Author, Philanthropist, Holocaust Educator Elie Wiesel to Speak
MADISON, NJ—When Elie Wiesel was a teenager in Europe, Hitler’s Nazi regime made him a victim of hate because he was Jewish. Today, hate is still a big part of his life, except he no longer lives under its cruel manifestations—instead, he fights tirelessly against it. On April 6, Drew University will welcome Wiesel, an acclaimed author, educator and activist, as its 2009 George Karpati Lecturer.
A 1986 Nobel Peace Prize is among Wiesel’s many awards and honors. The Norwegian Nobel Committee called him a “messenger to mankind,” citing his “practical work in the cause of peace.” He also received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1985 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1996. In 2006, he received an honorary knighthood in London for his work to advance Holocaust education in the United Kingdom. He has received over 100 honorary degrees from institutions of higher learning.
Shortly after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Wiesel and his wife started the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, an organization that works to “combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality.”
Wiesel is the author of 57 books, the most famous of which is “Night,” a detailed account of the author’s experiences during the Holocaust. Originally written in Yiddish, “Night” is a New York Times bestseller, having sold millions of copies worldwide. In 2006, Oprah Winfrey selected “Night” to be part of her book club, which prompted the printing of over a million new paperback and hardcover copies.
Wiesel began his career as a writer after the Holocaust and worked as a journalist for Israeli and French newspapers including L'arche and Tsien in Kamf. After he became a United States citizen, he began working as a features writer for a Yiddish publication called The Jewish Daily Forward. In 1978, after he had earned prominence for his published works, he was asked to head the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, a position he held until 1986. Wiesel is currently the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University.
Wiesel is appearing at Drew through the George Karpati Lectureship, which was established in 2007 with the goal of bringing to campus outstanding authors and scholars in the fields of Jewish studies, Eastern European history and Holocaust Studies.
“My father greatly admired Wiesel’s courage and wisdom,” said Noemi Neidorff, the daughter of lecture series namesake George Karpati. “When the idea of a memorial lecture series first came up, he was my dream speaker.”
The series is funded through the generosity of Neidorff and her husband Michael, and Mrs. Alicia Kornitzer Karpati, wife of the late George Karpati.
The event will begin at 8:00 p.m. in Drew University’s Simon Forum. Tickets are $32. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the box office at 973/408-3917.
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Posted: March 17, 2009
