ELIE WIESEL

Author/Teacher/SURVIVOR

CHILDHOOD

Born on September 30, 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania (Present-day Romania)

Had powerful religious influences from his grandfather, Reb Dodye

Very family, religion, and community oriented

Deported to concentration camp in Poland along with family and all other Jews

Had one younger sister and two older sisters, along with his mother and father

CHILDHOODStarting attending Jewish school at three years old

Deported by the Nazis to Auschwits at age fifteen

Lost his mother and sister, and his two older sisters survived.

He was separated from them, Elie and his father were transferred to Buchenwald.

Father later died in 1945

Elie, his mother, and two older sistersElie Wiesel- 15 years old

MARCH 1944 -NAZI INVASION

Forced Jews to wear yellow stars

Closed down Jewish stores (Elie’s parents owned a grocery store) and raided their houses

Thousands of Jews were deported to concentration camps, Elie and his family were deported in one of the last cattle cars

LIFE IN CON CEN TR ATIO N CAMP

Managed to stay with his father in the concentration camp up until his father died of starvation and exhaustion

Went through: forced labor, forced marches, starvation, disease, and being tortured for about eight months

Walked the Death March in the winter of 1944-1945 after a surgery on his right knee, it lasted ten days.

Out of 20,00 people, only 6,000 survived, Elie was one of the lucky ones

Had to witness hangings and other tortures of fellow Jews

Stripped of personal identity and became: A-7713

LIFE IN CON CEN TR ATIO N CAMP

Constantly moved around from camp to camp by foot or open cattle cars

Never had proper shoes or clothing

Went days on end without food or drink

Many men, including Elie, were nothing

but skin and bones due to starvation

LIFE IN CON CEN TR ATIO N CAMP

POST WAR: SURVIVOR

Found out his two older sisters were still alive

Elie moved to Paris and mastered the French language

Studied philosophy and journalism

Became a teacher of Hebrew

Wrote books, and spoke publically about his experiences in the concentration camps

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Still makes significant contributions toward the Holocast and world humanities.

Wrote over 50 fiction and non fiction books: including: Night (1960), Dawn (1961), Legands of Our Time (1968), and many more!

Won many awards including: Distinguished Professor of Judiac Studies at the City University of New York, Presidential Medal of Freedom, United States Congrssional Gold Medal, Medal of Liberty Award, Nobel Peace Prize, and more

QUOTES

A destruction, an annihilation that only man can provoke, only man can prevent.

Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair

Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another

Once you bring life into the world, you must protect. We must protect it by changing the world.

Works Cited"Bibliographies." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?content=elie_wiesel>."Elie Wiesel." About Judaism. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://judaism.about.com/od/holocaust/p/eliewiesel.htm>."Elie Wiesel Biography -- Academy of Achievement." Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/wie0bio-1>.Wiesel, Elie, and Marion Wiesel. Night. New York: Hill and Wang, 1985. Print.Wiesel, Elie. "Elie Wiesel - Biography." Nobelprize.org. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1986/wiesel-bio.html>.