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S40E1: Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire | Clip

How Elie Wiesel was reunited with his sister

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After Elie Wiesel was freed from the concentration camp at Buchenwald, he ended up in a children’s rehab center in France. His sister recognized his photo in a story about the rehab center and the two were reunited.

TRANSCRIPT

(box rattles) (birds chirping) (residents chattering) (somber orchestral music) - [Narrator] One day there were journalists who came to do a story about our, after all children from Buchenwald was a good story.

I played chess with a friend.

They took pictures.

All right.

(camera shutters) And then later I was in the office of the director.

(telephone ringing) And I heard him speak on the telephone mentioning my name.

I said, "I heard you mention my name."

He said, "Oh, you are Wiesel?"

I said, "Yes."

He said, "I just spoke to your sister."

(moves to enchanting music) I said, "Mr.

Director, I don't believe it."

"What you mean?"

"Must be a mistake?"

Even if she remained alive, what is she doing in France?

If she's in France, how does she know I'm here?

But she, he said, "But she has a message for you.

"She will wait for you tomorrow "at the railway station in Paris."

I didn't sleep all night, as you can imagine.

Then came next day and there she was.