The Free Press · October 9, 2026 · By Elisha Wiesel

Elisha Wiesel Column Responds to 2026 Nobel Peace Prize Award

The column is by Elisha Wiesel, identified in the piece as the son of Elie Wiesel, who received the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. In his acceptance speech, Elie Wiesel said: “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.” The son writes that he attended the 1986 ceremony at age 14.
The column was written in response to the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s award of the 2026 prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, announced October 9, 2026; the prize facts are covered in the Eli Lake card below.

Prize announcement via the Norwegian Nobel Committee (nobelpeaceprize.org); the 1986 prize and the speech quote verified against independent sources (Boston University’s Elie Wiesel Center). The column’s claims about the committee’s motives are not stated here. Original headline: "Elisha Wiesel: The Death of the Nobel Peace Prize".

Removed: the author’s characterizations of the Pillay decision (“betrayed” and “weaponized” the word genocide, “impossible moral standards,” “scrutiny with one permanent defendant”), the thesis of a long-standing anti-Israel trend on the committee, and the subscription pitch.