(1986) Elie Wiesel
Wiesel was born in Sighet, Transylvania (now in Romania), in the Carpathian Mountains. In 1940, Romania lost the town of Sighet following the Second Vienna Award. In 1944, Wiesel, his family and the rest of the town were placed in one of the two ghettos in Sighet. On May 6, 1944, the Hungarian authorities allowed the German army to deport the Jewish community in Sighet to Auschwitz-Birkenau. While at Auschwitz, his inmate number, \"A-7713\", was tattooed onto his left arm. After World War II, Wiesel taught Hebrew and worked as a choirmaster before becoming a professional journalist. He wrote for Israeli and French newspapers. For ten years after the war, Wiesel refused to write about or discuss his experiences during the Holocaust. Like many survivors, Wiesel could not find the words to describe his experiences. In 1955, Wiesel moved to New York City, having become a US citizen. Wiesel wrote over 40 books, both fiction and non-fiction, and won many literary prizes. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for speaking out against violence, repression, and racism.
