Elie Wiesel, the Auschwitz survivor who became an eloquent witness for the 6 million Jews slaughtered in World War II and who, more than anyone, seared the memory of the Holocaust on the worlds conscience, died Saturday at home in Manhattan. He was 87.
Menachem Rosensaft, a longtime friend and founding chairman of the International Network of Children of Jewish Survivors, confirmed the death in a phone call.
Mr. Wiesel was the author of several dozen books and was a charismatic lecturer and humanities professor. In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But he was defined not so much by the work he did as by the gaping void he filled.