Elie Wiesel Digital Archive
A digital library dedicated to the life’s work of Elie Wiesel (1928–2016): Nobel laureate, author of Night, and one of the most important human rights leaders in modern world history.
Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) was a Holocaust survivor, writer, teacher, and fierce advocate for humanity in the face of indifference and evil. This collection includes his correspondence, manuscripts, images, videos, and audio recordings from nearly a half century of global leadership recognized by the Nobel Peace Prize.
Throughout his career, Elie Wiesel carried the mantle of millions of Holocaust survivors and martyrs. He prompted students and presidents alike to grapple with the personal, philosophical, and political ramifications of the Holocaust.
Gratz College is proud to have been selected by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity to host this digital archive. The corpus contains more than 250 linear feet of materials, collected from Wiesel’s time at Boston University, his Foundation, letters of support for his Nobel prize, and more. The Grayzel Digital Platform will make Wiesel’s words and wisdom more accessible to the world. Click here to read more about Wiesel's life.
The Life of Elie Wiesel
Elie was born in Sighet, Romania on the holiday of Simchat Torah to Shlomo Halevi and Sarah (née Feig) Wiesel. He was named Eliezer after his paternal grandfather, who was killed in WWI.
The rise of Nazi power in Germany and reports of anti-Semitic pogroms felt distant from Elie Wiesel's home in Sighet, Romania. But as the Nazis took over more of Europe and other countries aligned themselves with the Axis powers, the war and threat to Jewish life became increasingly immediate.
Word reached Wiesel and his family through their synagogue caretaker, Moshe. Wiesel later wrote that they ignored Moshe at the time.
May 21: Elie, at 15 years old, along with his three sisters, parents, and their community of 15,000 people were put on train cars to Auschwitz.
May 24: His mother (Sarah), younger sister (Tziporah), and paternal grandmother (Nissel), were murdered upon arrival.
The Allies were finally making progress against the Nazis, leading the Nazis to move prisoners further away from the front lines. The forced marches in the cold, such as the one Elie and his father Shlomo Wiesel, were forced to embark on further weakened their bodies, likely contributing to Shlomo's death several days later.
Wiesel was only 16 when the war ended, and therefore he was treated as a minor and sent to France with other children who survived the concentration camps. He built a life: reuniting with his older sisters, attending university, and becoming a journalist.
With the popularity of Night, Wiesel became a public figure, writing more and giving presentations. He spoke out about the state of Soviet Jewry and published several more books. Wiesel also spent these years building his family and his career as a teacher.
One of Wiesel’s recommendations was the creation of a Holocaust museum; he was appointed the Founding Chair of the US Holocaust Memorial Council that brought his vision of the museum to life in 2003.
At a White House ceremony, Wiesel used his platform to protest President Reagan’s planned visit to a graveyard in Germany that held some of the burial grounds for members of Hitler's SS.
Wiesel and his wife used the prize money to establish the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity to promote human rights and peace around the world.
In his 87 years of life, Wiesel wrote 57 books, and hundreds of articles and essays. He is remembered as a voice of to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust and using their memory to push for peace in other conflicts.