Remembering Elie Wiesel September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016

Elie Wiesel was born in Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania. There he lived with his parents and three sisters Beatrice, Hilda, and Tzipora. His father, Shlomo Wiesel, taught him humanism and reason. His mother, Sarah Feig, on the other hand, encouraged him to study the Torah and promoted faith. 

In March of 1944, Germany had occupied Hungary and placed the Wiesel family, along with the rest of the town, into two confinement ghettos. Deportation to the Auschwitz – Birkenau concentration camp began in May of the same year. Everyone except Sarah and Tzipora, who were sent immediately to the gas chambers, were selected to perform labor since they were able-bodied. 

Elie admitted to Oprah Winfrey in a broadcast visit in 2016 that his primary motivation for surviving was knowing that his father was alive. Eight months after they arrived in Auschwitz – Birkenau the Third Reich stood on the verge of military defeat and Elie Shlomo was forced to march from Auschwitz-Birkenau to Buchenwald. These death marches were coined by camp prisoners who were forced to evacuate over a long distance under guard and in harsh conditions. Elie, who had just undergone foot surgery and was going to be left in the camp hospital, chose to march since staying meant being away from his father. When they finally made it to Buchenwald, Shlomo who was weak and in pain, was beaten to death by an SS officer who wanted him to be quiet. Wiesel, shamed that he couldn’t help his father, was liberated shortly after. 

“He taught us how to answer fear.” – Oprah Winfrey

After World War II had ended, Elie was freed and joined a group of 90 to 100 boys from Orthodox homes who wanted a higher level of religious observance. Afterwards he traveled to Paris. There he learned French and studied literature, philosophy, and psychology at the University of Paris (as known as Sorbonne). For ten years after the war Wiesel refused to discuss his experiences during the Holocaust. This however changed when he had a meeting with French author Francois Mauriac who persuaded him to begin writing about the Holocaust. 

Elie first wrote a 900-page memoir Un di velt hot geshvign (And the World Remained Silent) but rewrote a shortened version named Lan Nuit (Night) in 1956. Elie wrote of him and his father’s experience in Auschwitz, their battle to survival, and his battle with God for an understanding of the cruelty that they witnessed every day. The book was translated into English in 1960 and attracted interest from reviewers which led to interviews and meetings. In 2006 Night was selected for Oprah’s Book Club, and as of today has sold millions of copies in the United States and been translated into 30 languages. 

“We are all human, we have the rights and the same obligations. And therefore we are committed to keep that memory alive and in moments of grace, to give it a voice.” – Elie Wiesel

In 1955 Elie moved to New York as a foreign correspondent for the Israel daily and 14 years after he married Marion Erster Rose. The couple had a son, Shlomo Elisha Wiesel, named after Elie’s father. Elie eventually wrote over 50 books but outside of being an author, Wiesel was a political activist, journalist, and a professor. He received more than 90 honorary degrees from colleges worldwide and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1985, the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1996. On the morning of July 2, 2016, Wiesel passed away at the age of 87. 

To learn more about Elie Wiesel, his life story, and his foundation, please follow the links below: 

About Elie Wiesel: Read More>>    Books by Elie Wiesel: Read More>>    The Elie Wiesel Foundation: Read More>>    Elie Wiesel Interview with Oprah Winfrey: Read More>>    Oprah Winfrey Tribute to Elie Wiesel: Read More>>