Pilar Rahola's Critique of Anti-Israeli Bias and Islamic Dictatorships

This letter, dated September 2, 2014, is from Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to Elie Wiesel. Biden responds to Wiesel's concerns about developments in Hungary regarding antisemitism and Holocaust remembrance, assuring him that the U.S. Administration is actively working to address these issues. The letter details efforts by the State Department's Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Douglas Davidson, and Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Ira Forman, who have engaged with Hungarian officials and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). It notes Hungary's pledge to take measures concerning its prospective IHRA Chairmanship and the accurate portrayal of the Holocaust. The letter also highlights ongoing contact between U.S. envoys, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Hungarian officials, and the Jewish community in Hungary.

John (formerly György/George) Sauber, was born August 14, 1926 in Budapest, Hungary. His family lived in Rakoskeresztur until 1936 when they moved back to Budapest. After 1942 or 1943 food shortages, persecution of Jews, wearing the yellow star, and deportations started. Non-Jewish Hungarians brought his family some food. His mother’s store was taken over by two Christian “partners”. He attended school with non-Jewish students, had religious instruction and attended the Dohany Temple. He experienced a few instances of discrimination while a student. In 1944, when he was 17 years old, Mr. Sauber was drafted into a forced labor unit that went to the Russian front. He was wounded and put on a Red Cross train. Because he was Jewish, he received no medical treatment and was transferred to a deportation train for Hungarian Jews. He describes conditions on the train and his arrival and processing at Bergen-Belsen Concentration camp. He talks about conditions at Bergen-Belsen pre and post liberation and his activities in great detail, including removing hair and gold teeth from corpses and how he managed to survive. He witnessed brutal treatment of inmates. The Germans fled just before the camp was liberated by Allied troops. The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) cared for the survivors. Mr. Sauber returned to Budapest and was reunited with his father. His mother and sister had been deported and killed. He had gone to medical school in Hungary, resumed his education, then went to a Displaced Persons camp in Germany, run by UNRRA, and to a camp in Bamberg with a group planning to go to Palestine. He emigrated to Saskatoon, Canada with a group of Jewish orphans sponsored by the Canadian Jewish Congress, in January 1946, and was helped by Jewish community. He brought his father and stepmother to Canada. He is still haunted by his experiences and trying to cope with the loss of most of his family. He relates a touching episode when saying Kaddish for his stepmother brought him some peace. Interviewee: SAUBER, John Date: October 21, 1999

This document is a printed record commemorating the 1983 International Literary Peace Prize awarded to Elie Wiesel. It includes an overview of the prize's history, speeches, and messages from various dignitaries and organizations involved in the award ceremony held in Liège on April 23, 1983. Key individuals whose contributions are featured include Antoine Longueville (founder of the prize), Georges Sion (President of the Jury), William Ugeux (President of the Resistance Network Chiefs Committee), and Elie Wiesel himself, whose acceptance message reflects on the responsibility of survivors to bear witness and the enduring pursuit of peace amidst global conflicts. The document emphasizes the role of literature and human fraternity in promoting justice, democracy, and disarmament.

L.I. born November 1923, lived in Bucharest, Romania before, during and after World War II. She relates her family history, her experiences growing up in Bucharest and her education at Catholic, public, and Medical schools. She cites several instances of discrimination against herself and other Jewish students. She describes increasing antisemitism and restrictions against Jews, even those who converted, and their effect on the Jewish community and her own life. Her father lost his job. L.I. went to Onescu, a Jewish medical school staffed by Jewish teachers, and interned at Jewish hospitals. Both L.I. and her father worked at forced labor. L.I. talks about conditions in the Jewish community, random killings of Jews, and brutality by the Iron Guard, but that many Jewish institutions continued to function. After the war, her family reclaimed their house which had been confiscated in December, 1941. She completed her medical education. Jewish students were allowed to attend schools but were not fully accepted. L.I. wasnot allowed to leaveRomania once she becameadoctor but she and her husband were able to leave as part of an exchange program in 1978 and came to the United States in 1979.

This letter from the Forum 2000 Foundation invites Elie Wiesel to deliver an introductory speech at their annual conference, scheduled for October 21-23, 2012, in Prague. The letter begins by recalling the foundation's origins in 1996, initiated by Václav Havel, Elie Wiesel, and Yohei Sasakawa, and emphasizes its ongoing commitment to democratic principles, support for dissidents, and championing civil society. It notes the recent passing of President Havel and Executive Director Oldřich Černý but reaffirms the foundation's dedication to their shared legacy. The letter also mentions the expansion of the Forum 2000 International Advisory Board and outlines the upcoming conference's focus on the relationship between democracy and the media, particularly concerning changes in the Arab world. A postscript expresses gratitude for Wiesel's keynote speech at the 2009 Holocaust Era Assets conference in Prague.