Essential Question: What happened to Elie and his father during the evacuation from Bona?
Key Terms and Characters:
- Buchenwald was another concentration camp where the remaining prisoners were evacuated.
- Rabbi Elihahu was a priest from Poland who had earned everyone’s respect in Buna. He was especially good at bringing peace and consolation with his words.
- Why did prisoners have to constantly run? The prisoners had to constantly run because otherwise the SS officers would shoot them.
- What was the distance covered before the first stop? Elie and others covered 20 kilometers before coming to the abandoned village.
- What was the weather during the evacuation? It was winter. The prisoners had to withstand extreme cold and icy wind.
- What was the name of a young boy who could not run? Where did he come from? This boy was named Zalman. He was from Poland.
- What kept Elie motivated to run? Elie was motivated to run by the presence of his father. He did not want to leave his father alone because he required Elie’s support.
- How did the SS managed to endure such a long run with rifles? Elie explains that when the German officers where tired they were replaced by other officers.
- Why did Elie’s father did not allow his son to fell asleep? It was very cold. The ground was covered in a thick layer of snow. Elie’s father explained that falling asleep would only mean death.
- How did Elie and his father managed to survive in the deserted village? Elie and his father supported each other. They kept one another from falling asleep.
Summary:
Elie and his father had to run many kilometers in cold winter to reach the next destination. Many prisoners could not make the long journey and died in snow.
