I deleted the original enquiry before I found the Wiki article on Wiesel's
"Night" at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_(book)
. . . which answers a number of questions, though not the source of the German
title. I would suggest that Elie is the French form of Elisha [German: Elischa]
and a variant on Eliezer, the name of the narrator. Not a Biblical quotation,
then, but an address to self, which would make the title a reference to the core
experiences of the book, in which keeping silence is a form of betrayal or a
refusal to help. Original Yiddish title: _Un di Velt Hot Geshvign_.
Towards the end of the Wiki account is a photo of the author taken in May 2010,
if I understand the caption. Perhaps he would respond to a direct enquiry?
John Williams
Keele University
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