Elie Wiesel

Eliezer Wiesel (born September 30, 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania ? now part of Romania) is a Holocaust survivor, a world–renowned author, and a political activist. He is the author of over 40 books, the most famous of which, Night, serves as a testimony to his experiences during the Holocaust. In 1986, Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.{{ref|Nobel}} The Norwegian Nobel Committee called Wiesel a "messenger to mankind", noting that through his struggle to come to terms with "his own personal experience of total humiliation and of the utter contempt for humanity shown in Hitler's death camps", as well as his "practical work in the cause of peace", Wiesel has delivered a powerful message "of peace, atonement and human dignity" to humanity. Wiesel lives in the United States, teaches at Boston University and serves as the Chairman of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.{{ref|ewfoundation}} He was the first to use the term "Holocaust".

Life in the United States

In 1956, while in New York for his newspaper, Wiesel was struck by a taxi and as a result he needed to use a wheelchair for over a year. Wiesel had been classified a stateless person so he applied for and received American citizenship. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1963. In the United States, Wiesel wrote for a Yiddish language newspaper and also wrote books in French.

Related Topics:
New York - Naturalized citizen - 1963

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He served as chairman for the Presidential Commission on the Holocaust (later renamed U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council) from 1978 to 1986 spearheading the building of the Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Wiesel is particularly fond of teaching and holds the position of Andrew Mellon Professor of the Humanities at Boston University. In 1997, he received the Guardian of Zion Award.

Related Topics:
Memorial Museum - Washington, DC - Boston University - 1997 - Guardian of Zion Award

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Wiesel has also encouraged other survivors to tell their stories about the Holocaust. Among the writers he has encouraged is Jerzy Kosinski, whose novel The Painted Bird has caused some controversy.

Related Topics:
Jerzy Kosinski - The Painted Bird

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Wiesel has authored over 40 works of both fiction and non-fiction, winning numerous literary prizes. He received the Congressional Medal of Freedom in 1985 and the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize.{{ref|Nobel}} Wiesel and his wife, Marion, started the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity soon after.{{ref|ewfoundation}} Wiesel published his memoirs in 1995.

Related Topics:
Congressional Medal of Freedom - Nobel Peace Prize

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Wiesel has become a popular speaker on the subject of the Holocaust and has used the attention he received from his writing to speak out in favor of Israel and other causes.

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According to Bob Woodward's book Plan of Attack, Wiesel played a role in encouraging George W. Bush to start the 2003 Iraq war:

Related Topics:
Bob Woodward - Plan of Attack - George W. Bush - 2003 Iraq war

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:Elie Wiesel ... came to see Rice on February 27 and the president dropped by her office. ...the president the chair closest to Wiesel. Wiesel told the president that Iraq was a terrorist state and the moral imperative was for intervention. If the West had intervened in Europe in 1938, he said, World War II and the Holocaust could have been prevented. "It's a moral issue. In the name of morality how can we not intervene?" ... In the face of such evils, neutrality was impossible, Wiesel said. Indecision only promoted and assisted the evil and the aggressor, not the victims. "I'm against silence." In the days after, Bush routinely repeated Wiesel's comments. "That was a meaningful moment for me," he recalled later, "because it was a confirming moment. I said to myself, Gosh, if Elie Wiesel feels that way, who knows the pain and suffering and agony of tyranny, then others feel that way too. And so I am not alone." (320f)

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