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Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom
Narrator
Jason Culp
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Length
8 hours 1 minute
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“Elie Wiesel — witness, writer, and humanitarian — wanted to be remembered foremost as a teacher. Ariel Burger, a longtime student, teaching assistant, and friend, has given us an intimate and moving portrait of this extraordinary man and the profound lessons he had to share.”
— Dale Szczeblowski • Porter Square Books
In the vein of Tuesdays with Morrie, a devoted protégé and friend of one of the world’s great thinkers takes us into the sacred space of the classroom, showing Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel not only as an extraordinary human being, but as a master teacher.
The world remembers Elie Wiesel—Nobel laureate, activist, and author of more than forty books, including Oprah’s Book Club selection Night—as a great humanist. He passed away in July 2016.
Ariel Burger first met Elie Wiesel at age fifteen. They studied together and taught together. Witness chronicles the intimate conversations between these two men over decades, as Burger sought counsel on matters of intellect, spirituality, and faith, while navigating his own personal journey from boyhood to manhood, from student and assistant to rabbi and, in time, teacher.
In this profoundly hopeful, thought-provoking, and inspiring book, Burger takes us into Elie Wiesel’s classroom, where the art of listening and storytelling conspire to keep memory alive. As Wiesel’s teaching assistant, Burger gives us a front-row seat witnessing these remarkable exchanges in and out of the classroom. The act of listening, of sharing these stories, makes of us, the listeners, witnesses.
Ariel Burger is a lecturer, rabbi, artist, and educator. He worked in the nonprofit sector for many years and now lectures widely and leads workshops for hundreds of teachers, activists, and nonprofit professionals.
Jason Culp has been featured on television in Days of Our Lives and General Hospital and in the cult film Skinheads. His roles in regional theater include Trigorin in The Seagull. He has been an audiobook performer for 13 years. He lives in New York City and is currently finishing work on a memoir.
Reviews
“Transports the reader to those salons of learning on the Charles River, where Wiesel’s students over the years ranged from the granddaughter of a Nazi SS officer to a Korean minister in training.”
“Burger’s honest depiction of doubt—both Wiesel’s and his own—is a great strength of this memoir…Makes a case for the power of teaching and for words as perhaps the ultimate teachers of how to live.”
“Presents a personal side of Wiesel that we normally didn’t see…We owe Rabbi Dr. Ariel Burger our gratitude for this special opportunity.”
“Narrator Jason Culp…subtly brings out Wiesel’s distinct Eastern–European accent, contrasting it with the devout and curious tone of the young American Ariel Burger…This audiobook is insightful, life affirming, and life changing. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award.”
“Readers intimately experience Wiesel’s classroom, compassion, and renowned wisdom through the perspective of a spiritually ambitious young man coming of age under the guidance and watchful eye of this extraordinary adviser.”
“Burger’s love for Wiesel, both professional and personal, shines through, and the reader will walk away with renewed admiration for this remarkable scholar, writer, survivor, and teacher.”
“This work demonstrates that Wiesel’s effectiveness as a life-changing teacher is a major part of his formidable legacy and presents valuable guidance for teachers seeking methods to approach difficult ethical issues in the classrooms.”
“In highlighting Wiesel the teacher, Burger further elevates Wiesel the humanitarian. Readers will find their own preconceptions called into question, as though they were in class, too.”
“An insightful and winsome love letter—and, for newcomers to Wiesel, a good introduction.”
“Witness is beautiful, and important…A superb piece of writing.”
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