A Great Man Once Said...

Elie Wiesel, my hero, is a man I was honored to meet twice, a man who makes one feel like the smallest person in the world in comparison to his overwhelming greatness and purity of heart and soul, a man who believes in the goodness of humanity - even after suffering through the greatest tragedy and loss one can possibly imagine (the Holocaust). His soft-spoken, calm, soothing storytelling ability cannot possibly be matched. He's an equally fantastic writer. When one day he passes, it will be a great loss for humanity - for those who listen, who acknowledge, who refuse to forget.

Some links...

http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elie_Wiesel

Some quotes...

“Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.”

“Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

“The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.”

Some quotes from Night (1958), one of his most popular novels...

“Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God himself. Never.”

“I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes were open and I was alone – terribly alone in a world without God and without man.”