Who Is Elie Wiesel?
Elie Wiesel is one of the most recognizable and influential survivors of the Holocaust. His experiences fueled his lifelong career as a literary figure, teacher and defender of human rights. He is best known for his 1958 memoir "Night" in which he details his time spent in Nazi concentration camps. Wiesel was recognized for his achievements in 1986 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Other People Are Reading
-
History
-
Elie Wiesel was born Sept. 30, 1928, in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, which is now in modern-day Romania. At the age of 15, Wiesel and his family fell victim to Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime when they were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Like many other Jewish families during the Holocaust, the Wiesel family met with tragedy. Wiesel's mother and younger sister died while interned at Auschwitz, and Wiesel's father perished when he and Elie were transferred to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Only Elie and his two older sisters, who remained at Auschwitz for the remainder of the war, survived the Holocaust.
Career
-
After the Holocaust, Wiesel went to Paris, where he studied at the Sorbonne and became a journalist. This occupation initially began Wiesel's literary career when during an interview he was encouraged to write about his personal experiences by French writer Francois Mauriac. His memoir, "Night," which details the events he and his family went through during the Holocaust. It was published in 1958. "Night" was the first of many literary works. Since its publication, Wiesel has written more than 40 books.
Wiesel has also spent his career educating others as a university instructor and professor. Since 1976, he has been the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, where he is on the faculty in the departments of religion and philosophy. Wiesel was also on the faculty at City University of New York from 1972 to 1976, and served as the Henry Luce Visiting Scholar at Yale University from 1982-1983. -
Activism
-
In addition to his survival of the Holocaust, Wiesel is famous for his humanitarianism. He has consistently been a supporter of the state of Israel and Jewish persons around the world, especially regarding the trials of Jews in Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union.
Besides fighting for fellow Jews, Wiesel made it his mission to be an advocate for those subjected to oppression and persecution on the basis of religion, race or nationality.
Achievements
-
Wiesel is the recipient of several prestigious awards. Wiesel has received the Congressional Medal of Freedom, the Medal of Liberty and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal. He is also a member of the French Legion of Honor. Most notably, Elie Wiesel was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Besides his numerous awards, Wiesel was honored by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 when he was asked to serve as the chairman of the President's Commission on the Holocaust. He also served as the chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council from 1980 to 1986.
After his acceptance of the 1986 Nobel Prize for Peace, Wiesel established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.
Personal Life
-
A former resident of New York City, Wiesel lives in Connecticut with his wife, Marion. He became a citizen of the United States in 1963.
-
