Elie-Wiesel Park was inaugurated on Thursday in honour of the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
The Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (CDN-NDG) Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa made the announcement alongside Elie Wiesel’s son, Elisha Wiesel, and former Canadian Justice Minister and Attorney General Irwin Cotler.
Wiesel was a writer, professor, and Holocaust survivor. He was born in Romania in 1928. He was sent to the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps during WW2 where he was a Jewish prisoner.
“Located in the Snowdon district, Elie-Wiesel Park pays tribute to a prominent member of the Jewish community, a great French-language author, human rights defender and Holocaust survivor,” said Katahwa. “Elie-Wiesel Park reflects the CDN-NDG borough’s desire to build neighbourhoods on a human scale, where the population has access to green and inclusive relaxation spaces.”
The park has a playground, relaxation area, walking trails, furniture, green spaces and offers unique water features.
It’s located on de Courtrai Ave., near Décarie Blvd. and Westbury Ave.
After the war, Wiesel shared his experiences of living through the Holocaust by writing books; his most famous being “Night.” He went on to become a human rights activist, fighting against violence, oppression, anti-Semitism, and racism.
“This commitment led to his winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Today, his voice remains a powerful reminder of the consequences of hatred and indifference,” reads a press release.
He died in New York at the age of 87 in 2016.
