The Struggles Of Jewish Prisoners In The Secret Celebration, By Richard Cohen

Have you ever had something you loved suddenly ripped away from you? While in the concentrations camps, the Jewish prisoners had something very important to them taken away by force. During World War II, the Nazi’s tried to destroy the Jewish religion, but people instead clung to their religion rather than letting it die out. In the story, The Secret Celebration, people can see the struggles the Jewish people had to endure to keep practicing their religion through the eyes of Cohen, a Jewish prisoner. Religious practice was very important to the Jewish prisoners and Cohen for many different reasons. One way religious practice was important to Cohen and the other Jewish prisoners is that it kept them all connected to each other in such a hard time. In the passage it says, “In the car, he and the other Jews, prayed together, while others mocked them for remaining devout and faithful in such a horrible time.” Through praying, all of the prisoners stayed connected, and they all united by one thing they had in common, their religion. The Jewish religion

In the story it says, “In the camps it was impossible for them to stop work for them on the Sabbath. They would be killed if they did. They needed a menorah. Cohen offered his spoon. Someone gave a bit of margarine that he had saved from his daily rations to be oil. They unraveled threads from their ragged uniforms and wove them into instant wicks.” Even though they could get killed, they still practiced their religion, and they all contributed something to help make the menorah. Keeping all of the materials they need was also a big risk because it could have easily resulted in punishment. The holiday was so important they took the risk of dying for it. They never gave up on their dedication even through hard times. The Jewish prisoners were so dedicated to their religion, they would have died for