Surviving the Unsurvivable “Having survived by chance, I was duty-bound to give meaning to my survival.” Eliezer Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor, political activist, and nobel peace prize recipient and he has impacted our country in numerous ways, Throughout Elie Wiesel’s life he wrote many books about The Holocaust and how it has impacted his life. Elie Wiesel has given America an inside look into The Holocaust and helped show how the past is not just the past and it could still affect people to this day. Eliezer (“Elie”) Wiesel had a heartbreaking and very troubled childhood. Elie was born on September 30th, 1928, in Sighet, which is a small town in Romania that had taken sanctuary of Jews since they were driven out of Ukraine by Nazis (UXL Biographies). He was the third of four children born to Shlomo and Sarah Wiesel. Shlomo Wiesel was an educated man who owned a grocery store and Sarah Wiesel was a high school graduate, which was considered highly educated for a Jewish woman (UXL Biographies). This undoubtedly made Elie thirst for education; however, his studies got put on hold when Sighet’s entire population was transported to concentration camps (UXL Biographies). Where, sadly enough, his mother and youngest sister, Tzipora, were immediately sent to a gas chamber (UXL Biographies) which caused a transformation in Elie Wiesel’s appearance and made his see that this was not a good place. After he survived The Holocaust, Elie Wiesel kept quiet for a very long time about his experiences. "I made a vow of silence, not to speak about it, not to write about it for 10 years" (UXL Biographies). His vow of silence shows how difficult The Holocaust was and how much it greatly impacted his life. His silence came to an end when he interviewed a novelist, Francis Mauriac, who encouraged him to speak out about his experiences, which thankfully he did or else he never would have wrote his highly acclaimed memoir Night (UXL Biographies). Which I have read personally and I believe it really shows the hardships Elie Wiesel faced during his time in the concentration camps. Although Elie Wiesel went through such a traumatising experience growing up he still managed to have a normal adult life, which just shows how strong of a man he is.
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In 1969 he married Marion Rose, a fellow Holocaust survivor, and they had one son, Shlomo Elisha, named after his grandfather (UXL Biographies). Which shows how much his grandfather meant to Elie Wiesel. In 1976, he became a professor of humanities at Boston University, because he cares greatly for humans everywhere. In the late 1970s he was asked by President Jimmy Carter, to be the chairman for the United States Holocaust Memorial Council (UXL Biographies). In 1986, Elie won the Nobel Peace Prize (UXL Biographies) for keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive, he accepted the prize on behalf of all the victims. Some critics view Elie Wiesel and his acts as a humanitarian and an author in a positive way, like Jack Kolbert who stated, “Wiesel's novels, plays, short stories, lectures, and philosophical texts do more than serve as archives for those who suffered or perished” (Kolbert). Wiesel's writing, does not only serve as a look into the Holocaust but an underlying meaning that, no matter what one faces in life, one can overcome anything. Alfred A. Knopf also sees Elie Wiesel, and his writing as one of the greatest of our time. He says that “The astonishing memoir Night which recounts his experiences in German concentration camps, will be read as long as there are books and readers” (“Witness”). These reviews all show how amazing Elie Wiesel is and how much good he has done through his writing. Gary Henry, another author, believes that “while Elie Wiesel lives and writes, there will be no rest for the wicked” (Henry 1) saying that the Holocaust will live on through Wiesel’s work and we will never forget the impact it had on so many lives. Through reading articles that talk about Elie Wiesel and how much of a wonderful impact he has made on the world really helps one understand him on a more personal level. An unknown author
In 1969 he married Marion Rose, a fellow Holocaust survivor, and they had one son, Shlomo Elisha, named after his grandfather (UXL Biographies). Which shows how much his grandfather meant to Elie Wiesel. In 1976, he became a professor of humanities at Boston University, because he cares greatly for humans everywhere. In the late 1970s he was asked by President Jimmy Carter, to be the chairman for the United States Holocaust Memorial Council (UXL Biographies). In 1986, Elie won the Nobel Peace Prize (UXL Biographies) for keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive, he accepted the prize on behalf of all the victims. Some critics view Elie Wiesel and his acts as a humanitarian and an author in a positive way, like Jack Kolbert who stated, “Wiesel's novels, plays, short stories, lectures, and philosophical texts do more than serve as archives for those who suffered or perished” (Kolbert). Wiesel's writing, does not only serve as a look into the Holocaust but an underlying meaning that, no matter what one faces in life, one can overcome anything. Alfred A. Knopf also sees Elie Wiesel, and his writing as one of the greatest of our time. He says that “The astonishing memoir Night which recounts his experiences in German concentration camps, will be read as long as there are books and readers” (“Witness”). These reviews all show how amazing Elie Wiesel is and how much good he has done through his writing. Gary Henry, another author, believes that “while Elie Wiesel lives and writes, there will be no rest for the wicked” (Henry 1) saying that the Holocaust will live on through Wiesel’s work and we will never forget the impact it had on so many lives. Through reading articles that talk about Elie Wiesel and how much of a wonderful impact he has made on the world really helps one understand him on a more personal level. An unknown author