The attempt to annihilate the Jewish population was foreshadowed several times before Eliezer's deportation. The townspeople first shrugged off the deportation of foreign Jews like Moishe the Beadle, simply refusing to believe him when he ''to warn them'' () about what was to come. I believe that the horrendous consequences of Moishe's words being true are taboo in Sighet because they would imply death, which humanity tends to avoid at all costs, a form of survival instinct. The consequences of the yellow star were underestimated, partly for the same reason. The constant denial of a dangerous explanation relieved the population. The belief that everything will soon return to normal, perpetuated by the radio shows saying that war was going