[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 20, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  H. RES. 810 HONORING THE LIFE AND WORK OF ELIE WIESEL IN PROMOTING 
             HUMAN RIGHTS, PEACE, AND HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2016

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 810, 
recognizing and celebrating the life and important work of Elie Wiesel 
in promoting human rights, peace, and Holocaust remembrance.
  As an author of at least 60 books, plays, and essays, Elie Wiesel 
enlightened his readers and taught them lessons of history concerning 
injustice, intolerance, and indifference, pulling from his personal 
experience as a Holocaust survivor to give a first person point of view 
of the horrors the faced by Holocaust victims.
  From 1933 to 1945, two-thirds of the Jewish population living in 
Europe at the time of World War II were brutally murdered by Nazis 
during the Holocaust.
  Families were torn apart; children were separated from their parents; 
babies were ripped from the arms of their mothers.
  The Jewish community suffered incredible losses, losses that will 
never be remedied.
  Elie Wiesel is a heroic survivor who lived to share his experiences 
of loss and tragedy.
  He lost his father at Buchenwald and his younger sister and mother to 
a gas chamber at Auschwitz, but he and his two older sisters survived.
  Following the liberation of the concentration camp, Wiesel moved to 
France and worked as a journalist, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1963.
  His first and one of his best known works, ``Night'', was published 
in 1958 and has been translated into more than 30 different languages, 
allowing the story of his family's deportation to reach millions around 
the world.
  In addition to his publications, Elie Wiesel was commissioned to 
chair the President's Commission on the Holocaust in 1978, and they 
recommended the creation of the Holocaust Museum.
  Following this, Elie Wiesel worked as the Founding Chairman of the 
United States Holocaust Memorial Council and put forth incredible 
efforts for the United States Holocaust Museum to open its doors in 
1993.
  In his desire to fight indifference, intolerance, and injustice, Elie 
and his wife Marion Wiesel founded the Elie Wiesel Foundation for 
Humanity.
  Elie Wiesel was also passionate about teaching and served as a 
Visiting Scholar at Yale University and a professor at the City 
University of New York and Boston University, striving to provide 
insight and knowledge among students.
  Elie Wiesel has been honored in many ways by receiving a variety of 
awards, such as the Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 
the United States Congressional Gold Medal, the National Humanities 
Medal, the Medal of Liberty, the rank of Grand-Croix in the French 
Legion of Honor, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Award.
  Elie Wiesel's passing on July 2, 2016 is saddening, but the legacy he 
leaves is one of honor, justice, and determination.
  Elie Wiesel left behind a voice for the voiceless, ensuring the 
promotion of peace and tolerance and the fight against indifference, 
intolerance, and genocide.
  This man was an inspiration, and though he may be gone, his light and 
impact remains.
  I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family members 
of Elie Wiesel who feel this heartbreak more than any other.
  We promise to keep Elie Wiesel's memory alive; to prevent the 
recurrence of another Holocaust; and, ultimately, to never forget the 
lessons we as a people have learned from history and from Elie Wiesel.

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