Letter from Barack Obama Honoring Elie and Marion Wiesel

This letter, dated July 11, 1997, is from Renee F. Spitz, Executive Assistant in Elie Wiesel's office at Boston University, to Jane L. Kratovil at The Eisenhower World Affairs Institute. The letter provides requested information, stating that Mr. Wiesel and Rabbi Menashe Klein, head of the Yeshiva Beit Shearim, were together in Auschwitz and Buchenwald and were liberated by the American army. It also notes that the honorarium Mr. Wiesel received from the Eisenhower Institute is designated for the building of a house of study in Jerusalem, named after Mr. Wiesel's late father.

Rebecca writes to her sister-in-law Maria, outlining the Orphan Asylum's preparations for the impending Cholera outbreak in Philadelphia and gives updates on family and friends.

Hava Ben-Zvi, a writer, sent an email to Jean J Maras on July 25, 2014, requesting permission to reprint a letter by Elie Wiesel in her forthcoming book. Her book is a memoir detailing her experiences as a Jewish child during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. The email includes the full text of Elie Wiesel's letter, addressed to American GIs who liberated the concentration camp where he was imprisoned. Wiesel's letter poignantly describes the profound impact of the liberation and the lasting importance of the survivors' and liberators' testimonies against hate, violence, and forgetfulness. Ben-Zvi asks Maras to convey her request to Mr. Elie Wiesel. Handwritten notes on the document indicate that the manuscript must be seen ("Before permission must see manuscript") and note it as "very nice", with a date "sent 8/6 Lm".

This document contains Elie Wiesel's speech delivered on April 19, 1985, at the White House, on the occasion of receiving the Congressional Gold Medal. Wiesel dedicates the medal to the victims of the Holocaust and emphasizes his responsibility to both the living and the dead. He reflects on lessons learned over forty years, including the perils of silence and the sin of neutrality in the face of human dignity at stake. He recounts the suffering endured in concentration camps and laments the indifference of the 'free world' to the fate of Jewish children. Wiesel addresses the Bitburg controversy, urging the President not to visit the cemetery containing SS graves, asserting that the President's place is with the victims. He concludes by advocating for reconciliation and working towards peace and understanding in a tormented world.

Rebecca writes to her sister-in-law Ann after the death of her infant son, Mason, and relays the sympathy of Richea, who had also lost children. She also updates her on the health of her son and step-sons who are visiting Philadelphia.