Inspirational Lives: Elie Wiesel

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Inspirational LivesElie Wiesel

• By Marianne Hom and Emily Milton

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Life Overview

• September 30, 1928
• Born in Sighet (now Sighetu Marmatiei), Romania
• Currently living in
• Connecticut

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Family Influences

• His father brought him up encouraging humanism by
  getting Elie to learn Modern Hebrew and read
  literature
• His mother encouraged
• Wiesel to study the
• Torah and Kabbalah

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Holocaust

• 1944 Hungarian authorities deported Elie and his
  family to AuschwitzBirkenau, a nazi death camp
• His left arm was tattooed with the code A-7713
• Wiesel survived Auschwitz, Buna, Buchenwald and
  Gleiwitz
• His parents and one of his sisters did not
  survive the Holocaust

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After the Holocaust

• Moved to the New York and began writing what
  would later become 40 books, both fiction and
  non-fiction
• From these books he won many literary prizes

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Awards

• Received the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor
  (1985)
• Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for going up
  against violence, repression and racism (1986)
• Won the election to the American Academy of Arts
  and Letters (1996)

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Philosophy

• The opposite of love is not hate, it's
  indifference. The opposite of art is not
  ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of
  faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the
  opposite of life is not death, it's
  indifference.
• Because of indifference, one dies before one
  actually dies.

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Philosophy

• Elie Wiesel greatly teaches others to live
  passionate lives
• He once said, Indifference, to me, is the
  epitome of evil.
• He tries to persuade people to take stances about
  important subjects
• "...to remain silent and indifferent is the
  greatest sin of all..."

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Philosophy

• For example, Elie Wiesel is against the taking of
  lives for any reason
• He acknowledges that God is the owner of his
  life, and therefore, he explains, So I have no
  right to do with my life what I want.
• When dealing with capital punishment, for
  instance, he explains, I dont think its human
  to become an agent of the Angel of DeathWhatever
  we do, we must affirm life.

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So why IS this guy inspirational?

• He gave a voice to the silenced victims of the
  Holocaust, bringing attention to the crimes done
  during the Holocaust
• Became a huge activist for human rights, taking
• stances on current issues
• like the Darfur genocide
• Helped lead the
• construction of the
• Holocaust memorial
• in Washington D.C.

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So why IS this guy inspirational?The Elie Wiesel
Foundation for Humanity

• The Foundation's mission, rooted in the memory
  of the Holocaust, is to combat indifference,
  intolerance and injustice through international
  dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote
  acceptance, understanding and equality.

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Inspirational Quotes by Elie Wiesel

• There may be times when we are powerless to
  prevent injustice, but there must never be a time
  when we fail to protest.

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Inspirational Quotes by Elie Wiesel

• No faith is as pure as a wounded faith.

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Inspirational Quotes by Elie Wiesel

• I decided to devote my life to telling the story
  because I felt that having survived, I owe
  something to the dead, and anyone who does not
  remember betrays them again.

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Inspirational Quotes by Elie Wiesel

• Every human being is capable of hatred, but to
  hate is actually to dehumanize oneself. It's like
  being sick. Every person can be sick, but he has
  to fight it.

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Inspirational Quotes by Elie Wiesel

• Mankind must remember that peace is not God's
  gift to his creatures peace is our gift to each
  other.

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Inspirational Quotes by Elie Wiesel

• There are victories of the soul
• and spirit. Sometimes,
  even if you lose, you win.

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Inspirational Quotes by Elie Wiesel

• We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the
  oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages
  the tormentor, never the tormented.

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Take a stance!

• What do you think aboutCapital Punishment?

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Take a stance!

• What do you think aboutEuthanasia?

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Take a stance!

• What do you think aboutWar for Peace?

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Take a stance!

• What do you think aboutStem Cell Research?

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Take a stance!

• What do you think aboutPremarital Sex?

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• The End!