Human Essay: Witness

 A Witness to Humanity

When examining the course of human history, many monumental events stand out, either as testaments to the kindness of humanity or the race’s profound and unforgettable cruelty. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, renowned activist, and respected writer, experienced this cruelty firsthand but used his life experience to shape and inform the changing world of the events taking place within the lives of those affected by immeasurable harm. Wiesel taught of his experiences in the Humanities Department at Boston University, fostering an engaging question-based classroom setting. He challenged his students on their notions of perspective and humanity, led by the diverse lives of those who took his courses combined with his personal story. Ariel Burger, a close friend of Wiesel’s, as well as an assistant within his classroom, chronicled these events in his book Witness: Lessons From Elie Wiesel’s Classroom. Informed by the discussions in Witness, it can be stated that humanity is found within observing the world around you and making personal judgments about the events taking place. When someone is dehumanized, if they are stripped of what makes them inherently “human,” often made part of a larger whole, removed of their individuality, and restricted from personal contemplative thought or questioning. 

Wiesel’s classroom saw many students over the years, and Burger’s introduction of each speaker highlights the diversity present within the classroom. Before reading a student’s statement or question, the reader is informed of that student’s area of study, as well as their name and often another identifying feature about them. Burger makes a clear point to emphasize each student’s individuality, and the questions offered will often convey important points regarding their perspective or background. Within the class, Wiesel makes a clear point to listen to others, bonding over similarities and respectfully discussing differences. After a Catholic student asks him a question that concerns the respect of other religions, Wiesel ends his response with the statement: “The distance between us is not as great as we think it is” (Burger, 2018, p. 61). Witness seeks to teach the reader, as Wiesel taught his students, that humanity is found within all of us, and our experience of getting in touch with it is informed by our experiences and the stories we choose to be a witness to.

On the other hand, dehumanization is referenced in Wiesel’s teachings when he discusses great tragedy by human intentions. One such example comes when Wiesel states that “the killer is as human as we are, but he has chosen to betray his humanity” (Burger, 2018, p. 52). This type of removal from humanity is one of three mentioned within the book, the second of which is the conditioning of those malleable enough to be inducted into a position of harm. Finally, an underlying narrative within Wiesel’s story is the mention of the dehumanization of those undergoing mass tragedy, such as prisoners in the Holocaust. These victims are dehumanized due to their lack of control and the circumstances of their confinement. These three perspectives, one of sought violence, one of pliability, and one of captivity, paint a vivid picture of what it means to be both human and dehumanized. The concept of dehumanization comes into play when people conform to a greater whole, a quantifiable number, united under a certain label or ideal. Once people lose their individuality, they are subject to the treatment and actions of their group or idea, following suit due to a fear of the ostracization or punishment of their peers or captors. Wiesel’s life story, from a teenager within a concentration camp to a world-renowned activist and philosopher, can be examined as a reclamation of his humanity, breaking out of the oppressive systems of his youth to tell his story, from the widespread and respected academic and philosophical communities of the world to the small space of his ever-insightful class.

The story of Witness, almost even more so than Wiesel’s life itself, is the tale of students and a teacher. Ariel Burger is a witness to Wiesel’s story, and he has made us witnesses to his journey through the friendship of his teacher. Within the book, the author contemplates “[what his mission is], as a witness to a witness” (Burger, 2018, p. 229). It is the responsibility of humans to acknowledge the systems around them, and attempt to understand the affects of the actions of the groups they participate in on those within and surrounding their community. From the perspective of a witness, that entails action. The act of remaining a bystander in these troubling scenarios removes the ability to act according to one’s personal biases. Instead of becoming a participant, a bystander loses their sense of individuality, reducing them to a number or statistic. However, if one steps out of their place of observation, they are able to act, becoming more “human” in the process. On the negative side of this act is those who commit harm to others to conform to a desire or demand. They have renounced their humanity for violence, nursing a cycle of cruelty. 

Wiesel’s life is one of intense struggle and immense success, and one of the most profound parts of his story was his hope and faith, both in his spiritual life and in the world that had warred against him. Despite the torture he endured, Elie Wiesel still had the belief that humanity as a race was grounded in good, that any act of violence warred against the humanity of the person committing it. Through his life and work, Wiesel committed himself to the identity of the witness, carrying his story with him, and allowing those close to him insight into the lessons he had learned from it.