Nobel Prize-winning author Elie Wiesel to speak at the University of Florida

March 1, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla .— Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize winner and author, will speak at 8 p.m. March 6 at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Florida.

Doors open at 7:15 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door. Advance tickets will be available beginning March 1 to University of Florida students with a valid UF student ID and March 3 for the public at the Phillips Center, with a limit of two tickets per person. There will be a press conference for this show, time and location to be announced. Copies of Wiesel’s book “Night” will be available for purchase at the University of Florida Bookstore and at the Phillips Center on the night of the show.

Wiesel, a professor at Boston University, has worked on behalf of oppressed people for much of his adult life. His personal experience of the Holocaust has led him to use his talents as an author, teacher and storyteller to defend human rights and peace throughout the world. He is the author of more than 40 books, including Oprah’s Book Club selection for January 2006, “Night.” He has won numerous awards for his writing and efforts for human rights and world peace, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and, in 1986, the Nobel Peace Prize.

Wiesel’s appearance is co-sponsored by ACCENT Speakers Bureau and Jewish Awareness Month. The University of Florida boasts the largest Jewish student population of any university in the world, outside of Israel. To accompany more than 7,000 students in the Jewish community, UF hosts Jewish Awareness Month, a celebration held in March and conducted through a variety of religious, cultural, and advocacy-based events. Sponsored by Student Government, this holistic overview of Judaism aims to unite various communities on campus through awareness and education. JAM 2006 will begin on Feb. 27 and conclude April 8.

For persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations, please contact (352) 392-1663 ext. 302 or (352) 392-2567 (TDD), e-mail accommodate@sg.ufl.edu, or contact the Florida Relay System at 1-800-955-8771 at least 72 hours prior to the event. Real Time Transcription will be provided. For more information, call ACCENT at (352) 392-1665 ext. 306 or the information line ext. 411, visit the Web site http://www.sg.ufl.edu/accent, or e-mail ACCENT at accent@sg.ufl.edu.