The Buna Werke, also known as Auschwitz III, was a factory. Here, Nazi leaders sent Jews for work. For Elie and his father, working in Buna became the only opportunity to avoid the execution.
Detailed answer:
In his book Night, Elie Wiesel describes the difficult teenage years he had to face during World War II. The Buna Werke factory was a place where German leaders sent Jews from other concentration camps for work. It was possible if they were over eighteen years old and fit for the exhausting physical activities. Another name for this institution was Auschwitz III. Working there became the only possibility for Wiesel and his father to avoid execution.
The factory had severe working conditions that included many hours of labor and discipline. Time spent there contributed to Elie’s father’s poor health and led to the death of starvation and dysentery. It was also the place where Wiesel saw Jewish men blaming God for their terrible experience. The narrator had never questioned his beliefs before. Thus, the idea of disobeying the religion was shocking for his mind.
Later, Elie was transferred to Buchenwald. However, he remembered his experience at the Buna factory as some of the gloomiest days of his life. Buna is the place that heavily affected the physical and psychological health of any person who was unfortunate to work there. This video provides the viewer with a visual illustration of the prevailing atmosphere in the camp.