A Jew Today

by Elie Wiesel

A powerful and wide-ranging collection of essays, letters, and diary entries that weave together all the periods of the author's life from his childhood in Transylvania to Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Paris, and New York. • "One of the great writers of our generation addresses himself to the question of what it means to be a Jew." —The New RepublicElie Wiesel, acclaimed as one of the most gifted and sensitive writers of our time, probes, from the particular point of view of his Jewishness, such central moral and political issues as Zionism and the Middle East conflict, Solzhenitsyn and Soviet anti-Semitism, the obligations of American Jews toward Israel, the Holocaust and its cheapening in the media."Rich in autobiographical, philosophical, moral and historical implications." —Chicago Tribune

Genres: Jewish, Nonfiction, Biography, Essays, Judaism, Holocaust, Religion

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.
In his political activities Wiesel became a regular speaker on the subject of the Holocaust and remained a strong defender of human rights during his lifetime. He also advocated for many other causes like the state of Israel and against Hamas and victims of oppression including Soviet and Ethiopian Jews, the apartheid in South Africa, the Bosnian genocide, Sudan, the Kurds and the Armenian genocide, Argentina's Desaparecidos or Nicaragua's Miskito people.
He was a professor of the humanities at Boston University, which created the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies in his honor. He was involved with Jewish causes and human rights causes and helped establish the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Wiesel was awarded various prestigious awards including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He was a founding board member of the New York Human Rights Foundation and remained active in it throughout his life.

Reviews

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiesel always cuts to the bone. I can't look away.

[Lauren Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elie Wiesel is one of my favorite authors. I read Night last year for a class and fell in love with his writing. It's set up in such a real way that it's almost like the author is talking in the room directly to you.

[Abigail G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very challenging emotional read that made me want to stop and think for hours yet at the same never put it down. So many books have been written about the Holocaust but nothing compares to reading the personal testimonies of the people who actually lived through it.

[Hannah Petosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I️ love Elie Wiesel and this piece just feels so real and raw.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elie Wiesel(author of the Holocaust classic "Night") posits musings and selections from his journal in this easily read book. Haunting. Recommended.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this entire book over last Yom Kippur. I felt it so important and relevant for today.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I claim no religious affiliation, I can't deny my lineage. Eli Wiesel makes me feel connected to all that when I read him. (Moreso than I already do. Hence my extensive list of Holocaust/WW2 literature) He is completely accurate in describing a collective consciousness of sadness among Jews.
This book also went on to illustrate how horribly post-war Holocaust survivors were treated by the rest of the world. Not to mention how the rest of the world treated them mid-war.
Speaking of Celan gave me chills.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book of essays is perfect "pick up a read a bit" book. and really, wiesel is beyond what my small opinion and words can express. read him if you never have, doesn't have to be this book--he's got plenty of good choices, you don't have to be Jewish--i read him before i ever converted, that just makes it more special for me, just read him.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that's hard to read all at once. After reading this I feel like everyone trying to understand the continuing Palestinian/Israeli conflict needs to read it for some perspective. That includes today's Israelis because after reading this I think they've lost track of the original desire.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

You wouldn't understand

[Betsy Kelly]

I read it many years ago. It stays with me even now. Very powerful.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe Elie’s words should be required reading for all mankind.

[Jan Frans]

Een jood vandaag