U.S., Israel embassies condemn vandalism of Elie Wiesel House

The Embassy of the United States of America in Romania has condemned the vandalism on Elie Wiesel House in Sighetu Marmartiei, northwestern Romania.

The Embassy of the United States of America in Romania unequivocally condemns the recent vandalism carried out against the Elie Wiesel House in Sighet. The statements denigrating Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, President Trump, and other world leaders represent a deplorable anti-Semitic attack and an egregious affront to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. We call on all to denounce this act and speak up wherever and whenever there is an expression of hatred or prejudice. The Embassy encourages anyone with information about the crime to come forward to assist the Romanian authorities in their investigation“, reads a press release by the embassy.

The embassy of Israel in Bucharest also reacted, voicing consternation and condemning the action.

The Embassy of the State of Israel voices consternation on the awful action to vandalise the childhood home of Elie Wiesel in Sighetu Marmatiei on the night of August 3. The embassy condemns this unprecedented anti-Semite action and trusts that the authors of this unspeakable act will be brought to justice to be punished as soon as possible . The embassy of the state of Israel has been informed on the fact that local authorities have already removed the anti-Semite messages and would like to thank them for their prompt reaction,” reads the embassy’s press release.

Police has started an investigation in this case to track down the offenders. Recordings of the video cameras of the house are being currently investigated and policemen already have their suspect pool.

Sighet (known today as Sighetu Marmatiei), a town in Transylvania, was part of Romania following World War I and part of Hungary between 1940 and 1944. Sighet is well known as the birthplace of Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) noted Holocaust survivor and author of “Night”, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.

A ghetto was established in Sighet on April 18–20, 1944, after the German occupation of Hungary. Approximately 14,000 Jews from Sighet and surrounding villages were crowded into the ghetto. Wiesel, his family, and the rest of the Jews of Sighet were deported from the town to Auschwitz in May 1944. Most of the deportees were gassed on arrival, with Elie Wiesel though being among the ones who survived.

Anti-Semite actions have been previously reported in Jewish cemetery in Sighet in the past, when it had been vandalised several times.

Short history of Wiesel family

Elie Wiesel’s mother, Sarah, and his younger sister, Tzipora, were among those sent to the gas chamber. His older sisters, Hilda and Beatrice, who were separated from the rest of the family, managed to survive. Wiesel and his father, Shlomo, stayed together, surviving forced labor and a death march to the Buchenwald concentration camp, near Weimar in Germany. However, Shlomo died in Buchenwald in January 1945, three months before the camp was liberated on April 11, 1945 by the 6th Armored Division of the US Army.

ElieWiesel died on the morning of July 2, 2016 at his home in Manhattan, aged 87.

anti semiteanti-Semitic attackchildhood homecondemnelie wieselIsraelmessagesnobel peace prize winnerSighetu marmatieiUS Embassyvandalis
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