The WJC: Bringing Jewish History to Life

My late teacher and mentor Elie Wiesel once explained that, “In my tradition we have the expression ‘to be like a bow.' You pull the arrow and you are tense, but you don't let the arrow go, ever. The tension must be there; you don't release it. Well, this is what ... a book should be.” This was my goal for The World Jewish Congress, 1936-2016, the newly published history of the preeminent international Jewish human rights organization that I was privileged to compile and edit: the book had to reflect the different tensions and the diversity of voices that have characterized the World Jewish Congress (WJC) ever since its founding in August of 1936 in the shadow of ever-increasing persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany.