Congressman Cohen’s Statement on the Passing of Elie Wiesel

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) released the following statement today on the passing of Elie Wiesel:

"I am saddened by the death of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, one of the great moral forces in the world," said Congressman Cohen. "Elie Wiesel was in the same class as Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Congressman John Lewis. He was brilliant, pure, honest and courageous.

I met Elie Wiesel when I was a Tennessee State Senator and he was honored at Vanderbilt. He was the inspiration for me founding the Tennessee Holocaust Commission in 1987. I have a picture of him and me hanging in the foyer of my Washington, D.C. office. The photo was taken when he was honored at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. I last saw him in June 2011 at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. His voice was strong and will be sorely missed. He was one of my heroes. Never forget."