[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 109 (Thursday, July 7, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S4919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 523--RELATING TO THE DEATH OF ELIE WIESEL, HOLOCAUST 
   SURVIVOR, POWERFUL ADVOCATE FOR PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS, AND AWARD-
                             WINNING AUTHOR

  Mr. McCONNELL (for himself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Alexander, Ms. Ayotte, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Blunt, Mr. 
Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, Mr. Burr, Ms. Cantwell, 
Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Coats, 
Mr. Cochran, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
Cotton, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Mr. Donnelly, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
Enzi, Mrs. Ernst, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Flake, Mr. Franken, 
Mr. Gardner, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hatch, Mr. 
Heinrich, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Heller, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Inhofe, 
Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kaine, Mr. King, Mr. Kirk, Ms. Klobuchar, 
Mr. Lankford, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lee, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Markey, Mr. McCain, 
Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Moran, Ms. 
Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Paul, Mr. Perdue, 
Mr. Peters, Mr. Portman, Mr. Reed, Mr. Risch, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rounds, 
Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Sasse, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Scott, 
Mr. Sessions, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Shelby, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. 
Tester, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Udall, Mr. Vitter, Mr. 
Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. Wyden) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 523

       Whereas Elie Wiesel was born in Sighet, Transylvania (now 
     Romania), in 1928 to Shlomo Wiesel and Sarah (Feig) Wiesel;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel was deported to Auschwitz concentration 
     camp by the Nazis when he was 15 years old;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel suffered the loss of his mother, 
     father, and younger sister, who died in Nazi concentration 
     camps;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel was freed when Buchenwald concentration 
     camp was liberated in April 1945;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel published his famous memoir, Night, in 
     1958, which detailed the horrors of Nazi death camps and gave 
     a voice to their victims and survivors;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel became an American citizen in 1963;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel married his wife in 1969, with whom he 
     raised one son;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel was appointed Chairman of the 
     President's Commission on the Holocaust in 1978;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel served as Founding Chairman of the 
     United States Holocaust Memorial Council;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace 
     in 1986;
       Whereas Elie and Marion Wiesel established the Elie Wiesel 
     Foundation for Humanity to promote human rights and tolerance 
     around the world;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel received numerous awards throughout his 
     life for his human rights activism and literary works, 
     including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the 
     Congressional Gold Medal;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel served as the Andrew W. Mellon 
     Professor in the Humanities at Boston University until his 
     death;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel received more than 100 honorary 
     degrees;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel authored dozens of literary works;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel was a passionate advocate for the State 
     of Israel and the Jewish people and a tireless defender 
     against anti-Semitism;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel dedicated his life to teaching the 
     world ``never to be silent whenever wherever human beings 
     endure suffering and humiliation'' and to uphold the promise 
     ``never again'';
       Whereas Elie Wiesel served as an inspiration and example of 
     the triumph of the human spirit over unimaginable horrors;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel was a lifelong advocate for the 
     protection of human life, dignity, and freedom for all 
     people, regardless of race, religion, or political views;
       Whereas Elie Wiesel passed away on July 2, 2016, at 87 year 
     of age;
       Whereas the Nation is deeply indebted to Elie Wiesel, who 
     has inspired and challenged the world with his message, 
     legacy, and example:
       Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) extends its deepest condolences and sympathy to the 
     family of Elie Wiesel;
       (2) recognizes that Elie Wiesel, as an award-winning 
     author, helped the world understand the true horrors of the 
     Holocaust and gave a voice to the millions who suffered and 
     perished in Nazi death camps;
       (3) honors the legacy of Elie Wiesel for his lifelong 
     commitment to advancing human dignity, freedom, and respect 
     throughout the world;
       (4) reiterates its continued support for human rights and 
     protection of religious liberty throughout the world; and
       (5) expresses admiration for Elie Wiesel's legacy as an 
     example and advocate of the enduring power of the human 
     spirit in the face of evil.

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