On The Record with Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel, who survived the Holocaust and wrote movingly about his experience in Night, has gained renown as an acclaimed writer and international defender of human rights. Among many other awards, he has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel, currently a professor at Boston University, spoke at the University on October 26 at the behest of the Steinhardt Jewish Heritage Program, and spoke with Daily Pennsylvanian staffers Kenny Baer, Abby Beshkin and Jordana Horn. Elie Wiesel, who survived the Holocaust and wrote movingly about his experience in Night, has gained renown as an acclaimed writer and international defender of human rights. Among many other awards, he has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel, currently a professor at Boston University, spoke at the University on October 26 at the behest of the Steinhardt Jewish Heritage Program, and spoke with Daily Pennsylvanian staffers Kenny Baer, Abby Beshkin and Jordana Horn.Daily Pennsylvanian: At the dedication of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, you implored President Clinton to take a stronger stand on the ethnic warfare going on in Bosnia. Since then, what have you thought of what has been going on in terms of the United States' policies in Bosnia and in that area of the world?Elie Wiesel, who survived the Holocaust and wrote movingly about his experience in Night, has gained renown as an acclaimed writer and international defender of human rights. Among many other awards, he has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel, currently a professor at Boston University, spoke at the University on October 26 at the behest of the Steinhardt Jewish Heritage Program, and spoke with Daily Pennsylvanian staffers Kenny Baer, Abby Beshkin and Jordana Horn.Daily Pennsylvanian: At the dedication of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, you implored President Clinton to take a stronger stand on the ethnic warfare going on in Bosnia. Since then, what have you thought of what has been going on in terms of the United States' policies in Bosnia and in that area of the world?Wiesel: I think that the situation in Yugoslavia is horrible because nobody has done anything. For reasons that politicians might understand, it's not easy to find a solution. What – to send military people there, and start a new war? Nobody who was there believes that it would be easy. The Serbian army, since many, many years ago, is very well-equipped. You see, Tito was afraid of an invasion from the Red Army, and therefore they had quite a lot of weapons – modern weapons at the time, I'm sure since then modernized – in caves. All the mountains there, really, are filled with weapons. It's not easy to start a war, and I'm not a military person. I never have been. So I don't know how many tanks you need for that, how many planes you need for that. But I believe that we don't need it. Since last year, even before I went to Serbia and to Yugoslavia and to Bosnia, I saw that there is a way that wouldn't cost a single life. I'm trying to peddle this idea in any way I can, on television, in The New York Times, and speaking to presidents. It doesn't help. I don't know why they don't want it. They don't like to travel anymore. Some people told me they are afraid for security reasons. It's nonsense. With all the secret services that would be there, Sarajevo would become the safest city in the world – safer than Philadelphia! But they don't want it. If they do that, they don't need military intervention. But something must be done. On the other hand, look: In war, usually truce is the first victim. In this case, innocence, too, was the second victim. Nobody's innocent there. However, the fact that we don't do more?I am troubled. Children are dying, women are being raped?if we do nothing now, with the weather there such an atrocity and so cruel, tens of thousands of people might die, simply frozen. DP: For all the work that you've done to spread the message of "never forget" about the Holocaust, are you disappointed when you see what is happening now in Bosnia? Wiesel: Of course I am sad. I am disappointed. Not only in Bosnia, by the way. Look, when I say, "don't forget," I'm not saying don't forget a tragedy. I believe in a collective memory, and collective memory goes back – back, back, much before. If we Jews know nothing else but the tragedy, we would become a morbid people. We must know what happened before. Who were the people who were killed? What did they achieve, and what did they accomplish? And go back?unless we go back in history and learn, we would be a melancholy, neurasthenic people. When I say, "don't forget," I mean, don't forget that we stood at Sinai and we heard Moses speak to us. That's memory. And of course I am sad, because the world is, for the moment, in a situation which is not inspiring optimism. DP: What about the Middle East peace process? Does that give you any optimism? Wiesel: I am for it. I am for it simply because less people will die. Before that, whenever I opened an Israeli newspaper, there were pages and pages of more funerals and more funerals. At least now it will stop. It's not easy, because there will be wars between Hamas and the PLO – bloodshed, quite a lot of bloodshed. But I believe that surely for tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, one year from now, five years from now, things will improve. Later on, who knows? DP: But can hate that deep-rooted ever be overcome? Wiesel: I don't know. I hope so. Even if it's not overcome, it's covered. Look, I don't think that those who killed yesterday can overnight become good people, saints, or peacemongers, or peace messengers, or peace angels. But even if they make an effort not to hate, or to hide their hate, it's also better than to hate openly. Hate openly means violence. Look, too many children died in Israel. DP: With all the work you do condemning human rights violations in all parts of the world, do you view documentation of human rights violations in Israel differently than you do documentation of human rights violations in other parts of the world? Wiesel: It's very difficult to answer, and offhand, I must confess to you, yes. I am a Jew. And the Jew that I am, with my past and my upbringing, I cannot – somehow, I feel that I cannot come and be a judge over my people. I cannot do that. I know occasionally I'm being attacked and criticized. You have no idea how often, how much, in how many quarters, left-wing quarters. I understand that. All right, that's the price I pay. But I cannot be a judge. I am here to be a witness, not to be a judge.