POLITICIANS and Jewish leaders have lauded Elie Wiesel, the world’s most famous voice of Holocaust survival, who died aged 87 last Saturday (July 2). The human rights advocate, novelist, journalist and Nobel Laureate’s passing drew tributes from around Australia.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull mourned Wiesel’s death as “another human link lost to the tragedy of the Shoah, another eyewitness gone to the largest crime of the 20th century”.
“We should also do well to remember his exhortations against the temptations of indifference and silence,” the PM said.
ALP leader Bill Shorten tweeted: “He survived the very worst of humanity, he spoke for its best. RIP Elie Wiesel.”
Former prime minister Julia Gillard reflected that Wiesel “never ceased to call the conscience of the world to account. A humanitarian, he was wholly dedicated to ensure that never again would such crimes against humanity occur.”
Read the article by Peter Kohn in the Australian Jewish News.