After the Holocaust, survivors and even bystanders maintained an implied code of silence resulting from shame, trauma, and fear. Survivors shied away from telling their stories. Isaiah Berlin had several family members die in the Holocaust and was scared to learn the truth of their deaths. Some survivors, like Primo Levi, immediately told their stories post-liberation, but the overwhelming flood of memories resulted in his suicide.
"That I survived the Holocaust and went on to love beautiful girls, to talk, to write, to have toast and tea and live my life--that is what is abnormal. Elie Wiesel
Wiesel's Breakthrough
Though many survivors shared their stories, only Wiesel was able to connect his story to world injustices. 10 years post-War, he wrote his first book, And the World Stayed Silent, and continued to write throughout his lifetime. He began sharing his story in person as he grew more at ease with the subject.
But what makes Wiesel the ideal icon for Holocaust survivors? He became an activist, taking a stand against injustice and genocide beyond the Holocaust. Wiesel helped oppressed communities around the world and inspired others to write books about him.
“The inspiration for this [my] book came from a quote from the writer and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.....Wiesel laments that the world knew of the horrors of the Holocaust as they were being perpetrated, and yet, despite that knowledge, remained silent. “And that is why,” he said, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.”" Jorge Ramos, Taking a Stand, pg. 17
Life of prisoners at the Buchenwald Camp. Elie Wiesel is 7th from the left in the 2nd row. (Britannica Image Quest)
Holocaust survivor, Primo Levi, committed suicide because of lasting traumatic memories from his experiences. (The Primo Levi Organization)
A rare wave of Jewish refugees from Hungary entering the United States (Britannica Image Quest)