Brian Josepher

The Gospel According to Elie Wiesel Brian Josepher

Who was the real Elie Wiesel? The historical record, as developed by historians, biographers, journalists, activists, theologians and philosophers, portrays him as a righteous man. A Tzaddik, in Jewish traditions. A fascinating dynamic helps to explain the rendering. Wiesel always served as the central source. His version of his story, as he alone laid it out, absolutely dominated. Critical appraisal was nonexistent.

Big questions endured. How really did a Hasidic Jew from small town Transylvania become the docent of Auschwitz? How did a yeshiva bocher, or a religious student, transform into a Nobel Peace Prize laureate?

This project tracks those developments. After a decade of independent research, a new Elie Wiesel emerges. The Wiesel of lore - modest, somber, passive, shy - becomes a far more cagey, hungry, political force. One word guides his direction. Ambitious. In the Wiesel-controlled narrative, ambition was as ugly as crematoria chimneys. In these pages, ambition forms the fundamental foundation. The Wiesel of lore - a coward survivor - becomes a rough elbower.

The Gospel According to Elie Wiesel is a first of its kind. A rigorously researched, deeply penetrating, absorbing and thoughtful deconstruction of a man and his tales. At its heart, this biography wanders into some important terrain. Where does the persona end and the true Elie Wiesel begin?
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