year-old boy living in the small Hungarian town of Sighet with my family. My parents and sisters ran a shop, while my father was highly respected in our Jewish community for his dedication to studying the Torah and praying regularly. I, too, was deeply religious and spent most of my free time learning about Judaism alongside an immigrant named Moché the Beadle, who taught me about the Cabbala, the book of Jewish mysticism.

But little did we know that our peaceful lives were about to be shattered by the horrors of war. The Fascists had taken power in Hungary, and German soldiers began entering our town. Our community was torn apart as Jewish leaders were arrested, and the Hungarian police rounded up foreign Jews into two ghettos.

I remember the night vividly when we were forced onto trains headed for an unknown destination. One Jewish woman went mad, screaming about fire, while my mother and younger sister were separated from me, never to be seen again. I was left with only my father, who refused to relocate our family to Palestine, citing his age.

As the months passed, I began to grasp the true extent of the horrors that lay ahead. Moché, who had escaped with a leg wound, returned with a terrible tale: the Gestapo had stopped a train and slaughtered its Jewish passengers. My father's faith in a just God was shattered, and I was left feeling lost and confused.

But even in the face of such unimaginable tragedy, I clung to my faith. The Cabbala became my solace, offering me a glimpse into the mysteries of the universe and the nature of good and evil. It was through this book that I found the strength to endure the darkest hours of my life.

The night book, as it were, was not just a collection of words on pages but a reflection of our collective humanity – a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable suffering. For even in the depths of despair, there is always hope, and it is this hope that keeps us going, even when all seems lost.

Night book