Many know Elie Wiesel for his profound words on the Holocaust, but not everyone knows that his wife, Marion, played a significant role in translating much of his legacy into English, including his renowned book Night.
She was born on January 27, 1931, in Vienna. During WWII, her family fled Nazi-occupied Austria and eventually found refuge in Switzerland in 1942, before immigrating to the US in 1949. Marion and Elie Wiesel met in the 1960s in New York. By that time, he was an established writer, and she was working as an editor and translator. They bonded over their individual connections to the Holocaust and their shared interest in humanitarian causes, eventually marrying in 1969.
Marion went on to translate 14 of Elie’s books from French to English. She also produced TV programs and wrote and narrated a Holocaust education documentary. In 1986, she and Elie co-founded The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Marion also initiated the establishment of the Beit Tzipora Centers in Israel, which provide educational support to Ethiopian Jewish children.
Marion was married to Elie for 47 years until his death in 2016. She passed away yesterday at the age of 94. May her memory be a blessing.
Photo: The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
