Ariel Burger, Author of Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel's Classroom, a Jewish Book Council Author Talk at FJC on November 27

Tuesday, November 17 at 1:00 P.M. Free of charge and open to all. Eight Cousins will handle book sales.

"An insightful and winsome love letter - and, for newcomers to Wiesel, a good introduction." - Kirkus Reviews

"This book is beautful and brilliant. The substance of Elie Wiesel's teaching will always be with us. Now, thanks to Ariel Burger - a writer of great spiritual and intellectual integrity - we have access to the way Wiesel taught generations of students. - Parker J. Palmer, author and educator

FJC is pleased to host another in its series of Jewish Book Council author talks, all free of charge and open to the public.

Elie Wiesel was a towering presence on the world stage—a Nobel laureate, activist, adviser to world leaders, and the author of more than forty books. But when asked, Wiesel always said, “I am a teacher first.” Wiesel taught at Boston University for nearly four decades, and with this book, Ariel Burger—devoted protégé, apprentice, and friend—takes us into the sacred space of Wiesel’s classroom. There, Wiesel challenged his students to explore moral complexity and to resist the dangerous lure of absolutes. In bringing together never-before-recounted moments between Wiesel and his students, Witness serves as a moral education in and of itself—a primer on educating against indifference, on the urgency of memory and individual responsibility, and on the role of literature, music, and art in making the world a more compassionate place.

Burger first met Wiesel at age fifteen; he became his student in his twenties, and his teaching assistant in his thirties. In this profoundly thought-provoking and inspiring book, Burger gives us a front-row seat to Wiesel’s remarkable exchanges in and out of the classroom. He chronicles the intimate conversations between these two men over the 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.

Witness releases on Tuesday, November 13. FJC is pleased to welcome Ariel Burger early in the release period.