In 1943 the Wiesel family, along with fifteen year old Elie Wiesel, were deported from their home in Transylvania to Auschwitz by the Nazis. His mother, father and a sister died in the prison camps. Elie Wiesel wrote about his experience in the death camps in his memoir Night.
In addition to being an author and a professor, Wiesel was a lifelong activist for human rights, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. But when asked, Wiesel always said “I am a teacher.” Rabbi Ariel Burger was Wiesel’s teaching assistant for five years, and his new book Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom allows readers a glimpse into the lessons, discussions and stories of Professor Wiesel.
