---
title: "A resolution relating to the death of Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, powerful advocate for peace and human rights, and award-winning author."
identifier: "114-SRES-523"
congress: 114
bill_number: 523
bill_type: "SRES"
version_code: "ats"
version_type: "ats"
bill_url: "https://chamberzero.com/congresses/114/bills/sres/523"
source: "https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-resolution/523"
site: "Chamber Zero"
site_url: "https://chamberzero.com"
rendered_at: "2026-06-03T22:12:06.174Z"
---
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 itThat 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.