Elie Wiesel

1928-09-30 – 2016-07-02

Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and author of "Night."

holocaustwritersurvivornobel prize

Elie Wiesel was a Romanian-born Jewish writer who survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps as a teenager. His memoir "Night" (1960) is a devastating account of his experiences during the Holocaust: the deportation of his family, the horrors of the camps, and the death of his father. Wiesel dedicated his life to ensuring the Holocaust would never be forgotten. He became a professor, activist, and powerful voice against hatred and injustice worldwide. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, with the committee calling him "a messenger to mankind." His famous words, "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference," continue to inspire people to speak out against injustice.