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Kabbala was a religion that was rarely studied in this Jewish town of Sishet. When Eli was a young boy, he wanted to study Kabbalism but could not find a tutor. Moishe the Beadle was the person who taught him those religious practices. One day the Hungarian police came into his city and loaded all the foreign Jews and deported them to the Hungarian front were they dug trenches and other needed things for war. Fortunately he was wounded and left for dead, so he made his way back to Sighet warn his friends of the horror that may be coming.
The Germans finally advanced into their territory, but the Jews were not as concerned because they did not see the horror they were to bring. At first the German's seemed very polite, several people who housed a soldier had nothing but good to say of them. Then on the seventh day of passover, when everyone was celebrating the special time, the Germans arrested the leaders of the Jewish community. Soon after, because of the situation, two ghetto's were formed, but the Jews were not upset at the situation, they tried to make the best of it, they thought a community of strictly Jews would be a great thing. People expected they would remain in the ghetto's until the Red army arrived, the ghetto's were ruled by delusion.
Eli's father was in the town courtyard speaking his opinion about the situation. He was called off to the side by an officer, they immediately knew something was wrong. The bad news came, the ghetto's were to be deported immediately, street by street. His family then lived in the smaller ghetto, were others who came before them had once lived. They were trying to keep from being captured and deported by the Gestapo. Even worse news came , it was Saturday, the chosen day of full deportation of the Jews. The Hungarian police then packed them eighty people a car and sent them on their way.