1928-2016

Elie Wiesel was a very famous survivor of the Holocaust. He is a well-known author and works hard to protect human rights. His first book, Night, shares the suffering he went through as a teenager at Auschwitz concentration camp. In 1986, Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 

After the end of Auschwitz, Wiesel became a journalist, author, and professor. He also became a human rights activist, a person who works to promote and protect civil and political rights. He became a Distinguished (or a professor at the top of his field with top tenue) Professor of Judaic Studies at City University of New York.  

Wiesel spent a lot of his time working to help people to remember and learn about the Holocaust. He played a large role in the creation of the United States Holocaust Museum. Since he experienced the genocide, he wanted to help others around the world who experience their own horrible experiences. The Nobel Committee awarded him the peace prize "for being a messenger to mankind: his message is one of peace, atonement and dignity." 

**Information gathered from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum