Washington National Cathedral dedicates carving to Elie Wiesel, the first modern Jew memorialized in the building

October 12, 2021

Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday dedicated the fourth of the planned “quartet” of human rights carvings in the building’s vestibule, honoring the late Elie Wiesel with prayer and discussion of the Holocaust survivor’s legacy of pursuing justice, hope and faith in the face of humanity’s darkest crimes.

The dedication marked the first time a modern Jew has been memorialized at the huge, Gothic-style cathedral, which houses hundreds of images in its carvings, stained glass and other art inside and outside in an effort to be a multifaith institution addressing modern issues. The cathedral is part of the Episcopal Church.

Wiesel, the famous author of the Holocaust memoir “Night,” a teacher and a human rights activist, joins Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa and slain civil rights activist and seminarian Jonathan Daniels as the four busts in the four corners of the vestibule that, in pre-pandemic times, greeted hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. (The cathedral is in the process of reopening and is scheduled to resume allowing sightseers on Oct. 18.) The four are called “The Quartet,” said cathedral spokesman Kevin Eckstrom.

Source: Washington National Cathedral dedicates carving to Elie Wiesel, the first modern Jew memorialized in the building