Religion and Theology

Eliezer Wiesel may have all the reasons for losing faith in God.  In fact, his spiritual reaction may have been an acceptable course based on what he had suffered under such terrible and inhuman circumstances.  Being a victim by his very birthright of being a Jew in the most frightful years of his races history, such as the murders of his younger sister Tsiporah and his mother by the gas chamber, and his aging fathers succumbing in the death march that was forcefully imposed by the invading Nazis, it would be an understatement to declare that his life was full of sufferings.  After learning the circumstances surrounding his younger years and the decades after the holocaust, it is evident that God had a special purpose intended for Elie that can only be discernible after all of the anguish that he had gone through, as evidenced by the achievements that he was able to achieve and the commendations from such esteemed institutions. 

His lifes mission sums up all of the terrors that he had endured in his lifetime and his desire to be able to influence a change The whole world knew what was happening in the concentration camps, but did nothing.  That is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.  This lucid disposition for what he believed had been evident all throughout his life, such as his refusal for a safe haven offered by their Christian maid during the deportation of Jews in May of 1944 that ultimately resulted to their familys demise. 

In most probability, Elie had deemed all of the other religions that claimed to have peace, love, and brotherhood as their motivators as forms of hypocrisies.  This was apparent in his hostile reaction towards the Catholic writer, Francois Mauriac, whose constant lamentation for Christs sufferings had caused Elie to remark, ten years ago, not very far from here, I knew Jewish children every one of whom suffered a thousand times more, six million times more, than Christ on the cross.  And we dont speak about them.  In most probability, this was also the reason for his decision to stop attending religious activities in synagogues, except during High Holidays and yizcor.  For him, all of the mass slaughter, the murders, and the humiliation that was suffered by the innocents were all caused by divine injustice, and this perception had remained in him even after the holocaust.

However, several occurrences seemed to strongly suggest that God was always with him even during the most challenging times of his life, and that He intended Elie to embark on a self-professed task of being a model for social consciousness.  These tribulations only seemed to make him stronger in order to be worthy of the mission that he was destined to undertake in his latter years.  Its origins may be traced in the winter of 1944-1945, wherein he was hospitalized due to a swelling on his knee, only to be forced to march for ten days with only the least of rest and food allowed to the deportees.  Here, what is appalling is the fact that out of the over 20,000 prisoners, only about 6,000 made the march alive.  Likewise, in 1944 and barely 16 years old, he had experienced how it is to be treated inhumanely by being loaded by the Nazis in a tiny cattle car with 80 other Jews.  To this experience he had attributed the death of his adolescence, and this had lingered until he had grown old. 

Another instance wherein Gods hand seemed to play an important role in Elies life was on the night of July in 1956, when he was hit by a speeding taxi in New York City that resulted in a grueling 10-hour surgical operation.  This incident, along with his earlier encounter with Francois Mauriac, was what actually led him to begin writing for four hours everyday that resulted in several of his earlier books, such as Dawn and The Accident in 1961, The Town Beyond the Wall in 1962, The Gates of the Forest in 1964, Legends of Our Time in 1966, and many others that followed.  Likewise, it also instigated a deeper desire to deeply immerse himself in Jewish traditions, that he began to view reality from the viewpoints of the Talmud, Kabbalah, and Hasidism.

Notably, there were evidences in his writings, especially during the 1970s, 1980s and the 1990s, that seemed to question God regarding some of the very horrible sufferings that the Jews had to endure.  Of special mention is his work, The Trial of God in 1977, that specifically had accused God of hostility, cruelty, and indifference.  There were also other works that delved on this subject, such as Ani Maamin in 1973, wherein a dialogue among the Jewish patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, concerning their being responsible for calling Gods attention for the plight of the Jews throughout history, was discussed.   

Despite of the fact that he had exhibited spiritualreligious doubts regarding Gods inaction towards the sufferings of the Jews in almost all of his lifetime, it was also apparent that his actions had been for the greater good of humanity, regardless of race and religion.  Several of the most significant were as head of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, his Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, his lobbying in behalf of the victims of ethnic crimes in Bosnia, and his protests against apartheid in South Africa.  More importantly, because of his progressive contributions to humanity, he was awarded with several merits such as the Congressional Gold Medal of Achievement in 1985, over 75 honorary doctorates, and most importantly, the Nobel Peace Prize as a messenger to mankind and a human being dedicated to humanity.

Conclusion
Elie Wiesel had been a victim of the social injustice primarily for the simple reason of being a Jew.  His own experiences under the horrors of holocaust made him a stronger person but nonetheless filled him with questions on Gods inaction for the crimes against his race.  Although beset with personal tribulations, he was able to overcome these and cause significant reforms that are aimed for the betterment of mankind.  Perhaps without him being fully aware, Gods plan for him had been realized that from all of the terror and anguish that he witnessed, his resolve to make the world a better place had been strengthened.