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his friend, and French Nobel Laureate for Literature, Francois Mauriac encouraged him to write about his experiences in the camps. Elie wrote and published his memoir ‘And the World Would Remain Silent’ in Yiddish in 1956. The book was shortened and published in France as ‘La Nuit’, and as ‘Night’ for English readers in 1960.
Here is an excerpt from the book:
“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, that turned my life into one long night seven times sealed.
Never shall I forget that smoke.
Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.
Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live.
Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes.
Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Never.”
His book eventually became an acclaimed bestseller, translated into many languages and sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. Night is considered a seminal work on the terrors of the Holocaust.
Elie moved to America in the 1950’s and met Marion Rose whom he married in 1969. They had a son, who was named Shlomo after Elie’s father.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, at which time the Norwegian Nobel Committee called him a “messenger to mankind”, delivering a message “of peace,
atonement and human dignity” to humanity.
He was also a friend of Christians United
for Israel and spoke at CUFI events in the
US. In 2015, CUFI honoured him with our organisation’s highest honour, the “Defender of the Faith” award.
Speaking at one of our ‘A Night to Honour Israel’ events, Elie said, “When I hear that Christians are getting together in order
to defend the people of Israel, of course it brings joy to my heart. And it simply says, look, people have learned from history.”
Elie Wiesel died on the morning of 2 July, 2016 at his home in Manhattan, aged 87. His wife Marion was by his side.
Speaking after his death, Pastor John Hagee, founder of CUFI said, “Elie Wiesel was a personal friend, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, a globally celebrated Holocaust survivor and a warrior against every form of anti-Semitism. The night of his suffering has been conquered by the light of his eternal soul.”
His legacy will live on long past his life on this earth. He brought the horrors of the Holocaust to the human conscience and spoke out against injustice and oppression around the world. And he boldly defended Israel and the Jewish people against the darkest hatred.
As he famously said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
Christians United for Israel has chosen the side of God. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and the Jewish people and we thank God for the life and example of Elie Wiesel.
As Elie Wiesel so profoundly demonstrated, for Zion’s sake we will not keep silent.
CUFI.ORG.UK
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