Wiesel was 'the conscience of the world,' Obama saysSorry, that a bit of cynicism has crept into what should be a very nice eulogy of a man who became a legend, an icon of Jewish survival.
Holocaust survivor, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel dies at 87
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| President George W. Bush, joined by the Dalai Lama and Wiesel, October 17, 2007, to the ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama (Wikipedia) |
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| US President Barack Obama hugs Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel as Wiesel introduced him to speak at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, April 23, 2012. . (photo credit:REUTERS/JASON REED) |
Especially in more recent decades, when Wiesel had to replenish the funds lost/stolen by Madoff and his notorious scams, Elie Wiesel wrote many speeches for politicians who needed to impress Jews and Israelis with the alleged care, friendship and allegiance.
Wiesel was an amazingly talented writer, and don't forget that English was not his first language. Wiesel survived the unimaginable, the Holocaust. He built a life, a totally new one, but one which was connected to his past. He didn't hide the past. Wiesel made people look at it so the newer generations couldn't claim ignorance of the cruelty of the Nazi Holocaust. Unfortunately, the world still hasn't fully learned what Wiesel had tried to teach.
5 comments:
I've thought about it for a long time and even after I read "Night" - that Wiesel reached the wrong conclusion about Auschwitz.
The Jew has no right to blame G-d for the suffering he endures. Its part of the price of being Jewish. People who think our faith won't sustain us have never truly experienced its beauty.
Evil whether in the Nazi time or today - is not a test of G-d. Its to the contrary, a test of Man's love of G-d. Those who deny Him fail miserably.
We can endure all the trials in the world with faith. Without it - we won't triumph in life - and in the valley of the shadow of death.
Jewish suffering deserves to be remembered - and G-d must always be acknowledged as the One who ultimately redeems the Jew from it.
NormanF, Wiesel himself wrote in a later piece that he was wrong... Though, at the time, that's what he subjectively felt... It's not an uncommon sentiment among Holocaust survivors... I've seen it many times...
There soon will come the time (Moshiach) when the world will once and for all understand that only Hashem runs the world and everything is from Him, and all that He does is for the good. Very difficult for us, as humans, to completely understand that, but the day will come when it will be understood.
At this moment, we must acknowledge that what the Torah teaches the Jewish people is pure holiness and H' warns us that if we do not heed to His commandments, punishments will be meted out. To blame G-D is in itself sinful; we can only blame ourselves.
We see even now with all the insanity going on that typically many Jews first look to the nations for their approval but not for our Creator's Approval. When will we learn? H' cleared the way (with many yissurim) and made it possible to come back home as a sovereign nation and yet, we keep on committing the same stupidities. May H' give us WISDOM to know the difference between what is right (Torah way) and what is wrong (everything else).
The Liberals have already forgotten that Elie Wiesel publicly opposed President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran. He appeared before the USA Congress together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for that purpose, and that appearance was televised.
It irks me to no end that people blame Gd for the sins of man and then take credit for Gd's miracles and goodness.
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