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Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom Audiobook
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Publisher Description
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.
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“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.”
— AudioFile
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“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.”
— USA Today -
“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.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Presents a personal side of Wiesel that we normally didn’t see…We owe Rabbi Dr. Ariel Burger our gratitude for this special opportunity.”
— Jewish Journal -
“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.”
— Shelf Awareness (starred review) -
“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.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“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.”
— Library Journal -
“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.”
— Booklist -
“An insightful and winsome love letter—and, for newcomers to Wiesel, a good introduction.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Witness is beautiful, and important…A superb piece of writing.”
— Parker Palmer, author of The Courage to Teach
Awards
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An Indie Next List pick
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A Publishers Lunch Buzz Book
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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Winner of the National Jewish Book Award
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About Ariel Burger
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. Elie Wiesel’s close student and teaching assistant, Burger had the privilege of working with his mentor up close and studying privately with him. Burger lives in Boston.
About Jason Culp
Jason Culp, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, has been acting since the age of ten, and his credits include a variety of television, theater, and film roles. He is best known for his role as Julian Jerome on General Hospital. In addition to audiobooks and voice-over work in national commercials, he has also narrated documentaries for National Geographic and the History Channel.