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Super Soul · August 12, 2026 · 35:24

Elie Wiesel: Living with an Open Heart

In this re-released conversation from 2012, Elie Wiesel reflects on the heart surgery that forced him to confront his mortality. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor talks about how facing the operation led him to re-examine his career and deepen his devotion to his family. He also discusses the memoir Open Heart and what he hopes will be the destiny of his life's work. Wiesel was 15 when he was sent to Auschwitz; his firsthand account, Night, is considered one of the most important books of our time. The episode includes the memory of his 2006 return to Auschwitz to walk the grounds with Oprah.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Canon

Wiesel explains how facing a life-saving heart operation brought fears that pushed him to re-examine his career and deepen his devotion to his family.

Highlights

Writing Night as firsthand witness to the Holocaust
Wiesel was 15 when he was sent to Auschwitz, and his firsthand account of the Holocaust, Night, became what many consider one of the most important books of our time.
The 2006 return to Auschwitz
In 2006, Wiesel returned to Auschwitz, walked the grounds of the 6,700-acre complex with Oprah, and reflected on the lives lost there.
The hoped-for destiny of his life's work
Wiesel explains what he hopes will be the destiny of his life's work.

References

NightElie WieselWiesel's firsthand account of the Holocaust, considered one of the most important books of our time
Open HeartElie WieselWiesel's memoir about his life-changing heart surgery and its aftermath

Misc

Wiesel was 15 years old when he was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In 2006, he returned to Auschwitz to walk the grounds of the 6,700-acre complex with Oprah and reflect on the lives lost there.
He passed away in 2016 at his home in Manhattan at age 87.
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