Here are remarks from prominent officials and leaders in response to the death of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, who died Saturday at age 87.
As a writer, a speaker, an activist, and a thinker, he was one of those people who changed the world more as a citizen of the world than those who hold office or traditional positions of power. His life, and the power of his example, urges us to be better. – President Barack Obama
The State of Israel and the Jewish people deeply mourn the death of Elie Wiesel. Elie, a master of words, gave expression through his exceptional personality, and fascinating books about the victory of the human spirit over cruelty and evil. In the darkness of the Holocaust in which our brothers and sisters – 6 million – were murdered, Elie Wiesel was a ray of light and greatness of humanity who believed in the good in man. – Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
He emerged from one of the darkest chapters of human history consumed not by vengeance, but rather a desire to quell the fires of prejudice and bigotry by serving the cause of hope and leading the pursuit of justice and peace. – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
Boston University is losing an iconic teacher who brought an incredible intensity to every encounter with students and colleagues. It was a privilege to know and work with him. He will be missed. – Michael Zank, director of the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies at Boston University
Elie shouldered the blessing and the burden of survival. In words and deeds, he bore witness and built a monument to memory to teach the living and generations to come the perils of human indifference. As he often said, one person of integrity can make a difference. For so many, he was that difference – including at the dedication of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993 when he urged me to stop the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. – President Bill Clinton
As President, I was honored to have consulted with this fine citizen of the world. I am grateful for his insight on the value of human life and for his generous spirit and big heart. He was an example of a graceful life, and that example will influence millions for generations to come. – President George W. Bush
Throughout my career, I relied on his friendship and his counsel. And I will never forget the generosity of spirit he showed to my family and me. Elie implanted in my soul an unwavering insistence that we must educate every successive generation to exactly what happened, so that we can never forget the horrors of the Shoah. It was Elie’s life-long work to make sure each of us carried in our hearts that promise – never again. – Vice President Joe Biden
Elie Wiesel, of blessed memory, embodied the determination of the human spirit to overcome the darkest of evils and survive against all the odds. His life was dedicated to the fight against all hatred, and for the sake of man as created in the image of God – he was a guide for us all – Israel President Reuven Rivlin
Today, the Jewish people and the world lost a larger than life individual - Holocaust survivor, author and Nobel prize laureate Elie Wiesel. Wiesel left his mark on humanity through preserving and upholding the legacy of the Holocaust and delivering a message of peace and respect between people worldwide. – Shimon Peres, former President of Israel
Elie Wiesel was more than a revered writer. He was also a teacher for many of us. He taught us about the horrors of Auschwitz. He taught us about Judaism, about Israel, and about not being silent in the face of injustice. … Although he was always a soft-spoken man, his message was clear and straightforward. – Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress
His impact endures in his brilliant writings, the students he taught, the millions of lives he touched, and in a building in the heart of the capital of the free world, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he was the founding father. Today, the museum and the cause of Holocaust remembrance are taken for granted. Only a few know of the long struggle that was required. – United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield
He really epitomized to my mind the verse from the Hebrew scriptures, the book of Leviticus, Chapter 19, when it says when your brother’s blood is spilled, thou shall not stand idly by. He never stood by. It didn’t matter whose blood was spilled. He spoke out. And he became a voice, a moral voice, with a ringing echo throughout the world. – Deborah Lipstadt, a professor of modern Jewish history and Holocaust studies at Emory University and Wiesel’s friend
CNN’s Laura Koran, Alison Main, Kevin Bohn, Allie Malloy and Annie Rose Ramos contributed to this report.