The Devil's Arithmetic is a historical novel written by Jane Yolen in 1988. This book tells the story of a Jewish girl, Hannah, as she experiences the horrors of going back in time to be sent to live in a Nazi Concentration Camp. She also learns that it is very important to treasure Jewish traditions. She did not respect them earlier in the book but then at the end knows of their importance.
Hannah was chosen to do the symbolic welcoming of Prophet Elijah and opened the apartment door. In an instant, when she opens the door, she was transferred back to Poland in 1942, or, in the Jewish calendar, 5702, as Chaya Abramowicz, a 13-year-old teenager living in a small village with her "Aunt" Gitl and "Uncle" Shmuel. Chaya lost her parents and was very sick but managed to stay alive. Shmuel is about to be married to his fiancé Fayge. Before leaving for Fayge's village, Viosk, Hannah meets 3 other young woman from her village, one with a breathing problem because of spring pollen, named Rachel. When Shmuel, Fayge, and the members of both their villages arrive at the synagogue in Fayge's village, they are halted by Nazis at the entrance and taken to a train station.
There they find the belongings of the family members of theirs that were already at the synagogue. They are then forced into stuffy cattle cars, and travel for four days to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. On arrival and exit of the boxcars, it is discovered that Rachel, an infant and an elderly woman died during the trip from malnutrition and the terrible conditions of the boxcars. They are then shaven bald to get rid of any lice, have numbers tattooed on their arms, and are forced to choose from an assortment of ragged clothes to wear during their imprisonment.
At their first meal, Hannah meets Rivka, a ten year old girl who understands much about the camp and methods of survival. Only she and her brother Wolfe are alive out of a family of eight. Everyone was given jobs, and they had a choice to either do the jobs well, or become chosen for cremation (execution) by the commandant of the camp. Normally those chosen, were the young, elderly and those injured beyond repair. Hannah followed Rivka, who lived everyday as it was, and she remained alive for a period of time.
Gitl, Hannah,and several others including Yitzchak, try to escape at one point. Gitl and Hannah hear gunshots and run back to their barracks. Shmuel and several others are caught by the soldiers. Just as Shmuel is about to be executed, along with the others, Fayge leaps forward. She loves him so much that she would rather die than live without him. This is where Hannah first sees Wolfe, a Musselman, someone who has just given up the fight to survive, he is also what they call a Kommando, which is a Jew who carries bodies to the crematoria. Wolfe is one of the Jews who must take the bodies to the ovens in the crematoria. He carries Fayge's body with tenderness, and care.
A few days later Hannah's friends, Shifre, Esther, and Rivka were chosen to make up a full load of those chosen to be executed. Hannah traded places with Rivka and sacrificed herself, because she knew she would have another life in the future, while Rivka only had one. As she walked through the door into an oven to be executed by being cremated (burned), Hannah realized that she was staring at the door back in New York, at her grandparents' house. She afterwards talked with her Aunt Eva about her experience and realized that her Aunt Eva was Rivka, and her Grandpa Will was Wolfe, but they had changed their names and moved to America after being liberated by Allied forces.Hannah learns that Gitl lived but made it out weighing only 73 pounds and never marries Yitzchak. Now Hannah will never forget because she understands, finally, the meaning of Passover. Afterwards Aunt Eva spends time with Hannah and talks about the horror the Nazis caused. They also talk about Aunt Eva's Number (her tattoo) J18202. The J stands for Jew. The 1 because she is alone. 8 because there was eight people in her family. 2 because that's all that was left, Rivka and Wolfe, who believes himself to be a 0. And finally, 2 because they will be reunited someday. Hannah learns the significance of Jewish holidays and traditions, and the true meaning of a hero.
Characters in "The Devil's Arithmetic"
1942, Poland
''Chaya Abramowicz'' – (the girl whom Hannah becomes)
Rivkah- her friend whom Chaya sacrifices her life for; later changes her name to Eva and is actually Hannahs present-day aunt who is a survivor of the Holocaust
Awards and nominations
The Devil's Arithmetic received the National Jewish Book Award [1].`
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
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