Hope, Despair and Memory

The Holocaust, from the Greek “burnt offering,” refers when capitalized to Nazi Germany’s systematic murder of almost six million Jewish individuals. Jewish individuals also refer to it as “Shoah,” which in Hebrew means “catastrophe.” After seizing Jewish property and relocating the Jewish citizenry of Germany and its conquered territories to “ghettos,” the Nazis began planning the mass murder of Europe’s Jewish population in 1941. Wiesel lived through the Holocaust and experienced two extermination camps firsthand. His father, mother, and sister died in the Holocaust. With the defeat of the Nazis, survivors like Wiesel emigrated all over the world. In his address, Wiesel invokes his experience as a Holocaust survivor, using it as grounds for his literature of testimony and depicting The Jewish Experience as Reflective of Human Rights.

Human rights are certain basic conditions that most contemporary nations agree (at least in theory) all people are entitled to. What those rights consist of has been the subject of much debate, but they frequently include things like freedom of expression, equality before the law, and humane living conditions. Many trace a basic belief in human rights to ancient times, but the term itself is more recent: In 1948, the United Nations moved to create the first universal declaration of human rights in response to the horrors of the Holocaust. The oppressed groups that Wiesel mentions in this essay have been denied their universal human rights, and global political activism tends to focus on human rights issues.

Sometimes called the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah occurs during the fall. It is one of the High Holy Days and among the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar. While traditions within Judaism vary, all share the custom of reflection and repentance. Wiesel reminds his audience that Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom HaZikaron, which translates to “the day of memory” (12); it therefore connects to the theme of The Alliance of Hope and Memory to Avoid Despair.

The Talmud is a collection of ancient writings on Jewish laws and traditions. It primarily interprets the Torah, also known as the Five Books of Moses. While the Torah can be considered a living text—i.e., open to many interpretations—the Talmud discusses, interprets, and codifies the laws of the Torah. Wiesel refers to it a few times in his lecture, most importantly to support The Argument for Pacifism, which he grounds in Jewish tradition.