The Postal Service will release a stamp honoring humanitarian and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The stamp will be the 18th release in the Distinguished Americans series.
Wiesel (1928-2016) was a voice for victims and survivors of the Holocaust and fought for human rights throughout his career. In 1960, he wrote “Night,” a powerful account of his experiences in the Nazi death camps.
Throughout his career, Wiesel published dozens of works that focused on the Holocaust and the Jewish experience. He 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 creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993.
Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986; in its announcement at the time, the Norwegian Nobel Committee called him a “messenger to mankind.” With his wife, Marion, Wiesel used the prize money to establish the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.
The 2-ounce Forever stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, using a 1999 black-and-white photograph by Sergey Bermeniev.
Previous Distinguished Americans stamp subjects include publisher Katharine Graham, scientist Jonas Salk and philanthropist Mary Lasker.
The stamp will be available in sheets of 20 at Post Offices and on usps.com.
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