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Elie Wiesel

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Elie Wiesel was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, and political activist. He was also a Nobel laureate and a survivor of the Holocaust.

Eli wiesel house in sighet01
Eli wiesel house in sighet01

Throughout his life, he used his voice to defend human rights across the globe. He is remembered as a witness to evil and a symbol of endurance. His work helped define the modern understanding of the Holocaust for many people. He authored 57 books, mostly in French and English, to share important truths.

Wiesel was born in Sighet, located in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. His parents were Sarah Feig and Shlomo Wiesel.

Eli wiesel house in sighet01
Eli wiesel house in sighet01

At home, the family spoke Yiddish, German, Hungarian, and Romanian. His father, Shlomo, encouraged him to learn Hebrew and read literature. His father represented reason to him. His mother, Sarah, encouraged him to study the Torah. She represented faith in his life. He had three siblings: Beatrice, Hilda, and Tzipora.

In March 1944, Germany occupied Hungary, which extended the Holocaust into Northern Transylvania. Wiesel was 15 years old at this time. He and his family were placed in a confinement ghetto in Sighet. In May 1944, Hungarian authorities deported the Jewish community to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Up to 90 percent of the people were murdered upon arrival. Wiesel's mother and sister, Tzipora, were murdered in the gas chambers.

Buchenwald Slave Laborers Liberation
Buchenwald Slave Laborers Liberation

Wiesel and his father were selected for labor. They were later deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Wiesel was tattooed with the inmate number "A-7713" on his left arm. His father died at Buchenwald before the camp was liberated by the U.S. Third Army on April 11, 1945.

After the war, Wiesel moved to France to recover and study. He joined a group of child survivors in a rehabilitation center. He later moved to Paris to study literature, philosophy, and psychology at the Sorbonne. He listened to lectures by philosophers like Martin Buber and Jean-Paul Sartre. By age 19, he worked as a journalist and a Hebrew teacher. For ten years after the war, Wiesel refused to write about his experiences. A friend, the Nobel laureate François Mauriac, eventually persuaded him to share his story.

Wiesel first wrote a memoir in Yiddish titled "Un di velt hot geshvign." He then wrote a shortened version in French called "La Nuit." This was translated into English as "Night" in 1960. The book eventually sold ten million copies in the United States alone.

Wiesel became a major figure in human rights activism. He was a founding board member of the Human Rights Foundation. He also helped spearhead the establishment of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993. In 1986, he received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dalai Lama and Bush welcome Elie Wiesel (2007)
Dalai Lama and Bush welcome Elie Wiesel (2007)

He was a professor of the humanities at Boston University. The university created the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies in his honor. He used his platform to advocate for many different groups. These included Soviet Jews, Ethiopian Jews, and those facing apartheid in South Africa. He also spoke out regarding genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Cambodia.

His activism extended to many global conflicts and movements. He supported the Kurdish independence movement and the people of Darfur. He also spoke about the Armenian genocide and the Miskito people in Nicaragua. Wiesel was an outspoken advocate for Israel. He participated in direct talks to help the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He also served on the Presidium for the first March of the Living in 1988. This program brings students to Poland to visit historical Holocaust sites. In 1990, he addressed over 18,000 people at Auschwitz. During this speech, he expressed deep concerns regarding antisemitism.

Wiesel's legacy continues through his family and his many written works. He married Marion Erster Rose, who translated many of his books. They had one son, Shlomo Elisha Wiesel.

Since his death in 2016, his son has worked on the Elie Wiesel Foundation. His writings connect personal memory to global justice. He showed how a survivor can become a voice for the voiceless. His life remains a study of how one person can impact the world's conscience.

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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Eli wiesel house in sighet01.jpg
Eli wiesel house in sighet01.jpg
File:Buchenwald Slave Laborers Liberation.jpg
Buchenwald Slave Laborers Liberation.jpg
File:Elie Wiesel (1987) by Erling Mandelmann - 2.jpg
Elie Wiesel (1987) by Erling Mandelmann - 2.jpg
File:Dalai Lama and Bush welcome Elie Wiesel (2007).jpg
Dalai Lama and Bush welcome Elie Wiesel (2007).jpg
File:Elie Wiesel and wife Marion 2012 Shankbone.JPG
Elie Wiesel and wife Marion 2012 Shankbone.JPG
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