The Postal Service dedicated its stamp honoring humanitarian and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in a ceremony in New York City on Sept. 17.
Wiesel (1928-2016) was a voice for victims and survivors of the Holocaust and fought for human rights throughout his life. In 1960, he wrote “Night,” a powerful personal account of his experience in the Nazi death camps.
“Elie Wiesel survived the unthinkable, determined to make sure the world would never forget the horrors of the Holocaust — that it would never again turn away from suffering,” said Ronald Stroman, a member of the USPS Board of Governors, during the ceremony. “He understood something that too many of us forget: that indifference — not hate — is the true enemy of justice. Silence in the face of injustice helps the oppressor, never the oppressed.”
Throughout his career, Wiesel published dozens of works that focused on the Holocaust and the Jewish experience. His goal was to ensure that future generations will never forget one of the darkest chapters in human history.
Wiesel was born in Romania and became a U.S. citizen in 1963. He was appointed chairman of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust in 1978, which led to the opening of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, calling him a “messenger to mankind.” With his wife, Marion, he established the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity with the prize money.
Other participants in the stamp dedication ceremony included Seth Pinsky, chief executive officer of the 92nd Street Y, where the event was held; Rabbi David Ingber; Elisha Wiesel, son of Elie Wiesel and chairman of the Elie Wiesel Foundation; and Lee Goldberg, a meteorologist for WABC-TV in New York City, who served as emcee.
The stamp is the 18th release in the Distinguished Americans series. Past honorees include virologist Albert Sabin, author Harriet Beecher Stowe and military leader Joseph Stilwell.
Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with a black-and-white photograph taken by Sergey Bermeniev in 1999.
The 2-ounce Forever stamp is available in sheets of 20 at Post Offices and on usps.com.
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