Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBEwas a Romanian-born American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor. He was the author of 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActivist
Date of Birth30 September 1928
CountryUnited States of America
important faces humans
The most important question a human being has to face... What is it? The question, Why are we here?
compassion suffering faces
In the face of suffering, one has no right to turn away, not to see.
brave decision deserves face israelis military minister operation peace political present prime pursue sharon starting strictly
On a strictly military level, the operation is a success. For that, and for his brave decision to pursue peace even at present political cost, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon deserves praise. But starting now, Israelis and Palestinians must face the question: What next?
beneath blue bodies faces forget life night saw shall silent smoke turned whose
Never shall I forget that first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, ... Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.
broken heart hearts means thousand
Better than one heart be broken a thousand times in the retelling, if it means that a thousand other hearts need not be broken at all.
politics
I don't know much about politics, and I don't want to know. That's why I rarely involve myself in politics.
good moments personal poor religion
Religion is a very personal thing for me. Religion has its good moments and its poor moments.
commentary eternal great happiness love
I wanted to write a commentary on the Bible, to write about the Talmud, about celebration, about the great eternal subjects: love and happiness.
constant
If I were immersed in constant melancholy, I would not be who I am.
becomes
When language fails, violence becomes a language; I never had that feeling.
history jewish learning upbringing
Historically, I come from Jewish history. I had the classic upbringing in the Yeshiva, learning, learning, and more learning.
came disciples fact preach sing
It used to be said that when the Baal Shem Tov came into a town, his impact was so strong, he didn't have to speak. His disciples had to dance or to sing or to preach to have the same effect. I think a real messenger, myself or anyone, by the very fact that he is there as a person, as a symbol, could have the same impact.
denigrate easy hurts life teacher word
I'm a teacher and a writer; my life is words. When I see the denigration of language, it hurts me, and it's easy to denigrate a word by trivializing it.
exist zionist
It's clear to me that one can't be Jewish without Israel. Religious or non-religious, Zionist or non-Zionist, Ashkenazi or Sephardic - all these will not exist without Israel.