Premieres Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+. Learn about Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author of 'Night.' Over the course of his life, Wiesel fought the “sin of indifference” through his writing, teaching, speaking truth to power and championing for human rights.
spoke against global injustice with his writing and activism during his venerable career. Known for his groundbreaking memoir “Night,” which was based on his personal experiences as a Holocaust prisoner in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, As a professor at Boston University over thirty years, he influenced thousands of students, and his memoir “Night” is still read in schools around the world.
Learn about how he fought “the sin of indifference” in AMERICAN MASTERS"Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire" The film begins with his early life in Romania and his family members tragic murders in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz, followed by Wiesel’s liberation from Buchenwald by American soldiers and his migration to France. From there, he moved to New York, where he became a writer, teacher and lecturer. The documentary features his first-person narration, along with interviews, personal family footage, archival footage and hand-painted animations. Additionally, the film includes classroom scenes at Boston University, in addition to a contemporary middle school classroom in Newark, taught by Paris Murray of the Northstar Academy.This documentary includes interviews with Wiesel and his family members. He married Marian Rose in 1970, who gave birth to their son Elisha, now the father of Elijah and Nova. In addition to the family, the film includes Lawrence Langer, Ted Comet, Mark Podwal, Ariel Burger, Rabbi Irving Greenberg, Ted Koppel and Annette Insdorf.“My mother studied with Elie Wiesel in Boston and his books were in our home, and so the opportunity to make this film for me was quite personal both because of his beautiful stories of Jewish mystical leaders, and because of my families’ experience, which in some ways mirrored his,” “In a world which is so profoundly divided, and where people have forgotten how to speak civilly to each other, Wiesel is a role model and a healer which we need today more than ever.”Born in 1928, Wiesel was raised in a Jewish family in Sighet, Romania with three sisters. In 1944, shortly following German occupation, Wiesel’s life irrevocably changed after he and his family were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. His mother and younger sister Tzipora were killed almost immediately, while Wiesel and his father were eventually forced to march to the concentration camp at Buchenwald.After the death of his father, Wiesel was liberated from Buchenwald on April 11, 1945. He was subsequently transported to France with other orphaned survivors known as the Buchenwald Boys. His sister Hilda discovered him through a photograph in a French newspaper and he eventually reunited with his sisters Beatrice and Hilda.As a young man, Wiesel began his journalism career in Paris, where he used his writing talents to report on political and foreign affairs. During this time, he also led a children’s choir and studied at the Sorbonne. His writing of the memoir “Night,” “Jews of Silence” and “Four Hasidic Masters” would be the foundation for his career as a speaker, writer and university professor, beginning in the ‘60s and ‘70s.Although he frequently wrote about global events as a journalist, he was initially hesitant to recount his own experiences as a Holocaust survivor. It wasn’t until he began writing the book “Night” – first in Yiddish as “And the World Remained Silent,” then in a shortened version in French titled “La Nuit” and finally in the English translation – that he was able to speak candidly about the horrors he and millions of people endured during the Holocaust.“Night” and his subsequent books and public lectures led to his international acclaim. The film includes such seminal moments as his nationally televised speech to Ronald Reagan before the President’s’s impending trip in 1985 to a German cemetery at Bitburg, and his acceptance of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel died in 2016 at the age of 87 in New York City and is remembered as one of the most prominent Jewish writers, activists, and educators of the last 60 years.designed for ease and enjoyment everywhere you watch including Roku, smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s locally curated for San Diego by the KPBS programming team. With a clean and intuitive design, discovering and enjoying KPBS and PBS content on-demand has never been easier. You can also tune in live to watch our four TV channels in real time: KPBS, KPBS 2, Create, KPBS Kids 24/7. We also added a new channel - FNX .works on KPBS+ too! You’ll have access to even more great shows when you simply log in with your KPBS Passport account.Jen is a web producer at KPBS, responsible for program promotion, membership-related activities, and is the editor of the KPBS community calendar. Jen has worked at KPBS since 2000. She is originally from Las Vegas and attended UNLV.5 things to know about the latest Minneapolis shooting KPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.
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