Final answer:
The Jews of Sighet were moved into ghettos as a precursor to deportation to Nazi concentration camps. These ghettos, created swiftly by the Nazis, led to the loss of numerous lives due to starvation and disease before many were sent to extermination camps.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Elie Wiesel's Night, the Jews of Sighet are forced into a ghetto prior to being deported to concentration camps. Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, Jewish populations were compelled to undertake unpaid labor and live in overpopulated ghettos in urban areas, which later led to their deportation to extermination camps. The ghettos, constructed rapidly by the Nazis, were under-supplied, leading to widespread starvation and disease.
The largest of these ghettos was in Warsaw, housing over 400,000 Jews. Conditions were dire, with inhabitants receiving an insufficient ration of 600 - 800 calories a day. Despite the intended temporary nature of these ghettos, many perished from the harsh living conditions. Those who had survived were ultimately sent to killing centers.
The treatment of Jews further deteriorated post-November 1938, following a violent pogrom known as Kristallnacht or the 'Night of Broken Glass'. Subsequently, strict laws and the lethal power of the state forced Jews into a continual state of duress. Historical events like the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 demonstrated acts of resistance against the Nazis, which ended with the ghetto's liquidation.