About the Witness Institute

The Witness Institute, founded by Rabbi Dr. Ariel Burger and Elisha Wiesel, is a project dedicated to continuing the work of Elie Wiesel. Its flagship program is a 15-month fellowship for emerging leaders. By studying Elie Wiesel’s life and legacy, and the important themes and methods to which he returned again and again, in a nurturing and supportive environment, leaders with high potential to influence society will become morally empowered people who will influence their communities. Consisting of semi-annual retreats, ongoing online learning, weekly 1-1 study, and summative projects, the Witness Institute will create an ever-expanding community of leaders to build a more moral world.

From Elisha Wiesel

I am proud to be embarking on a new path with my friend, Rabbi Dr. Ariel Burger. We are a son AND a student of my father, Elie Wiesel z”l. We believe that all of us who live in this fractured world that my father left almost five years ago so desperately need his understanding – of ethics, activism, and how to battle hatred and indifference – in order to respond to the challenges we face.

Together we are launching The Witness Institute, a 15-month fellowship for emerging leaders. Through in-person retreats, online learning, and applied projects, Fellows will explore my father’s life and legacy, his ideas and methods, in order to apply them to their own leadership and activism, deepen their impact, and illuminate the world.

Will you join a son and a student in our goal to increase my father’s presence in this world?