It was on September 30, 1928 a boy named Eliezer (Elie) Wiesel was born in Sighet, Romania. Elie lived a normal life; he lived in a small community that valued family and God. The community was primarily Jewish and Elie Wiesel took great interest in his religion. Little did he know that one day his life would become a living hell, and yet would inspire millions of people with his life story. After surviving the Holocaust and accounting his story in his self-written book “Night”, Wiesel was given the honor of the Nobel Peace Prize for promoting acceptance of Jews and other minorities.
Elie Wiesel thought he would grow up as any other person had: he would finish school, attend college, and start a career all while maintaining a strong spiritual bond. In 1944, at the age of fifteen, however, he and his family were sent to perhaps the most inhumane place on earth: Auschwitz. While his mother and sister were killed immediately, Wiesel and his father were sent to work at the concentration camp. From the first night, Elie saw evil in ways he had never before.
“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 the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky…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.” (Wiesel 32).
Wiesel saw many men killed for no reason, right in front of him. Babies were thrown into furnaces and some men were forced to throw their dead family members in as well. Elie was surviving from only stale bread and watery soup. He was beaten on occasion with a whip and put through intensive labor. Though Wiesel was able to avoid it, other people had their crowns and some teeth pulled right from their mouth for the minute amounts of gold. The few men who survived until the last few months were also forced to run many miles in the freezing snow with no shoes or coat. Wiesel and his fellow Jews were treated inhumane and most killed. Though his father died, Wiesel survived through the entire Holocaust. He was freed from Auschwitz in 1945.
After the Holocaust, Wiesel was moved to France, where he was placed in an orphanage until he was an adult. Although the Holocaust was over, he still had no ambition to continue living. His family was gone, and he was alone. Still, he continued on with his life by going to college. He went to Sorbonne where he studied phycology, philosophy, and literature. Later, he became a tutor and choir director. Though he had started to rebuild his life, he felt that he needed to openly share his experience with the world, so he began to write “Night”. It took quite a while to even find a company to publish the book, but when it was published, it was remarkable how successful it became. The book has been used in high school and college as a large part of the curriculum. After the success of “Night”, Wiesel was not finished; he decided to travel the world and share his story through interviews and public speaking. In 1976, Wiesel went to Boston University and became a professor of humanities and in 1980 was named head of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.
Wiesel made numerous appearances to speak about his life. A few appearances include his interview with Oprah Winfrey and even a presentation he gave at Viterbo recently. He has shared personally how the Holocaust affected him and changed him. He has answered questions that most people would never be asked because most people have not been through anything that horrific. He has not only inspired people to appreciate life, but has also changed the way Jews and minorities are viewed. He has promoted their acceptance as equals in life and inspires everyone to live in peace.
Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for promoting the acceptance of minorities in society. He has inspired many people through his story and continues to through his presentations worldwide even today. The Norweigen Nobel Committee stated, when they decided to award Wiesel with the Nobel Peace Prize, “Wiesel’s commitment, which originated in the sufferings of the Jewish people, has been widened to embrace all repressed peoples and races.” (Para. 3). He not only changed the way that Jews were perceived, but also the way that people see the world.
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