Elie Wiesel, the author and protagonist of Night, is not only an inspiration through his memoir, but also a leader in today's society. He has founded The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, an organization whose "mission is to combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogues and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality." Wiesel has taken a traumatic period of his life, the Holocaust, and utilized his understanding of equality to try and make a difference in the world. By creating this foundation, Wiesel selflessly struggles to establish better lives for others, ones that are not filled with hatred and discrimination, as had been his own childhood. He has also made many accomplishments in spreading equality and encouraging today's youth to do the same. His Ethics Essay contest promotes students to "explore their concerns and beliefs, their fears and their hopes" and are urged to "choose any subject they feel strongly about, provided it is related to the domain of ethics."
One of Wiesel's quotes that fascinates me is, "words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds." This reminds me of the way Night affects many readers, it does the deed of capturing the horror of the Holocaust through powerful, yet eloquent writing. Finally, when Wiesel is asked what students should learn from him, if it be one thing only, he asks they take away the idea of, "Think higher and feel deeper." Even in this motto, you can see Wiesel's need to help others. He does not ask students to remember him or his actual story, but a mantra that can encourage youths to always strive to do the best they possibly can.
http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/
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ReplyDeleteThis post reminded me of a quotation from the film we watched in class today (Friday). Wiesel said something along the lines of: " I am bound by my religion to help the Jewish people. But not just the Jewish people." I feel this quotation speaks to Wiesel's character, as he goes above and beyond to help others, not just people of "his own kind." This kindness towards all people illustrates the effect that surviving the Holocaust had on Wiesel, as he saw what it was like to be singled out due to one's personal beliefs or background. Today, however, Wiesel works to unite and help all people, rather than segregate based on ethnicity or religion. As Sam said, Wiesel is working to establish a world "not filled with hatred or discrimination."
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