THE ELIE WIESEL LEGACY PROJECT
Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) is best known as the author of Night, survivor of Auschwitz and a powerful, enduring voice of the Holocaust. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he was a hero of human rights, professor and author of more than 50 books. Among his accomplishments, Wiesel cofounded Moment Magazine with Leonard Fein in 1975. When Nadine Epstein took over the magazine in 2004, Wiesel became a mentor and friend. Upon his death in 2016, Moment created the Elie Wiesel Legacy Project to celebrate his life and keep his memory alive. We also published Elie Wiesel: An Extraordinary Life and Legacy (available here), a book written for the general public, schools and synagogues. On this page you’ll find a sample of resources to use in classrooms and for study groups.Elie Wiesel: An Extraordinary Life and Legacy
In this striking volume, Epstein shares her memories of Wiesel and brings together 36 reflections from friends, colleagues and others who knew him—including his son Elisha Wiesel, Michael Berenbaum, Wolf Blitzer, Father Patrick Desbois, Ben Kingsley, Ronald S. Lauder, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Kati Marton, Itzhak Perlman, Natan Sharansky, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Oprah Winfrey and Ruth Wisse. The foreword is by the world-famous British Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and the afterword is by Ted Koppel.
In His Own Words
Remembering
Essay Moment Magazine, May/June Issue 1975
60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Nazi Death Camps
Speech, United Nations Special Session, January 25, 2005
Congressional Gold Medal of Achievement
Speech, The White House, April 19, 1985
Heart to Heart
Interview, Moment Magazine, 2013
MomentLive!
The Teachings of Elie Wiesel Remembered
Elisha Wiesel shares stories and reflections on the lessons he learned from his dad, Elie Wiesel. Elisha is in conversation with Nadine Epstein, Moment editor-in-chief.
A Tale of a Niggun by Elie Wiesel
After Elie Wiesel died, a little-known narrative poem that he wrote in the 1970s, A Tale of a Niggun, was rediscovered. Based on an actual event during the Holocaust, the poem was so moving that it was turned into a book. Join Elie’s son Elisha—who pays tribute to his father with the book’s introduction— and Elie’s dear friend—award-winning artist Mark Podwal—who illustrated the book, as they discuss how the poem was discovered, why it is so important and the power of wordless Jewish melodies.
Study Questions
1) What scenes from Night do you remember most vividly? Did reading the book change the way you look at the world, political leaders or your friends and family?
2) In his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Elie Wiesel said: “One person of integrity can make a difference, a difference of life and death. As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true. As long as one child is hungry, our life will be filled with anguish and shame. What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their voices are stifled we shall lend them ours, that while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.” In what ways did the actions of Elie Wiesel’s life reflect the meaning of these words?How does this quote relate to your own role in the world around you?
3) In Night Eliezer describes his life before and during the Holocaust. How is his life similar to yours? How is it different?
4) Who did you identify with most in Night? Who did you most admire in the book?
5) There are people today who insist that the Holocaust never happened and that it was really only a minor event that has been greatly exaggerated. How do you think Elie Wiesel would respond to those people?
The full list of study questions is available in the book, Elie Wiesel: An Extraordinary Life and Legacy.