Ignored Warnings: The Jewish Cassandra Complex in Nazi Germany

Prior to Anton Drexler’s Nazi Party being in power, many Jews were loyal to Germany. In fact, several thousand Jews fought for Germany during WWI. The Cassandra complex is based on a tale in Green Mythology. Cassandra was given the ability to predict the future, it was in vain because no one cared to listen because no one would believe her warnings. Just like Cassandra, both Moishe and Mrs. Schächter have been given a gift as well as a curse. In the beginning, the very idea of mass genocide was preposterous considering the fact 10’00 Jews thought for Germany in WWI. It was comprehendible to them that the country they were born in; the country they served; and the country they prospered in would turn its back against them and instigate the slaughter of 6 million Jews.

Moishe’s persistence to warn everyone about the potential danger was all in vain. The report of the atrocities he has witnessed is faced with doubt and insult due to his reputation of being slightly crazy and eccentric. Some considered the possibility, “that he had gone mad” (Wiesel 7). What reason could the Jews have for accepting such difficult information after living a quiet life without any disturbances. Despite the vividness and

of Moishe’s experiences everyone chose to ignore the reality of the horrible impending situation and instead disbelieve his stories of supposed falsehood.

It is unmistakably certain that the human condition is capable of acknowledging the truth, the challenge is only apparent when one must accept the truth in its entirety. Also, the townspeople rejecting his stories reveals that initially, an individual will judge trustworthiness solely by one’s appearance. Moishe himself, “was as awkward as a clown” (3). Moishe’s explicit statement about the Nazis included, hiding under a heap of bodies; babies being used as target practice and pretending to be dead in order to save his life. In their minds, for a civilized society to use babies for target practice is not only unheard of but is too heinous of an act to be true. It is in our nature to display acts of kindness and cruelty. In this case, the Jews were at awe that the human condition was = of dehumanizing millions of people without a shred of humanity.

A tragedy of Elie Wiesel’s night is Mrs. Schächter being silenced not by Nazis, but by her fellow Jews. Both her husband and her two sons were deported, she eventually breaks out in complete hysteria over the separation. The Jews of Sighet experienced their first account of dehumanization; they were squeezed into cattle cars with barely room to breathe the foul air. Mrs. Schächter demanding them to, “Look at the fire!” (26), did little to raise their feeble hopes. Mrs. Schächter is regrettably silenced by the constant beating. She is considered crazy and irrational and therefore no one pays her any attention and simply ignores the outlandish reality she presents to everyone. As a result of her constant cries the people on train tie her up, gag her, and begin beating her non-stop until the maddening screams come to an end. To put it another way they are tired of hearing of their likely demise.

All things considered, both Moishe the Beadle and Mrs.

Schächter have been repeatedly ignored for their warnings of the impending danger, that is the Holocaust. Every warning involving the potential slaughter of Jews was silenced and rather than following their advice they choose to continue with their lives. The human condition has the ability to recognize right from wrong, yet one cannot fully deny that humans are selfish creatures capable of shockingly cruel acts of brutality like genocide, torture and other various forms of dehumanization. The Jews of Sighet were given the opportunity to escape their fate with the help Moishe the beadle. Elie Wiesel employs several characters to emphasize the Jews’ unwillingness to accept the harsh reality being offered to

them.