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August 3, 2010
A Moral Man
I had an hour long meeting this morning with Elie Wiesel -- professor at Boston University, Nobel Laureate, writer (57 books) and Holocaust survivor. Our firm is doing pro-bono work for the Prix Gallien, a world life sciences forum being held in New York City at the end of September. Professor Wiesel is involved with the event as a member of the organizing committee.
Here are my impressions of Wiesel. He is slight and of middling height, with a rumpled look befitting a man of letters. His office is modest, filled to the brim with books. On the darkened passageway en route to his office hang photos of Jewish life in Europe prior to the Holocaust, including one of an aged religious man, his face wrinkled, his arms full of Hebrew texts. He has a very firm handshake. He muses more than speaks. His observations are pointed and intended to provoke thought, not simply repartee.
Here are a few of his observations:
“An educator brings justice into the world.”
“Share what you know and what you feel, from joy to despair.”
“Does a 90 year old person have less of a right to live than an 18 year old (in discussion about access to end of life medical care versus cost to society)”
“We have seen worse” (describing his reaction to the midnight call from his financial advisor who told him that Bernard Madoff had lost all of Wiesel Foundation money
“Since we have to do it, we do it" (how the Wiesel Foundation gathered funds in the wake of the Madoff scandal in order to maintain its programming)
“Not even Madoff can bring shame to an entire community…it is wrong to condemn any group for the evil of one”
“There is tremendous progress in the sciences. Contrast that to the crisis in literature and philosophy. Where is the Tolstoy or Thomas Mann of this generation?”
“You can make more of a difference today in business than in politics.”
“We need leaders in the world who are courageous enough to stand up and raise their voices on important issues. And when they stand up, people will listen.”
As we were preparing to leave, he related a story about the opening of the US Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. “I had stayed up all night. There were 36 heads of state represented. I would be meeting President Bill Clinton for the first time. I wrote a beautiful text to deliver. The building was spectacular. The only problem—the Museum staff had not counted on torrential rain. As President Clinton and I sat on stage, water was soaking our shoes. I was to go first, then introduce the President. I reached into my pocket for the speech and realized it was soaked and illegible. I decided it was best to improvise. I feel that I did well enough. Then President Clinton reached for his speech and had a perfectly clean text because his staff had provided a plastic sheath. I understood the value of a supporting cast at that moment! I am also proud to report that during my speech, I talked about my visit to Bosnia and how the USA had a responsibility to stop the genocide. At a later date, President Clinton told me that I was the one person who persuaded him to reconsider American involvement in that conflict.”
One man can make a difference in the world. Here is a quote from the introduction to his book, Night, which describes his experience in Auschwitz:
Posted by Edelman at August 3, 2010 5:49 PM |
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Comments
I read "Night" for the first time about ten years ago. Since then it's stayed on my shelf, at the ready. While I've not taken occasion to crack the spine of that book again, I take something stranger than comfort in its place on the shelf. That book was a profound experience in itself and its presence has continued to anchor me in a way that the simple physicality of a diminutive paperback couldn't. This was an incredible reminder (set of reminders, actually) with which to end the business day.
Posted by: To Kiss the Cook at August 3, 2010 7:44 PM
"What I do know is that there is a response in responsibility."
To this day, that is probably the most resonating quote--and book--from high school. I'm unsure I would know what to say in the presence of such character as Elie Wiesel.
Thanks for sharing the experience.
Posted by: Josh Morris at August 4, 2010 8:59 AM
When you get to meet a person who's moral can generate inspiration and faith from their past experiences of suffering and despair. It give many the opportunity and motivation to find another way to make things work.
Our elders are the best mentors and Elie Wiesal, which thanks to you Edelman has brought quite a inspiration to me today on my birthday.
Any person that has survived the holocaust is a back to back champion as much as the L.A Lakers. Thank you
Posted by: Corey j. Tronchin at August 5, 2010 10:33 AM