Cablegram from Gerhard Schroeder to Elie Wiesel on his 70th Birthday

This letter, dated March 4, 2015, is from Cody L. Dorsey, a Board Member of the State of Maryland Advisory Board of After-School and Summer Opportunity Programs, to Professor Elie Wiesel. Dorsey expresses deep honor and humility in sending their copy of Wiesel's book "Night" for an autograph. Dorsey recounts reading "Night" in 9th grade, stating it mesmerized them with Wiesel's strength and remained close to their heart. Now a college freshman, Dorsey suggests the story to anyone looking for inspiration, acknowledging that Wiesel's words have profoundly changed their life and calling Wiesel a "hero."

This letter, dated April 2, 2008, from William Jefferson Clinton to Elie Wiesel, congratulates Wiesel on his honorary degree and upcoming President's Lecture at the City College of New York. Clinton reflects on Wiesel's life work, drawing parallels with the Jewish concept of 'dayenu' and emphasizing Wiesel's contributions beyond surviving the Holocaust and writing 'Night,' specifically highlighting his dedication to human rights through the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Clinton expresses appreciation for Wiesel's chosen lecture topic, "Confronting Fanaticism: Building Moral Unity in a Diverse Society," and shares his own belief in shared values and the importance of recognizing the worth of every individual in building a global society.

Dora Freilich, nee Golubowitz, was born December 25, 1926 in Pruzany, Poland, near Bialystok. She describes pre-war life: schooling, relations with non-Jewish Poles, Jewish community life and youth groups. She talks in great detail about the Russian occupation 1939-41, including expropriation of her family’s business. After the German invasion, her family had to move into the Pruzany Ghetto in June 1941. She describes living conditions, cultural activities, labor units, Judenrat, and contact with Jewish partisans in the ghetto. A non-Jewish ex-employee of her father hid her baby sister but later the family asked him to return the child. Dora describes the evacuation of the ghetto in January 1943, and her family’s transport to Auschwitz-Birkenau. She witnessed Mengele’s sadistic games with prisoners and was aware of medical experiments, which she describes in great detail. She details sadistic behavior by guards, including shooting her sister for sport. Conditions at Birkernau: slave labor, types of prisoners, orchestra, death process, and relations among inmates are described. She explains how older girls tried to help the younger ones and the coping strategies they used to survive. She describes the sabotage of a crematorium in October 1944 and the public hanging of four girls held responsible. She describes the escape, capture and execution of Mala Zimetbaum. In January 1945 she experienced the final days of the camp and described the death march to and conditions in Ravensbrück. After three months she went to Malchow. Dora and 11 girls escaped into the forest. They were liberated by Russian soldiers May 1945. She describes treatment by Russians, which ranged from kindness to brutality. The girls returned to Pruzany after a three month journey where Dora experienced both antisemitism and help from non-Jews. They went on to Lodz. Their attempt to go to Palestine with Aliyah Bet failed. Dora and her friend, Bess, married two brothers. In 1946 they went to Feldafing, a Displaced Persons camp. She emigrated to the United States in March, 1949. Dora talks about survivor’s guilt and how the Holocaust and the loss of her family still affects both her and her daughter. Her husband, Bernard, and her friend Bess were also interviewed by the Holocaust Oral History Archive staff.

This letter, dated May 27, 1997, is from Louis J. Freeh, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to Mr. Elie Wiesel. Freeh expresses gratitude to Wiesel for serving as the distinguished guest speaker at the FBI's First Holocaust Remembrance Service, held on May 20, 1997. He mentions that he and the FBI employees were honored by Wiesel's presence, enjoyed their discussion, and were inspired by his words. The letter concludes by reiterating that Wiesel is a true inspiration.

Helene Goodman, formerly Henia Flint, was born in Lodz, Poland in 1913 into an orthodox family. She studied piano at the Warsaw Conservatory posing as a non-Jew, and got her diploma in 1935. She briefly describes how the German invasion affected Polish Jews. In 1939 Helene and her family had to move to the Lodz Ghetto. Her father was brutally beaten by the KRIPO (Kriminalpolizei), lost his mind, and later died. She witnessed Polish-German cooperation, and the murder of Jewish orphans in the ghetto. Helene and her mother were transported to Auschwitz in August 1944, when the ghetto was liquidated. She describes the dehumanizing arrival process. During a “selection” by Dr. Mengele, she was separated from her mother and never saw her again. She is the lone survivor of her family. Helene was forced to play the piano for the camp commander’s birthday party and was stabbed repeatedly when she was too stunned to perform. Her wounds were not treated. A Jewish KAPO put her on a transport to Hainichen (a subcamp of Flossenbürg), near Chemnitz, Germany to save her life. Helene worked as a slave laborer at Framowerke, an ammunition factory. She describes living and working conditions. The supervisor was Gertrude Becker, an SS woman who was extremely cruel. She describes the effects of near starvation, how she tried to cope, and her acts of sabotage. Helene describes a Deathmarch at the end of April 1945, guarded by SS officers who took off their uniforms and fled once they arrived at Theresienstadt. She was liberated by the Soviet army May 9, 1945. Soviet women doctors treated the survivors. American soldiers took her to a quarantine camp at Landsberg am Lech where she tried to recover from the physical and emotional after effects of her experiences. She describes her post-war life in Regensburg, Germany after she met and married her husband, Jacob Gottlieb, including a frightening act of antisemitism and Zionist activities.. They lived in Regensburg, Germany until they immigrated to the United States. She concludes with her personal reflections on the Holocaust.