III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 523 

Relating to the death of Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, powerful advocate 

for peace and human rights, and award-winning author. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 7, 2016 

Mr. MCCONNELL (for himself, Mr. REID, Mr. ALEXANDER, Ms. AYOTTE, Ms. 

BALDWIN, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. BENNET, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BLUNT, 

Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. BROWN, Mr. BURR, Ms. 

CANTWELL, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CARPER, Mr. CASEY, Mr. 

CASSIDY, Mr. COATS, Mr. COCHRAN, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, Mr. 

CORKER, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. COTTON, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. 

DAINES, Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. ENZI, Mrs. ERNST, Mrs. 

FEINSTEIN, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. GARDNER, 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. HATCH, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. HEITKAMP, Mr. HELLER, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. 

INHOFE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KING, Mr. KIRK, 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. LEE, Mr. MANCHIN, 

Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MCCAIN, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. 

MERKLEY, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. MORAN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. MURPHY, 

Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. NELSON, Mr. PAUL, Mr. PERDUE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. 

PORTMAN, Mr. REED, Mr. RISCH, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. 

RUBIO, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SASSE, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. 

SCOTT, Mr. SESSIONS, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SHELBY, Ms. STABENOW, 

Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. TESTER, Mr. THUNE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. 

UDALL, Mr. VITTER, Mr. WARNER, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, 

Mr. WICKER, and Mr. WYDEN) submitted the following resolution; which 

was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Relating to the death of Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, 

powerful advocate for peace and human rights, and 

award-winning author. 


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•SRES 523 ATS 

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; 


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•SRES 523 ATS 

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 it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) extends its deepest condolences and sym3 pathy to the family of Elie Wiesel; 

4 (2) recognizes that Elie Wiesel, as an award5 winning author, helped the world understand the 


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•SRES 523 ATS 

1 true horrors of the Holocaust and gave a voice to 

2 the millions who suffered and perished in Nazi death 

3 camps; 

4 (3) honors the legacy of Elie Wiesel for his life5 long commitment to advancing human dignity, free6 dom, and respect throughout the world; 

7 (4) reiterates its continued support for human 

8 rights and protection of religious liberty throughout 

9 the world; and 

10 (5) expresses admiration for Elie Wiesel’s leg11 acy as an example and advocate of the enduring 

12 power of the human spirit in the face of evil. 

Æ 


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