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Elie Wiesel: Humanist Messenger for Peace by Alan L. Berger
Eugene J. Fisher
Alan L. Berger, Elie Wiesel: Humanist Messenger for Peace. New York and London: Routledge, 2021. Pp. 178. $36.71, paper.
In this excellent book, Berger takes the reader through the life and times of Holocaust survivor, author, professor, lecturer, and 1986 Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel (1928–2016). It opens with a chronology of the events of Wiesel’s [End Page 141] life and concludes with ten “documents,” five short statements by Wiesel, and five photos, from a picture of him in Buchenwald concentration camp to a smiling photo with President Barack Obama in the White House.
The introduction to the book summarizes the life and writings of Wiesel from his birth in Romania and the loss of his family in the Shoah and his liberation from the death camp by American troops, who “wept with rage and sadness,” which the freed prisoners received as heart-rending offerings “from a wounded and generous humanity.” It narrates his time in France, when he began writing memoirs and warnings to humanity about the evils of Nazism and other anti-human groups. French Catholic writer Francois Mauriac encouraged him to write a memoir that became his classic work, Night, about his experiences and those of other Jews in the death camps. Its subtitle was an indictment, And the World Remained Silent, which, tragically, was all too true.
In Chapter One, “Shattering the Sacred Canopy,” readers will see Wiesel questioning the ancient covenant between G-d and the Jewish People, since how could a loving G-d allow such evil to descend upon the People of God? It notes the Antisemitism that Wiesel experienced not only in Europe but also in the United States, where he lived out much of his life after the Shoah. It describes his involvement in the development of such organizations as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, dedicated to bringing the kindred peoples of G-d together in dialogue, both to learn about each other and to come together to help others in need, nationally and internationally. He became deeply involved in interfaith dialogue on all levels, personally and professionally.
Wiesel debunked the false notions of the ancient Christian teaching of contempt for Jews and Judaism, by which Christians blamed Jews as a whole for the death of Jesus, though the decision was that of Pilate alone—as our Christian creed declares, he “suffered and died under Pontius Pilate.” The teaching of contempt allowed Christian rulers over the centuries to blame Jews for anything that went wrong in their societies, including bad water in wells, even though Jews drank from the same wells.
Chapter Three delves into Wiesel’s involvement in preserving the memory of the Holocaust and its victims and passing it on to future generations of Jews and Christians alike. The next chapter goes into Wiesel’s Hasidic Judaism, a faith that is open to mysticism and deep thinking, as well as observing the 613 commandments of Jewish Law/Torah/Teaching. This deep faith gave him solace and allowed him to open up to differing views within Judaism and Christianity, so that he was often able to bring together people of differing traditions [End Page 142] and faiths in a way that enabled them to work together for the betterment and healing of the world, tikkun olam.
The book closes with a summary of the works he published and his work with others for human rights, including civil rights in the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s, and his efforts to promote world peace, so that all humankind can create a better world for future generations. This is an important, indeed vital, book for all who care about ecumenism and interfaith amity to read, use in dialogue groups, meditate upon, and strive to live up to.
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