Stéphane Hessel Stéphane Frédéric Hessel ( 20 October 1917 – 26 February 2013 ) was a diplomat , ambassador , writer , concentration camp survivor , French Resistance member and BCRA agent . Born German , he became a naturalise d French citizen in 1939 . He became an observer of the editing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 . In 2011 he was named by " Foreign Policy " magazine in its list of top global thinkers . In later years his activism focused on economic inequalities , the Israeli / Palestinian conflict and protection for the post - WW2 social vision . His short book " Time for Outrage ! " sold 4 . 5 million copies worldwide . Hessel and his book were linked and cited as an inspiration for the Spanish Indignados , the American Occupy Wall Street movement and other political movements . Early years . Hessel was born in Berlin , the son of Helen ( born Grund ) , a journalist , and writer Franz Hessel , who inspired the characters of Jules and Kathe in Henri - Pierre Roché ' s novel " Jules and Jim " ( Kathe was called Catherine in the subsequent film adaptation by François Truffaut ) . His paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants who joined the Lutheran church , and his mother was from a Christian family . Hessel emigrated to Paris with his parents in 1924 . Having received his baccalauréat when 15 years old , he was eventually admitted in 1939 to the École Normale Supérieure . He became a naturalized French citizen in 1939 , before being mobilized later that year into the French army in Saint - Maixent - l ' École . His first wife , Vitia , was the daughter of Boris Mirkin - Getzevich . Second World War Resistance member . Refusing to adhere to the Vichy government of Marshal Philippe Pétain , Hessel fled to London and joined General Charles de Gaulle ' s group of Resistance members in 1941 , becoming a member of the Free French intelligence service ( Bureau central de renseignement et d ' action ) . He returned to France , to organize Resistance communication networks in advance of the 1944 Allied invasion of France . He was captured by the Gestapo and later deported to the Buchenwald and Dora concentration camp s , where he was tortured by waterboarding . Hessel , F . F . E . Yeo - Thomas and Harry Peulevé as well as Eugen Kogon and Alfred Balachowsky , escaped execution at Buchenwald through the help of KZ Kapo Arthur Dietzsch who exchanged their identities with three prisoners who had died of typhus . Hessel tried unsuccessfully to escape from Dora , but was able to avoid being hanged in reprisal . He later escaped during a transfer to Bergen - Belsen concentration camp , and went to Hannover , where he met the advancing troops of the United States Army . Human Rights advocate , diplomat . After the war , Hessel became assistant to Henri Laugier , vice - secretary general of the United Nations in charge of economic and social affairs , and was an observer to the editing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . In 1962 , he created the Association for Training in Africa and Madagascar ( AFTAM ) and became its first president . In August 1982 , Hessel was appointed for three years to the Haute Autorité de la communication audiovisuelle , the French regulatory agency for audio - visual communication . Hessel continued to hold a diplomatic passport , having been named an " ambassador for life " . He was a member of the French division of the International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non - Violence for the Children of the World and was a founding member of the Collegium International and served as vice president . He was a member of the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l ' homme and the Haut Conseil de la coopération internationale . In 2003 , along with other former Resistance members , he signed the petition " For a Treaty of a Social Europe " and in August 2006 , he was a signatory to an appeal against the Israeli air - strikes in Lebanon . The appeal , made by the French member organization of European Jews for a Just Peace , was published in " Libération " and other French newspapers . In 2004 , he was awarded the North - South Prize by the Council of Europe . That same year , he participated in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the National Council of Resistance of 15 March 1944 , which urged the younger generations to live by and pass on the legacy of the Resistance and its ideals of economic , social and cultural democracy . On 14 July 2006 , Hessel was made Grand Officier de la Légion d ' honneur , having already been given the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit in 1999 . Hessel called for the French government to make funds available to provide housing for the homeless and denounced the French government ' s failure to comply with Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the Place de la Republique on 21 February 2008 . On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , 10 December 2008 , Hessel received the UNESCO / Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights . Hessel also received the United Nations Association of Spain Peace Prize Award 2008 . On 5 January 2009 , Hessel criticized the Israeli military attacks in the Gaza strip , saying " In fact , the word that applies — that should be applied — is ' war crime ' and even ' crime against humanity ' . But this word must be used carefully , especially when one is in Geneva , the seat of the High Commissioner for Human Rights , who may have an important opinion on that issue . For my part , having visited Gaza , having seen the refugee camps with thousands of children , the manner in which they are bombed appears as a veritable crime against humanity . " In 2011 , Hessel was named by " Foreign Policy " magazine to its list of top global thinkers " [ f ] or bringing the spirit of the French Resistance to a global society that has lost its heart . " Author . " Time for Outrage ! " . In October 2010 , Hessel ' s essay , " Time for Outrage ! " ( original French title : " Indignez - vous ! " ) , was published in an edition of 6 , 000 copies ( ISBN 978 - 1455509720 ) . It has sold more than 3 . 5 million copies worldwide and has been translated into Swedish , Danish , Basque , Catalan , Italian , German . Greek , Portuguese , Slovenian , Spanish , Croatian , Hebrew , Korean and Dutch . Translations into Japanese , Hungarian , and other languages are planned . In the United States , " The Nation " magazine ' s 7 – 14 March 2011 issue published the entire essay in English . Hessel ' s booklet argues that the French need to again become outraged , as were those who participated in the Resistance during World War II . Hessel ' s reasons for personal outrage include the growing gap between the very rich and the very poor , France ' s treatment of its illegal immigrant s , the need to re - establish a free press , the need to protect the environment , importance of protecting the French welfare system , and the plight of Palestinians , recommending that people read the September 2009 Goldstone Report . He calls for peaceful and non - violent insurrection . In 2011 , one of the names given to the Spanish protests against corruption and bipartisan politics was " Los Indignados " ( " The Outraged " ) , taken from the title of the book ' s translation there ( " ¡ Indignaos ! " ) . These protests , in conjunction with the Arab Spring , later helped to inspire other protests in many countries , including Greece , UK , Chile , Israel , and Occupy Wall Street which began in New York ' s financial district , but has now spread across the United States and numerous other countries . Ongoing protests in Mexico challenging corruption , drug cartel violence , economic hardship and policies also have been called the Indignados . Similarly , 2013 protests in Brazil have taken place questioning the government ' s corruption and its capability of managing public transport , health and education . " Engagez - Vous ! " . After " Time for Outrage " , Stéphane Hessel published " Engagez - Vous ! " ( " Get Involved ! " ) , written with the young French journalist Gilles Vanderpooten . In it " Stephane Hessel appeals to his readers to save the environment and to embrace the positive . He also emphasizes the importance of good luck in life " . The book was a success in France and became a bestseller . It was translated into 15 foreign languages , from Europe to Asia and South America . Views of Israel . In 2011 , Hessel penned an article in the German newspaper " Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung " , in which he compared the Nazi occupation of France during WWII with the occupation of Palestinian Territories by Israeli army in such terms : " the German occupation was , when compared for example with the present occupation of Palestine by the Israelis , a relatively harmless occupation , apart from exceptions like the arrests , detentions and executions , also of the theft of art treasures . " Responding to the controversy raised by these remarks , he clarified that he was drawing " no parallel between the horrors of Nazism and the illegal attitude of a state " ( Israel ) ; that he naturally supported the existence of Israel but that he wished to be able to criticise the actions of the Israeli authorities without automatically being accused of " antisemitism " . He regretted that his words in the " Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung " had been perhaps " written too quickly , and read too quickly " . Describing himself as a supporter of Israel but as a critic of its successive administrations , he told the " Ha ' aretz " newspaper : " Israel must be led differently to ensure its security " . Having seen " firsthand the Jews ’ suffering " as a Holocaust survivor , he clarified that he wished to see Israelis ' safety guaranteed by a responsible government . As a supporter of a two state solution , he also told the newspaper : " [ A ] s long as Palestinian violence exists , but not a Palestinian state , Israel is in danger , because it cannot obtain assistance from the international community against an entity that is not subordinate to international law " . Death . On 26 February 2013 , Hessel died overnight at age 95 . The following afternoon his name was a top trending term on Twitter in France and Spain . French president Francois Hollande said Hessel ' s death caused him " great sadness " and remarked " Hessell ' s capacity for indignation knew no bounds other than those of his own life . As that comes to an end , he leaves us a lesson : to refuse to accept any injustice . " UN Human Rights Council chairman Remigiusz Henczel remarked " Mr Hessel was a monumental figure of human rights . His life will continue to inspire our work . " French Prime Minister Jean - Marc Ayrault paid tribute to him in the following terms : " In France , in Europe , in the world , Stephane Hessel was the spirit of resistance incarnate . For every generation , for young people , he was a source of inspiration but also a reference . At 95 , he embodied faith in the future of this new century . " The United Nations Human Rights Council observed a moment of silence in Hessel ' s memory , which was said to be " unprecedented " . Previously , Hessel had offered his thoughts on death : " Death is something to savour , and I hope to savour mine . " His final work , " Don ’ t Give Up : In the Trenches with the Spanish for Liberty and Progress " , will be published posthumously . It was originally scheduled to be published in May , but the publisher moved the release date up to mid - March after Hessel ' s death . Hessel was survived by his wife Christiane , and three children from a previous marriage .