Professor Wiesel is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University where he also holds the title of University Professor in the Departments of Religion and Philosophy. Professor Elie Wiesel was fifteen years old when he and his family were deported to Auschwitz. His mother and younger sister perished there; his two older sisters survived. Professor Wiesel and his father were later transported to Buchenwald, where his father died before the camp was liberated in 1945. Professor Elie Wiesel has worked on behalf of oppressed people for much of his adult life. Professor Wiesel’s efforts have earned him many awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. His more than fifty books have won numerous awards. Three months after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Marion and Elie Wiesel established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity to advance the cause of human rights and peace throughout the world by creating a new forum for the discussion of urgent ethical issues confronting humankind.