Elie Wiesel, Holocaust Survivor. Nobel Peace Prize Winner of 1986, Humanitarian, Presidential Advisor, author of 57 books, and greatly honored professor at Boston University, has passed on into another dimension. He is survived by his wife Marion and his son Elijah.
As a youth, Elie Wiesel's ambition was to become a rabbi. He studied the scriptures under the tutelage of his idol, Moshe the Beadle. In 1942, Moshe was transported by cattle car away from the town of Sighet; no one knew what was going on. When he returned several months later with the horror story of Jews being forced to dig their own graves then slaughtered, no one believed him. Eighteen months later, Nazis took over Sighet and hauled all its residents off to Auschwitz. Elie Wiesel describes the whole experience in the first book he wrote, "Night". The experience turned him into an agnostic. One book he wrote in 1979, "The Trial of God", was done as a play.
I have never had the honor of meeting Elie Wiesel, but he is one of my heroes. Four years ago, when I started getting flashbacks from being in the cult with my life in danger as a result, I started reading his books. My personal favorite, so far, is "The Gates of the Forest". It is about a young man who is lucky to escape the death camps, but has many harrowing near-misses. He ultimately winds up in America. My favorite scene is the one where he tries to pick a fight with an American rabbi. He holds a mini trial where he declares God guilty. The rabbi coolly answers, "Ok, Now what?" The young man says, "Well, what do you think?" The rabbi states, "I agree with you; God is guilty. Now what?" Then he goes on to explain we cannot know or understand God's agenda, so it's up to us to rule our own lives. No doubt this humanistic approach is what led Elie Wiesel to establish his Foundation for Humanity. http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/
He had so many allies, it was able to continue functioning after Bernie Madoff wiped out its funds.
Rather than forsake religion, Elie Wiesel has determined it has enough good things to offer that we should pay attention, but not be so blind as to trust it implicitly. This has given me insight regarding why I inadvertently joined the cult, and how I can avoid making such as mistake again.
As for Judaism, he stated, "Four thousand years of history will not stop with me." He cannot explain why he survived the Holocaust when so many died, especially since he had been sickly as a child. He chose to dedicate his life to speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, and to make sure no race- Jewish or otherwise - ever has to endure such persecution again.
Rest in peace, Elie Wiesel! Thank you for leaving such a great legacy behind!
