Not many people know what a hero Elie Wiesel is, or even who he is, but he is a hero nonetheless. He was born in the small, close-knit Jewish town of Siget, Transylvania (now what is called Romania) on September 30, 1928. He had three siblings, all sisters, was raised an extremely religious Hasidic Jew, and started his studies when he was a small child. His parents encouraged him with his Hebrew and religious studies as well as his secular studies.
Elie’s life changed tremendously in 1944, at the age of 15. At this time, the Nazis invaded his town and all of the Jews in the village were deported to concentration camps across Poland. He was separated from his mother and younger sister immediately and he has never seen them again. He managed to stay with his father for one year while they were worked nearly to death through starvation, exhaustion, cold weather with improper clothing, being shuttled in cattle cars, and being beaten regularly. But in the end, his father was murdered by the Nazis in Buchenwald. While living in France, years after his horrible experiences in Auschwitz, Bun, Buchenwald, and Gleiwitz, Elie learned that his two older sisters had survived.
In France, he studied philosophy and supported himself by becoming a choir master and teaching Hebrew. He also became a professional journalist. He did not talk about his war experiences for 10 years, and then he wrote a 900 page book called Un die welt hot geshvign (And the World Kept Silent). Later, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Kafka_pizechust 
