Elie Wiesel to speak at U. tonight

Nobel Peace Prize winner and world-renowned author Elie Wiesel will speak at Irvine Auditorium tonight at 7:30 p.m. Wiesel, a survivor of the Holocaust who is known internationally for his work on behalf of the oppressed, is coming to campus courtesy of the Steinhardt Jewish Heritage Program. "A lot of people have a good idea who he is, and are quite excited that he's coming," College senior David Eisen said. Eisen is one of 15 interns in the campus Steinhardt program. The group, started on campus last semester, is intended to appeal to the mainstream Jewish community on campus. But members of the program emphasized the inclusive nature of Wiesel's appearance. "We expect a very positive response, and not necessarily just from the Jewish community," Eisen said. "There's a wide interest in him as a champion of human rights in general." When Wiesel was 15 years old in Romania, he and his family were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz, a concentration camp. His mother and youngest sister were killed there, while Wiesel, his father and two sisters survived. Wiesel documented his experience in the concentration camps in the book Night, which has been translated into 18 languages. He has since written more than 30 books, earning him recognition throughout the world. Wiesel has defended the rights of oppressed groups internationally, from South African victims of apartheid to Kurds to most recently, victims and prisoners in the former Yugoslavia. Wiesel is currently the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University. The speech, which will be followed by a question and answer period, is free to all with a PENNcard. Irvine's doors open at 6:30 p.m.