Elie Wiesel Honored On The Upper West Side

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize winner and long-time Upper West Side resident Elie Wiesel was honored Tuesday when the city co-named the southwest corner of West 84th Street and Central Park West "Elie Wiesel Way."

Wiesel and his wife raised their son on the Upper West Side for two decades in an apartment building on Central Park West between West 83rd and 84th streets.

"Elie Wiesel was a moral giant whose lessons continue to reverberate today. He preached tolerance of religious minorities, and knew first-hand the experience of being a refugee, and the vulnerability of living in this country without citizenship,” City Councilman Mark Levine said in a statement. "Mr. Wiesel’s ties to New York city were deep. His family made their home on the Upper West Side for many years, raising their children there and attending a local synagogue."

Wiesel died in 2016 at the age of 87 at his Connecticut home. He was born in 1928 in Romania and was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp after the Nazis captured his town in 1944.

Wiesel dedicated his life to activism and promoting the concept of peace.

"Peace is always attainable," he once told a reporter. "We have an obligation to give meaning to our lives by doing what we can for others."

He advocated for victims the world over - whether it was the Jews in what was then the Soviet Union or the refugees in Sudan.

Real Patch's full obituary here.

“Throughout his life, Elie Wiesel demonstrated a remarkable commitment to and belief in humanity. Despite experiencing the depths of human evil first hand, Mr. Wiesel devoted his life to speaking and acting out on behalf of those most threatened and vulnerable among us. His prolific writing and strident humanitarianism boldly fought back against discrimination and oppression. To this day, Mr. Wiesel’s commitment to humanity shows us how we can best meet our contemporary challenges—not with hate or fear, but with love and decency," City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal said in a statement.

Photo courtesy NYC Mayor's Office