To Our Children: A Prologue by Elie Wiesel

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Title

To Our Children: A Prologue by Elie Wiesel

Date

2015

Summary

This document is a prologue by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, titled "To Our Children," extracted from his keynote address delivered on May 28, 1984, at the First International Conference of Children of Holocaust Survivors in New York City. The excerpts are published in the 2015 book "God, Faith and Identity from the Ashes," edited by Menachem Z. Rosensaft. Wiesel addresses the post-Holocaust generations, particularly the children of survivors, reflecting on the challenges of memory and conscience after the Holocaust. He draws parallels to the Talmudic legend of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai and his son Rabbi Eleazar, who emerged from a cave to an unchanged world, to illustrate the disbelief and anger felt by survivors. Wiesel acknowledges the healing power of the younger generation's anger and their commitment to carrying forward the message of history and identity. He emphasizes the shared responsibility to learn from suffering, prevent its recurrence, and maintain the continuity of Jewish memory and identity, transforming pain into a commitment to heal the world.

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EWG_1512_01_31-32
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