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April 11, 2001
Wiesel speaks at Regis
Nobel Peace laureate remembers Holocaust
By Alwen Bledsoe
Two thousand people crowded into Regis University's Field House April 3 to hear Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, prolific author, and 1986 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, speak on topics inspired by audience questions.
Navigating through often-thorny questions with eloquence and humor, Wiesel emphasized the mystery of suffering and faith as well as compassion for the suffering of all peoples.
"Did you ever find a satisfactory answer to `Where was God during the Holocaust?'" he was asked.
"No," he said. "But remember that we also must ask, where was man? Where was humanity? It is, of course, too easy to put all of the blame on God," he warned, but acknowledged that he struggles to understand God's presence in such atrocities.
Other questions addressed Jewish-Christian relations and allegations that the Church remained silent during the Holocaust.
Wiesel spoke of the Christians who aided Jews, including a friend who wanted to hide his family from the Nazis.
He highlighted the work of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, saying that Jewish-Christian relations have never been as good as they are now.
"No one, except Pope John XXIII, has done as much to bring Jews and Christians together," he said of the current pope.
Regarding international politics, he expressed sadness at the on-going violence in the Middle East and emphasized the United States' responsibility to facilitate peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
"We are all responsible for one another," he said.
Wiesel also spoke of his liberation from Auschwitz 56 years ago, on April 11, 1945. The Germans were planning to evacuate Jews, he remembered.
"Evacuation meant sure death," he said. "In our block we had a Czech political prisoner - not Jewish - and we owe him our survival."
The prisoner, a Christian, said Wiesel, one night changed the camp's registry to read that all the prisoners in his block were Christians. The prisoners were saved from the "evacuation," and freed during an American air attack on the camp.
"I'll never forget those soldiers," he said. "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.
"Survivors had a sense of gratitude others don't," he continued. "Every day is a gift and every moment a moment of grace."
He finished his talk saying, "We are concerned, of course, with our people, but if other people suffer, we must be concerned."
At those words, the audience rose in a standing ovation.
"I was very touched by his emphasis on how, as Jews, we have a responsibility to care about the sufferings of others and to actively involve ourselves in preventing that suffering," said Sue Gerson, 37. Michael Auerbach, 17, said he has relatives who are Holocaust survivors. Last year, he did a project on Wiesel's book "Night" and visited the death camp Birkenau in Auschwitz.
`"He's obviously an inspiration," Auerbach said, "and I was very honored just to be able to come here and even to meet him."
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.
Aimie Sporer of KCNC-TV NEWS 4, facilitated the interview which was co-sponsored by the station and Regis University's Institute on the Common Good.
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