Educational Resources

„... But You, God, where are You?“

Life and faith stories of a survivor

Prof. Dr. Reinhold Boschki

„Imagine how I came to Auschwitz,“ Elie Wiesel prompts us, „Each of us was allowed to take only one suitcase from home.“ I often challenge my students to think about what we would pack in a suitcase if we were forced to leave our homes for an uncertain future. Perhaps a wristwatch? Sentimental objects from around our rooms and apartments? Old letters? Clothes? While the thought might seem dramatic for the modern day, it gained new relevance as we read reports of refugees from Kosovo in the spring of 1999. „What I took with me?“ Wiesel continues, „My tallit, my tefillin, that is, prayer shawl and prayer belt, some religious books, various ritual objects – nothing else. That's how I got to Auschwitz.“

Before reaching the age of sixteen, Elie Wiesel, who came from the Hasidic tradition of Eastern European Jewry, was deported from his home to the concentration and death camps. Moments after stepping off the cattle train, at the infamous ramp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, he saw his mother and little sister Tsiporah for the last time. In the following moments, his suitcase was also snatched away from him. As they walked into the camp, Elie clung to his father, who would later die in the Buchenwald concentration camp from illness and weakness brought on by hunger, hard labor and frequent beatings. Elie barely survived to see the liberation of Buchenwald in April 1945.

His traumatic experiences in the camp evoked despair in Wiesel – a despair that he often describes as a matter of man and God. Yet, an irrepressible hope for a future free of prejudice, hatred, and discrimination permeates Wiesel’s life and work. Rather than drown in horrors of the past, we should use our memories to shape a kinder future of peace and human dignity. As Wiesel once wrote, „Memory is hope – and hope is memory.“

The tremendous tension between hope and despair in Wiesel’s work makes him one of the most important contemporary witnesses for humanity, while the fight between trusting devotion and painful condemnation of God makes his work one of the most distinguished testimonies of the faith of the 20th century.

Will Elie Wiesel’s life and work still remain significant for the coming century? Are there any remaining connections between the world Wiesel and the reality of most young people today? If so, what bridges the ever-growing generational gaps?

> For many students, the topic of „Auschwitz“ is not a „tear-jerker“. They may present indirect or direct resistance against the subject because they „can't hear about it anymore“. Teachers reference the Holocaust in many subjects (e.g., Literature, History, Social Studies, etc.), so students often feel they hear about it too much. Some students have even come to a point of questioning „why Germany is always in the dock.“ They ask, „Why are Germans always on trial for crimes committed so long ago?“ Alternatively, some students leave their studies saying, „Elie Wiesel's book is the most important book I have ever read.“ Others even believe Elie Wiesel’s work should be compulsory material in public curricula, so all students in Germany will be required to read it. – How do such different opinions come about from the same material?

> To change these views and engage students, contrast these comments with feedback from students who have already studied Elie Wiesel in class. For example, comments like the following may be helpful: „For the first time, we approached this topic from a completely new perspective — not just through numbers and statistics.“

> Recent studies, such as the Bodo von Borries study on the historical consciousness of young Germans, have shown that young people are overloaded by the topic of Germany’s Nazi past. They’re constantly fed reactions and reminders of the topic by the media, their families, and schools — all of which attach extreme importance to the topic, whether positive or negative. For example, students are acutely aware of the agitation in their teachers, principals, caretakers, and the police when Nazi imagery, such as swastikas, appear in public spaces. In addition, many young Germans report disparaging feelings and experiences when traveling abroad (often related to public opinions of Germany), however subtly.

> To relate the content to more pressing questions for teenagers and adolescents, start by engaging with their fundamental concerns: „Where do I stand in the world?“, „Where do I belong?“. Then explore these thoughts from a historical perspective with personal questions: „Where do I come from?“, „What is my (family and social) history?“

> The religious question of the Holocaust also concerns young people. While it’s often not explicit at first, students given time and space with the content may express concerns about the question of God in the face of such evil:  „How can God allow ethnic cleansing, murder, and expulsions in Kosovo and elsewhere?“, „Why does God let little children starve to death?“, „Why didn't God intervene in the Holocaust?“

> Encouraging young students to ask difficult questions and taking them seriously is the first task of a religious educator. Creating an open, safe space where challenging questions can be asked enables teachers to break down reactions from the class and build more impactful lessons.

> It is crucial that the students can react openly to responses to Elie Wiesel, the horrors of Auschwitz, and the question of God and the Holocaust. To prevent demoralizing students or burdening them with an emotional overload, the teacher must help them cognitively and affectively deal with course content. It is not pure didactics of mediation that lead the conversation further but correlative approaches that integrate, dialogical-creative didactic appropriations.

> Particularly for the question of God in the context of Auschwitz, it is essential to lead students to an active discussion that extends beyond the classroom. Elie Wiesel’s works are particularly suitable for this purpose, as they lead readers directly to both questions of doubt and moments of faith in God's justice.

> The established teaching modules U1, U2, U3, etc., and materials M1, M2, and M3 can be used in Hauptschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium, especially in grades 9 and 10. They can be used together to form an academic arc or serve as individual curriculum topics such as the church under National Socialism, faith in God today, Judaism, or human rights. A more precise classification of each course is deliberately omitted to require instructors to deal with them individually and creatively.

Elie Wiesel: Night, New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. 120 pp.

Night is Wiesel's autobiographical report of the last weeks in his homeland, the deportation, and his struggle for survival in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald camps.

Night is suitable as a full-length narrative for religious education classes, as it raises core universal questions from the then fifteen-year-old Wiesel’s perspective: How can humanity stand by while people are burned? Where is God in all this horror?

In the face of destruction, Wiesel does not abandon the question of God but instead addresses it with grounded vigor. Thus, Night may be read as both a story of life and faith.

Module 1: A survivor's report

• It is better to start this lesson with a narrative rather than facts. This can be done with a short story (M 1) or by reading the entire book „Night“ by Elie Wiesel. A proven method is for the teacher to read large parts of the book aloud. In the background, sometimes: quiet Yiddish music, e.g., quiet clarinet pieces by Giora Feldmann.

• When reading the entire book, it can be divided into four parts:

• Part 1: pp. 17–56; Part 2: pp. 57–88; Part 3: pp. 89–127; Part 4: pp. 128–end (the page numbers are the same in almost all German editions). Part 1 can be read aloud in its entirety by the teacher, Part 2 by the students at home, Part 3 again in class, etc.

• „Writing discussion“ in groups of 4 to 5 after reading the central text on p. 56 (M 2): Text M 2 is copied and glued in the middle of a poster. Around the outside, the students silently write down their thoughts on what they have heard. Important rule: Discussions are only allowed in writing on the poster.

• The groups then report their thoughts and „discussions“ to the class and write individual important thoughts in short form around the statement „I will never forget this night“ highlighted in the middle of the board.

• The teacher takes the posters, evaluates them carefully, and refers back to individual statements in subsequent lessons. In particular, the religion teacher will return to the question of God, addressing Elie Wiesel's initial, immediate reaction with regard to his belief in God in M 2. However, this is by no means his final reaction.

Module 2: The life story of Elie Wiesel

• Elie Wiesel transformed his memories of the horrors of the camps into a message of humanity and adherence to God. He is constantly active in the fight against human rights violations around the world (M 3).

• Partner work on the questions under M 3.

Module 3: Where is God?

• The question of God runs like a thread through Elie Wiesel's literary work. As a child, he grew up in the tradition of „Hasidism“ (Hasidim literally means „the pious“), a particularly vibrant branch of Eastern European Judaism since the late 18th century. Hasidism was a popularization of Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah, whose theological core is similar to Christian mysticism: finding God in all things. And: every human being is in direct relationship with God.

• First step: Meditative writing. Have students write down on prepared slips of paper: Where do you think God can be found today – in your life, in our world? (For the class discussion, it is important to take statements such as „God is nowhere“ or „I cannot see God“ seriously. The slips of paper (e.g., green) are stuck to the board (with adhesive tape or magnets) by the students under the heading “Where is God?” Everyone stays at the front and reads the other students' notes, as quietly as possible.

• Second step: Reading M 4. Questions for students for small group discussions: What does Elie Wiesel think about the question on the board? Compare the two stories from childhood and in light of the camp. What do you think of the statement from Hasidism? What do you think about the scene from the camp? (The latter is open to several interpretations.) The groups write their thoughts on M 4 on several pieces of paper (e.g., red), then bring them to the front of the classroom and explain them to the class. The notebook entry is also made in two colors (green: „our answers to the question Where is God?“; red: „Elie Wiesel's answers“).

Building block 4: Arguing with God in religious education

• Years ago, the exegete Meinrad Limbeck wrote that lamentation is a lost form of prayer in Christianity. However, the biblical psalms of lament and the path of Job found their continuation in Jewish tradition, even in liturgical practices. If young people are shown that lament can be a legitimate, faithful (!) form of prayer, some may find a new way to talk to God—even if it is in the form of an argument!

• Elie Wiesel takes up the tradition of lamenting against God in light of his experience in the death camps. A parallel can be found in the music of the group Jontef, which sets Jewish songs to new music (M 5).

• In class, first introduce the students to the song and lyrics from M 5. Then a „wailing wall“ is built: either on shoe boxes or simply on colored, preferably cardboard DIN A4 sheets, the young people are allowed to silently formulate their complaints to God, e.g., „God, why do you allow …“ or „God, I accuse you because …“ Each student brings their complaints to the front and reads them aloud to the class. The statements are not commented on. Now either the shoe boxes are piled up to form a “wailing wall” (e.g., on the desk) or a „wailing wall“ is indicated on the blackboard with adhesive tape/magnets.

• A class discussion immediately afterwards or in the following lesson about the possible coexistence of complaint and trust in the life of a believer (M 6) can open up new dimensions and develop young people's image of God from childishly naive ideas about God to a model of a partnership-based, dialogical relationship with God.

Building block 5: A source of hope

• Elie Wiesel's path is not one of simple answers. And yet his core message is a simple one that everyone can understand: Trust in God is crucial, and so is humanity. In class, it should become clear to students that for Wiesel, a survivor of Auschwitz, the two are inseparable: faith in God and humanity.

• Students can best learn these „messages“ by learning from role models when they engage directly or indirectly with the person. The collection of quotations (M 7) helps with this. A fictional or real letter to Elie Wiesel enables students to actively process all the teaching modules and everything they have heard about Wiesel.

You can download a PDF of the lesson outline and all required materials: Lesson outline (PDF)

Note: You can find the first publication of this lesson outline in:

Glaubensprofile: Elie Wiesel, in: notizblock. Zeitschrift für Religionslehrerinnen und Religionslehrer der Diözese Rottenburg-Stuttgart 26/1999, S. 43-50 (Wiederabdruck in: Franz Wendel Niehl (Hg.): Christen-Juden, Katechetisches Institut des Bistums Trier, 2002).

• Babic, Matthias/Maitereth, Juliane/Strasser, Nina-Marie: »Nie werde ich diese Nacht vergessen, [...]« It’s a Podcast – Erinnerungskultur im Religionsunterricht neu erleben, in: Zeitschrift für christlich-jüdische Begegnung im Kontext (ZfBeg), 2021 (Heft 3), S. 241-243. A PDF file of the article can be found here: Babic/Maitereth/Strasser: »Nie werde ich diese Nacht vergessen, [...]« It’s a Podcast – Erinnerungskultur im Religionsunterricht neu erleben (PDF)

The digital medium of podcasts was chosen for this lesson plan. Podcasts have been very popular for a few years now, and various influencers have started using this format. The episodes, which vary in length, have a wide audience and are listened to on the way to school, in the bathtub, or even before going to sleep. However, podcasts can serve not only as pure entertainment, but also as a source of factual and informative content. Many podcast operators take up current topics or draw attention to abuses in our time and society, for example. With regard to memory-guided teaching and learning processes, this medium is able to bridge the gap between the present and the past—and specifically within this lesson unit—between the students themselves and the person Elie Wiesel.

• Hinkelmann, Nina/Zwior, Laurenz: »Um zu vergessen, spricht man. [Um zu erinnern, schweigt man].« Unterrichtsentwurf zu Elie Wiesels Der Schwur von Kolvillág, in: Zeitschrift für christlich-jüdische Begegnung im Kontext (ZfBeg), 2021 (Heft 3), S. 244-247. A PDF file of the article can be found here: Hinkelmann/Zwior: »Um zu vergessen, spricht man. [Um zu erinnern, schweigt man].« Unterrichtsentwurf zu Elie Wiesels Der Schwur von Kolvillág (PDF)

This lesson plan on Elie Wiesel's The Oath of Kolvillág aims to contribute to this by using not only the novel by a Jewish Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, but also additional teaching and learning materials from Jewish sources. This is to ensure that we not only talk about Judaism, but also learn with Judaism.

• Schober, Michael: Filmtipp: Die Schüler der Madame Anne (Les héritiers), in: Zeitschrift für christlich-jüdische Begegnung im Kontext (ZfBeg), 2021 (Heft 3), S. 248-249. A PDF file of the article can be found here: Schober: Filmtipp: Die Schüler der Madame Anne (Les héritiers) (PDF)

The US film Freedom Writers focuses more on the students' environment of gang wars and ethnic conflicts, with the teacher gaining the students' trust by credibly signaling her interest in their extreme experiences – practically every one of them has already suffered casualties in the gang war. A fragile safe space is created in the classroom, enabling some students to break out of the vicious cycle of violence.