What were the eight simple, short words that changed Elie's life forever?

The eight
short words that change Elie's life forever are "Men to the left! Women to the
right!"

These are the words barked at Elie and the other prisoners by an
SS guard after they arrive at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Upon arrival, the prisoners
are divided up according to gender. This means that Elie's family, like so many others, is torn
apart. For many families like Elie's, this separation was the last time they saw each other;
this is precisely what happens in Elie's case. He and his father are ushered off to the left
with the other men, while his mother and sister go off with the other women. Elie does not
realize it at the time, but he will never see his mother and sister again. That's why those
eight little words change his life forever.