Wiesel also spoke of his liberation from Auschwitz 56 years ago, on April 11, 1945. The Germans were planning to evacuate Jews, he remembered. The prisoner, a Christian, said Wiesel, one night changed the camp's registry to read that all the prisoners in his block were Christians. When they saw us, they began weeping like children - soldiers weeping like children and cursing. He said he still feels a fondness for the American military uniform.
Every day is a gift and every moment a moment of grace.
At those words, the audience rose in a standing ovation. President of Regis, Father Michael Sheeran, S.J., and Martin Hart, chair of Regis' board of trustees, bestowed an honorary doctoral degree on Wiesel, Wiesel's 100th such degree, said Hart.