Elie Wiesel's Son Criticizes Rahm Emanuel Amid Rising Antisemitism at Yad Vashem Event
A decade after the death of Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, author, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, his family, researchers, and public figures gathered at Yad Vashem on Sunday to honor his legacy and the testament he left for future generations. Elisha Wiesel, Elie's son who lives in the United States and attended the event in Israel, addressed the rise of antisemitism globally and its manifestation within parts of the American Jewish community. He stressed the importance of combating antisemitism even when it comes from within, lamenting that many American Jews misunderstand or underestimate the nature of antisemitism today, which he said often appears as anti-Zionism, questioning Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and defend itself.
Elisha Wiesel directly criticized Rahm Emanuel, the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former White House Chief of Staff under Barack Obama, for his recent harsh criticism of Israeli government policies. Wiesel said, "Rahm Emanuel should be ashamed of himself," recalling Emanuel's role in organizing President Obama's visit to Buchenwald and hearing Elie Wiesel warn that the Jewish people cannot rely on global support. He emphasized that Elie Wiesel spoke hard truths to the powerful on behalf of the vulnerable.
In response, Emanuel told ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth that Israel's problem is not with the Democratic Party but with the American public, which has grown hostile toward Israel. He warned that Israel has lost political, economic, and cultural influence in the U.S. and Europe, relying solely on military power, which he said leads to isolation and a dead end. Emanuel questioned whether Israel could imagine a prime minister who would isolate Jews politically and economically.
Elisha Wiesel shared a personal memory of his father, who would always drop everything and fly to Israel whenever the country was under attack, underscoring the unity of the Jewish people worldwide. The event, titled "We Must Be the Messengers' Messengers," featured speeches by Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan and Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center in Kyiv. Dayan highlighted Elie Wiesel's dedication to preserving the memory of the Holocaust as a unique Jewish event with universal human messages, especially important amid rising antisemitism and distortion of Holocaust memory today.
The program included a lecture by Professor Dina Porat on Wiesel's role as a survivor and witness, a panel discussion on his legacy, and concluded with the documentary "Elie Wiesel, Soul on Fire," which won Yad Vashem's award for cinematic excellence at the Docaviv festival.
