Wiesel, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 87, is the latest figure to be featured in the USPS Distinguished Americans series. He’s the 18th honoree in the collection, which recognizes
individuals who have made lasting contributions to American society.
The stamp highlights Wiesel not only as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, but as someone who dedicated his life to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive and fighting for human rights around the world. As a teenager, Wiesel was imprisoned at Auschwitz along with his father, and those experiences later shaped his powerful memoir, Night, which has become one of the most widely read accounts of the Holocaust.
Over the years, Wiesel received some of the nation’s highest honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, the National Humanities Medal, and the Medal of Liberty.
Other Jewish Americans previously recognized in USPS stamps include vaccine pioneers Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, author Edna Ferber, writer Shel Silverstein, and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The Elie Wiesel stamp will officially be released on September 17. It features a striking black-and-white portrait of Wiesel taken in 1999 by photographer Sergey Bermeniev, with his name and the word “Humanitarian” printed beside it. The stamp is designed for two-ounce mail but will always be valid for the value printed. Sheets of 20 stamps are currently available for pre-order at $21.40. Photo by Wikimedia commons.
