Elie Wiesel, author, activist, and Holocaust survivor passed July 2, 2016 at age 87. After all the horror he survived, he passed peacefully in his sleep, as told by his family.
Born Sept. 30, 1928, Eliezer Wiesel was in his mid teens when he and his family were taken to the infamous concentration camp, Auschwitz, in 1944. The 15-year old and his father were separated from his mother and siblings, and the only things they had to hold onto were each other. Though his two eldest sisters survived, his mother and youngest sister died while in Auschwitz and Wiesel and his father were moved to Buchenwald in Germany, where his father later passed before the camp was liberated. Wiesel went on to write numerous books about his experiences during the Holocaust, the most famous of those being the "Night" trilogy, which include the books "Night," "Dawn" and "Day." In 1963, three years after the English translation of "Night" was released, Wiesel became an American citizen and went on to become a professor of Judaic Studies at the City University of New York. He was later appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the chairman of the President's Commission on the Holocaust then became the founding chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. On April 19, 1985, President Ronald Reagan presented Wiesel with the Congressional Gold Medal and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a year later.
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Though Wiesel had a number of other accomplishments throughout his life, such as earning honorary knighthood and establishing foundations, words cannot simply describe how truly phenomenal and humble he was. Though his funeral will be private, a public memorial will be held at a later, soon to be determined date.
Rest in peace, Mr. Wiesel. You will forever be remembered and cherished for all you have done to spread hope worldwide, and your legacy will most certainly carry on.
