Invitation and Program for the 2009 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal Ceremony

This document is an invitation from Chancellor and Mrs. Mark S. Wrighton of Washington University in St. Louis. It cordially invites the recipient and their spouse or guest to a reception and luncheon buffet. The event is held in recognition of the 2011 Honorary Degree Recipients and the Honorary Grand Marshal. The reception is scheduled for Friday, May 20, 2011, immediately following Commencement, with a short presentation at noon. The venue is Whittemore House, located at 6440 Forsyth Boulevard. Nancy Galofré is listed as the RSVP contact with an email address and phone number.

This document outlines the rationale and proposed programming for a Cultural Center within a museum, focused on presenting the Holocaust experience, pre-Holocaust life, and post-Holocaust reconstruction through performing arts and film. It details the center's purpose to encourage artistic expression related to the subject, host seminars, symposia, conferences, and sponsor nationwide competitions. The document also discusses the architectural requirements, proposing two auditoria (750 and 250 seats) with specific stage types (thrust and proscenium) deemed suitable for the subject matter. It includes a detailed one-month programming example for both auditoria, featuring plays, films, concerts, lectures, and conferences by various artists and scholars, focusing on themes of Jewish life, art under siege, memory-art, and contemporary responses to the Holocaust.

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.

This essay critically examines Elie Wiesel's literary works, focusing on his commitment to bearing witness and the themes of memory, testimony, and survival, particularly in the context of Jewish history and the Holocaust. It delves into Wiesel's biographical influences, such as his visits to Soviet Russia, and how they inform his fictional narratives, especially his novel "The Testament." The analysis highlights Wiesel's technique of transfiguring historical events into literary manifestations, comparing his factual account "The Jews of Silence" with its fictive realization in "The Testament." The essay explores the novel's structure, character development (specifically Paltiel Kossover, Grisha, and Zupanev), and the narrative devices Wiesel employs, such as time-shifts and the use of a mute character as a witness. It also discusses the interplay between Jewish tradition and Communist ideology within the novel's characters and themes, emphasizing the importance of "the word" as a means of preserving testimony against oblivion.

This document is S. J. RES. 231, a joint resolution introduced in the 98th Congress, 2nd Session, by Senators Christopher J. Dodd and Paul Laxalt on February 9, 1984. The resolution proposes the awarding of a gold medal to Elie Wiesel in recognition of his significant humanitarian efforts and outstanding contributions to world literature and human rights. It details Wiesel's international esteem as a novelist, teacher, philosopher, critic, historian, and humanitarian, and his distinguished citizenship. The resolution acknowledges his twenty-five published works, his role as a "spiritual archivist of the Holocaust," and his chairmanships of the President's Commission on the Holocaust and the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. It also notes his extensive work for human rights in various global regions and his numerous prestigious literary awards and honorary degrees. The resolution authorizes the President to present the medal and the Secretary of the Treasury to create it, allowing for the coining and sale of bronze duplicates.