Letter from Rebecca Johnson to Elie Wiesel regarding Holocaust education

This document is an invitation to a 'Dinner Dance Tribute' in honor of the acclaimed author Toni Morrison. The event is co-hosted by The Toni Morrison Society and Alfred A. Knopf. It is scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 17, 2001, at 7:00 PM, at The New York Public Library, specifically at its Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street entrance. The invitation specifies a 'black tie' dress code and requests guests to reply by January 29th using an enclosed card.

Rebecca thanks her youngest niece, Anna, for her letter and updates her on news of the extended family and friends. She also relates how happy her domestic servant Mary was to receive Anna's greetings and expresses her wish that Anna will soon visit again.

George Bush writes a personal letter to Dr. Elie Wiesel on October 27, 1987, expressing the profound emotional impact he and Barbara experienced after their visit to Auschwitz. He acknowledges Wiesel's views on Auschwitz and states that the visit left an indelible mark, specifically mentioning the haunting sights of "mounds of hair, the empty gas canisters, the horrible torture cells, and the children's toys." Bush emphasizes that while not all victims were Jews, all Jews were victims. He also notes the clear and vital affection of the Polish people for America observed during their trip. The letter concludes with warm wishes and sincere thanks.

This document is a eulogy delivered by Elie Wiesel in honor of his friend, Abe Rosenthal. Dated May 14, 2006, the tribute acknowledges Rosenthal's significant contributions as a journalist and a humanitarian. Wiesel praises Rosenthal's blend of intellectual rigor, human compassion, humor, and inquisitive curiosity. He highlights Rosenthal's unwavering love for the Jewish people and the Jewish State, as well as his commitment to human rights, citing his reporting on Auschwitz and his courage during a confrontation with a KGB general in Moscow. The eulogy also touches on Rosenthal's professional legacy, his dedication to truth, and personal memories, including his Bar Mitzva and discussions about the Holocaust and journalistic responsibility. Wiesel concludes by affirming Rosenthal's enduring moral legacy.

Sarah Schwimmer was born in Irsava, Czechoslovakia on August 19, 1926, one of 15 children in an observant Jewish family. Her father was a blacksmith in a largely Jewish community and supported his family until antisemitic Hungarians confiscated his business in 1939 and those of other family members. Sarah and an older sister went to Budapest where she worked as a seamstress. Her sister, a beautician, tried unsuccessfully to obtain a passport from Wallenberg, but remained underground throughout the war at the Swedish Embassy. Sarah joined Dror, the Zionists underground movement. In September 1944 as the Germans were forcing all Jews into the Budapest Ghetto, Sarah and her sister hid for a short time, but eventually ended up in the ghetto and then got separated. She describes atrocities committed by the Germans soldiers as she and others were forced to dig trenches for Germans and graves for Jews. In September 1944, Sarah was taken with other women on a death march to Hegyeshalom on the German border. Only one third survived for 10 days without food, water or shelter, to be transported by train to Buchenwald, Ravensbrück, Burgau and Türkheim. She vividly describes hunger, loss of spirit and forced labor. Yet she had the will to survive. She was liberated by a regiment of black American soldiers on April 28, 1945. She walked with other women through Russian, French and English zones to reach Marseille for passage to Israel.