Elie Wiesel

"Those who have suffered much become very bitter
or very gentle." -- Will Durrant

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Survivor of the Nazi death camps, he lost his mother and a younger sister to Mengele, the angel of death; his father one year later to starvation and exhaustion. A man of many worlds who saw the worst moment for his people; the most brilliant light with the birth of Israel. The darkest days of self-doubt, and the highest peaks of love.

He is a living emodiment of all that is noble and pure in the world.

Wiesel was born in Sighet, Romania in 1928 to an Orthodox Jewish family. His family was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau along with everyone in their town. When the US Third Army liberated the camp on April 11, 1945, he was had lost them. His older sisters, Bea & Hilda, survived because they were old enough to work. He was later reunited with them after the war.

Wiesel later became a journalist in Paris and began to write books as well. His first book, Night, tells of his experiences in the death camps. He wrote:

"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never..."

He has written 41 books of both fiction and non-fiction. In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel, like Voltaire before him, is endlessly quoteable:

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference."

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest."

"Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other."

He has been a tireless opponent of racism and a tireless advocate of peace and hope. In his first volume of memoirs, All Rivers Run To The Sea, he relates a meeting
with a Rebbe in Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv:

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"I look at you, the Rebbe said, "and wonder who you are. I know who you were, but not who you are."

I didn't answer...Had I really changed all that much? "Times have changed, Rebbe," I said...

"What of it? If times have changed, that's their business, not yours. Times change because God, blessed be His name, makes them change. But you yourself are responsible for what happens to you..."

"And you, Rebbe, who do see me, what do you say to me?"

"The great Rebbe Nahman of Bratsalv," he said, "tells the story of a child lost in the forrest. Gripped by panic, he cries, 'Father, father, save me!' So long as he cries, he can hope his father will hear him. If he stops, he is lost."

"Rebbe," I said, "believe me, I have never ceased to cry out."

"May the Lord be praised," he said, "Then there is hope."

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Wiesel teaches us of the legacy of suffering, not only of the Jews, but of all humanity. That, ultimately, we are all one people - no matter how different we seem - and that we must struggle ceaslessly for truth,equality and freedom. That we cannot ignore the suffering of those around us; that we can change the world, right now, in this life that we live. But most importantly, the value of humility, before each other and before God.

He stands in the august company of Martin Luther King, Jr and Ghandi as one of the finest spokespersons for the human race.

I'd like to dedicate the song: Superman - by Five For Fighting to him as his theme.

[Note: YouTube is not allowing this video to be linked to this site for some reason. Please open a seperate window and go to www (dot) youtube (dot) com and search for "Superman Five For Fighting". ]

Listen to the words.

Wiesel teaches us how to be humble. May his words never be forgotten.