Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Sighet, Romania to Orthodox Jewish parents who owned a grocery store. During World War II, the Nazis occupied Sighet and deported Wiesel and his family to concentration camps. Wiesel and his father survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald, but Wiesel's mother and younger sister perished in Auschwitz. After the war, Wiesel published his memoir Night about his Holocaust experiences, which brought international attention. He went on to write over 40 books and receive numerous honors including the Nobel Peace Prize for his work raising awareness about human rights issues.

1. ElieWiesel

2. Born in Sighet on September 30,1928 Grew up in small village in Romania Was born as an Orthodox Jew

3. Parents were Shlomo and Sarah -Owned grocery store Older sisters, Hilda and Bea Younger sister -Tsiporah

4. 1940, Nazis turned Sighet over to Hungary Hungarian Government ruled that all Jews who could not prove Hungarian citizenship be transferred to Nazi- help Poland and then murdered Wiesel’s friend, Moshe was only one to escape from Poland

5. Studied Bible Jewish books Learned astrology

6. 1944, German soldiers occupied Sighet Forced Jews to wear yellow stars Nazis closed Jewish stores Raided Houses Created two ghettos May, deportations began Wiesel family was not loaded till early June Loaded into car filled with eighty people

7. Mother and younger sister taken to gas chambers Elie and father were sent to be slave laborers Survived first Aushwitz then Buna labor camp/8 months Endured beatings, hunger, roll calls, other torture

8. Given number A- 7713 January 19, Death march June 29, his father dies Sent to Buchenwald April 6, 1945 guards told prisoners they would no longer be fed Began evacuating camp Killing 10,000 prisoners a day Morning of April 11, underground movement rose and attacked the SS guards Early evening, first American military unit arrives and liberated the camp

9. After liberation, Wiesel became sick with intestinal problems Spent several days in hospital While hospitalized, he wrote the outline for a book describing his experiences during the Holocaust Was not ready to publicize his experiences and promised he would wait ten years before writing them down in detail

10. Released from hospital with no family to return to Joined a group of 400 orphans being taken to France 1947 Wiesel, by chance, got in touch with his sister 1948 he enrolled in Sorbonne University

11. Later spent a year drawing on the outline he had written in the hospital which he called And the World Was Silent Gave to a publisher who made it into a book called Night. After Night was published, he wrote a second novel in 1961, Dawn. Night (1958) Dawn (1961) The accident (1962) The Town Beyond The Wall (1964) The Gates Of The Forest (1966) The Jews Of Silence (1966) Legends Of Our Time (1968) A Beggar in Jerusalem (1968) One Generation After (1970) Souls on Fire (1972) Night Trilogy (1972) The oath (1973) Animaamin(1973) The Madness of God (1974) Messengers of God (1976) A Jew Today (1978) Four Hasidic Masters (1978) Images from the Bible (1980) The Trial of God (1979) The Testament (1981)

12. 1969, Wiesel married Marion Erster Rose A divorced woman from Austria She helped translate Wiesel’s books 1972, They had a son Named him after Wiesel’s father, Shlomo Elisha Wiesel 1980, He delivered food to starving Cambodians 1986, He received the Nobel Peace Prize as a messenger to mankind and a human being dedicated to humanity 1972-1978 was a professor 1985, Wiesel was awarded the Congressional Gold Metal of Achievement In the early 1990s, he lobbied the U.S. government on behalf of victims of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. He received many rewards, approximately 75 honorary doctorates. 1993, spoke at the dedication of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

13. Bibliography "Elie Wiesel Bio." American Studies @ The University of Virginia. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/holo/eliebio.htm>. Schoenberg, Shira. "Elie Wiesel." Jewish Virtual Library Homepage. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Wiesel.html>. "Elie Wiesel Biography, Elie Wiesel Childhood, Life and Timeline." Famous People – Famous People in History, Famous People List & Biography. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/elie-wiesel-13.php>.