Letter from Marion and Elie Wiesel to Vaclav Havel

This letter, dated June 19, 1984, from Seymour Siegel, Executive Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, is addressed to the District Director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Baltimore, Maryland. Siegel writes in strong support of Dr. Eli Pfefferkorn's immigration application, emphasizing the Council's "compelling, immediate, and continuing need" for his services as a Consultant on Holocaust Program Development and Research Analysis. The letter details the Council's mandate, established by Congress in 1980, to plan, construct, and oversee a permanent living memorial museum in Washington, D.C., commemorating the Nazi Holocaust. Chaired by Elie Wiesel, the Council aims to integrate commemoration, remembrance, and education, including providing access to Holocaust curricula and teacher training through advanced technology. Siegel explains that Pfefferkorn's services are essential for fulfilling this statutory mission and that the Council has requested and received a waiver of the two-year foreign return requirement of the Immigration and Naturalization Act on November 28, 1983. The letter concludes with gratitude for the INS's assistance and an offer for further questions via their General Counsel, Jonathan A. Bush.

Rebecca writes to her sister-in-law Maria, discussing the newly published letters of John Randolph, a Virginian politican, and tells of the long romance between two of her acquaintances.

This letter, dated February 16, 2015, is from Arthur Cohn to Elie. Cohn expresses deep admiration for Elie's recent contribution, likely an advertisement in The New York Times, which he believes powerfully supports "Bibi's" victory in the upcoming Israeli election and effectively highlights the nuclear threat from Iran. Cohn states his pride in Elie's impactful intervention. He also conveys his shock that Elie's significant views are seemingly not reported in major Israeli newspapers like Haaretz, Yedioth, and Maariv, suggesting that freedom of speech in these outlets might be limited to anti-Bibi content. He contrasts this with accusations against Sheldon Adelson's free newspaper. The letter concludes with heartfelt congratulations for Elie's courage and acknowledges the challenging environment for speaking truth. A handwritten note adds that the author reached Marion by phone, who provided missing information.

The document is a typed letter (marked as a translation) from Václav Havel in Prague to Elie Wiesel in New York, dated November 28, 1997. Havel begins by thanking Elie and Marion for their cooperation in organizing the recent FORUM 2000 conference, which he deems a success. He mentions he is recovering from recent health problems. Encouraged by the first event, Havel announces that preparations for the next FORUM 2000, to be held in October 1998, are underway and states that he cannot imagine it without Wiesel's participation. Reflecting on the organizational challenges of the first conference, Havel proposes a new division of labor for the next one. He suggests that Wiesel take a leading role on the International Advisory Board, focusing on the intellectual and spiritual conception of the program and participant selection, while Havel himself would handle the more formal task of sending invitations. He closes with warm personal regards and looks forward to their continued cooperation.

In this letter dated February 5, 1999, Elie Wiesel, on behalf of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, writes to Václav Havel, President of the Czech Republic. Wiesel thanks Havel for the invitation to the year's Forum 2000 conference and expresses relief that Havel's health has improved. He confirms that both he and his wife, Marion, will be happy to attend the conference in October 1999 and offers their assistance in making it a success. The letter concludes with warm wishes to President Havel and Mrs. Havel, and a handwritten note expressing "profound respect and friendship."