Elie Wiesel’s Collection Finds Permanent Home At FL Holocaust Museum

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The entire collection of Holocaust survivor, author, and human rights and political activist Elie Wiesel, known for his best-selling book, “Night,” has found a permanent home at the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg.

This includes his Nobel Prize, the entire contents of his personal office and library, unfinished manuscripts, letters from world leaders and other luminaries, and a variety of artworks, photographs, recordings — many of which have never been seen — according to a news release from the museum.

The announcement is a partnership between the museum and the Elie Wiesel Foundation.

“This treasure trove of artifacts is a game-changer for the Museum, St. Petersburg, and our entire region,” said Michael Igel, the museum’s board chair. “Like the man himself, the Wiesel Collection will be a beacon of hope and a catalyst for action. Elie Wiesel was a master at explaining to all of us why the lessons of the Holocaust matter. Now, through innovative programming and exhibitions, the museum will use his voice to ensure that his legacy will always remain relevant.”

Wiesel was 15 years old when he and his family were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz. His mother and younger sister died in the concentration camp; his two older sisters survived, according to Wiesel's foundation. Elie and his father were later moved to Buchenwald, where his father died shortly before the camp was liberated in April 1945.

The Wiesel Collection will be a cornerstone of the permanent exhibition of the Florida Holocaust Museum, which is in the process of renovation and expansion.

Another recent acquisition by the museum is a boat used In the seaborne rescue that saved Denmark’s Jewish population, as well as a cattle car used to transport Jews to concentration camps.

Wiesel, who died in 2016 at 87 years old, had a decades-long connection to The Florida Holocaust Museum. He cut the ribbon during the museum’s opening in 1998.

He was also a visiting professor at St. Pete’s Eckerd College for 24 years, starting in 1993.

“I’m excited the Florida Holocaust Museum will be home to my father’s entire archive, including a re-creation of his office, honoring his unwavering dedication to truth, humanity and remembrance,” Elisha Wiesel, Eli’s son and chair of the Elie Wiesel Foundation. “For almost 30 years, my father taught at Eckerd College, and he and my mother fell in love with St. Petersburg and the surrounding community, which is why I’m honored to be a part of solidifying the importance of this location to my father with the permanent exhibit of his collection.”

The collection will also be converted into an international traveling exhibition by the museum, making it available to Holocaust and genocide researchers around the world.

The documents from Elie Wiesel's library will be housed in special collections at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library on the University of South Florida's St. Pete campus, and will anchor USF's new Elie Wiesel Center for Humanitarian Ethics.

“We are honored to work together with the Florida Holocaust Museum to create a hub of humanitarian activity and education worthy of such an extraordinary man,” Rhea Law, USF president, said. “Together, we will build a center of intellectual activity that reflects Wiesel’s own life and learning. We are grateful for the trust placed in our university and stand ready to turn this vision into a reality.”