Elie Wiesel

Activist

Birthday September 30, 1928

Birth Sign Libra

Birthplace Romania

DEATH DATE Jul 2, 2016 (87)

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About

Holocaust survivor whose best known work, Night, details his experiences in the Buna, Buchenwald, and Auschwitz concentration camps. He wrote nearly sixty books and won numerous honors, including the National Jewish Book Council Award for his 1963 work, The Town Beyond the Wall.

Before Fame

Following his traumatic World War II years, he became a journalist for both French and Israeli newspapers. During this period, he also completed a 900-page, Yiddish autobiographical work called And the World Remained Silent.

Trivia

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1985.

Family Life

He had three siblings, one of whom did not survive the Holocaust. He and his wife, Marion, established the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and they raised a son named Shlomo.

Associated With

He accompanied Barack Obama on a somber 2009 tour of the Buchenwald concentration camp.