8/9/2019 Elie Wiesel’s Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace
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Elie Wiesel’s Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace
Prize The following are excerpts from the prepared text of the
acceptancespeech by Elie Wiesel,the winner of the 1986 Nobel Peace
Prie, at a ceremony in !slo"#
$t is with a profo%nd sense of h%mility that $accept the honor
yo% ha&e chosen to bestow%pon me" $ 'now( yo%r choice
transcends me" This both frightens and pleases me"$t frightens
me beca%se $ wonder( do $ haðe right to represent the
m%ltit%des who ha&eperished) *o $ ha&e the right to accept
this greathonor on their behalf) $ do not" That wo%ld
bepres%mpt%o%s" No one may spea' for the dead,no one may interpret
their m%tilated dreamsand &isions"
$t pleases me beca%se $ may say that thishonor belongs to all
the s%r&i&ors and their children,and thro%gh %s, to the
+ewish people withwhose destiny $ ha&e always identied"$
remember( it happened yesterday or eternitiesago" - yo%ng +ewish
boy disco&ered the'ingdom of night" $ remember his
bewilderment"$ remember his ang%ish" $t all happenedso fast" The
ghetto" The deportation" The sealedcattle car" The ery altar %pon
which the historyof o%r people and the f%t%re of man'ind were
meant to be sacriced"$ remember( he as'ed his father( ./an
thisbe tr%e) This is the 0th cent%ry, not the 2iddle-ges" Who wo%ld
allow s%ch crimes to be committed)3ow co%ld the world remain
silent)4-nd now the boy is t%rning to me( .Tellme,4 he as's" .What
ha&e yo% done with myf%t%re) What ha&e yo% done with yo%r
life)4-nd $ tell him that $ ha&e tried" That $ ha&etried to
'eep memory ali&e, that $ ha&e tried toght those who wo%ld
forget" 5eca%se if we forget
who the g%ilty are, we are accomplices"-nd then $ explain to him
how nai&e wewere, that the world did 'now and remainedsilent"
-nd that is why $ swore ne&er to be silentwhen and where&er
h%man beings end%re s%eringand h%miliation" We m%st always
ta'esides" Ne%trality helps the oppressor, ne&er the&ictim"
7ilence enco%rages the tormentor, ne&er
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the tormented"7ometimes we m%st interfere" When h%manli&es
are endangered, when h%man dignity is in eopardy, national
borders and sensiti&itiesbecome irrele&ant" Whene&er
men or women are
persec%ted beca%se of their race, religion orpolitical
&iews, that m%stat that momentbecome the center of the
%ni&erse": ;es, $ ha&e faith"
