This came to me at just the right time. I will not make parellels between the world in May 2020 and life for a Jewish rabbi in the ghettos under the Nazis, but I think it is possible that the questions of the Rabbi amd his lament in this ring true for all of us seeking for answers from God. I hope my response to evil is as steadfast of that of the Rabbi.

So glad to have been introduced to this gem which only Elie Wiesel could have written. A treasure which I hope will be widely read. It is a great addition to his body of work as well as to Jewish literature.

"all I know is
that there is night
around me
and in me;
and I am sinking,
drawn by its silence,
which is God’s, too."

"The Tale of a Niggun" is a narrative poem written by Elie Wiesel and published in a collection of essays in 1978. It is written in free verse and accompanied by illustrations best viewed in print. Wiesel’s son, Elisha Wiesel, discovered that the heartbreaking poem of a rabbi deciding the fate of a ghetto’s Jews was loosely based on true events during World War II in two Polish ghettos.

"What should we do
or say?
ask the leaders
of the ghetto
somewhere in the East
under forbidden
and cursed skies;
what can we do
so as not to be doomed?"

It is beautifully written and expressive. Wiesel’s verse humanizes the moral dilemma of the rabbi. Does he give up ten Jews to save the rest, or does he refuse to participate in this cruel experiment and thus doom the community to suffer extermination? It is The Trolley Problem in real life; would you switch the track to kill one person and thus save five? Or would you refuse to be complicit and witness a tragic loss of more lives?

The rabbi turns to religious scholars of the past and asks for their guidance, but ultimately he is the one who must choose. "The Tale of a Niggun" does conclude the story with a definitive answer instead of leaving it open-ended, but it allows you the space to ponder what you would do in his shoes.

Recommended for fans of Wiesel’s most famous work, "Night," and those not scared by a little free verse.

Elie Wiesel is an author you cannot ignore. His stories are too powerful. The words alone in this poem provide such a moving story, they could have gone unaided. However, the images add an extra element that elevates the entire piece. Incredibly moving.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Heartbreaking and uplifting. The Tale of the Niggun tells of a song that unites the Jews, even while facing slaughter. Their faith and love will live on. Elie Wiesel writes a lyrical, beautiful poem that evokes such sadness and strength of spirit.

Elie Wiesel is an elegant writer of history, personal and universal, community faith and accountability. His storytelling in The Tale of the Niggun, in the form of a short narrative poem based on an actual event during World War II, is powerful and poignant. The text was first published by Wiesel in 1978, in a collection of essays, and brought to the attention of his family after his death.

The Tale of a Niggun (“niggun” is a joyful melody, without words, that breaks evil chains) is steeped in Jewish culture and history. It feels strikingly so timely: a community is threatened and seeks a solution from a variety of wise revered leaders. An answer seems impossible, until the community gathers to sing: a universe of souls in and out of time. I thought of balconies and music filling the streets and cities bringing hope in perilous times. Life and Death times.

The pastel-colored illustrations by Mark Podwal are sparse and beautifully rendered for the text.

Elie Wiesel received many honors and awards in his life, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. In his writings and life work he earned and owned the word “noble”.

There is a beauty and a pain in this kind of simplicity in writing, and nobody seems to manage that better than Elie Wiesel. This is a heart wrenching poem written about a Rabbi in one the the World War II ghettos, who has to decide who among his people to send to the Nazis as reparation for the ten sons of Haman. To know this is based in reality is especially hard, as Purim is a time for joy and happiness in having defeated those who would see us dead, and such a twisting of the story by the Nazis is difficult to look at.

After consulting with many of the Rabbis of the ages, and finding little hope in anything that they give, the smallest amount of hope is ascribed to a niggun given by the Ba’al Shem Tov. A song sung to dispel evil and enemies, it comes to the forefront when the Nazis return in the morning, with the Rabbi refusing to give any one of his people up, the song of their ancestors filling their souls as they face their death.

This book speaks to the inherent connection that every Jewish person feels, that kinship that is so untouchable but so tangible. There is so much sadness in this short book, but so much deep connection and courage in the face of horror is something that cuts down to the soul. The illustrations are also beautiful, and stirred a lot of emotions when seen in conjunction with the poem. A beautiful piece but one that will linger long after reading.

A Niggun is a prayer that is chanted, usually at the beginning of a Jewish prayer service. This particular Niggun 2as written as poetry by Elie Weisel. As the musical part of the niggun, its difficult to say if it would lead you to a meditative state.

The Tale of a Niggun by Elie Wiesel is a short but beautiful narrative poem, delivered with devastating impact, and one that shouldn't be missed, whether you're new to Wiesel's works or this posthumous release is your first experience with his writings.

The story he tells is one that is devastating and almost hopeless, offering up a short trip through the history of Jewish writers to provide wisdom. The overarching message is that Jews are stronger together, and the most important part of Jewishness is community. It is heartbreaking, but it offers up a strange sense of hope. Elisha Wiesel's introduction presents the story with added context, and Mark Podwal's illustrations offer up a subtle sense of comfort and calm amongst devastating words.

This poem is beautiful, and I recommend it for sure. I would obviously suggest it with caution since it is painful, but the description of the story the book provides is plenty of warning.

Elie Weisel has such a powerful mastery of words - this is a beautiful, poetic telling of an actual event that expresses such sorrow, such angst, and then such joy in their togetherness in God's hands. It's heartbreaking but joyous at the same time.

All for one, and one for all!

Wiesel is well known for his poetry writing style. His account of the Holocaust (he is a survivor) can help but move the reader. This one deals with choices, as a Rabbi is forced to surrender 10 Jews or fight against an entire army. The desperation, sadness, guilt is written with such simplicity it's beautiful while being dramatic.

Elie Wiesel offers a narrative poem depicting a true event which occurred during WWII. On the eve of Purim, the Nazis demand that the Jews give them ten names of Jews to be sacrificed to avenge the deaths of the ten sons of Haman. If the leaders refuse, the entire ghetto will be killed. They seek the counsel of their Rabbi as to how to decide. The rabbi seeks counsel from his religious books and from rabbis throughout the ages. In the morning, all get an answer that none of them could have foreseen.

The poem, accompanied by beautiful illustrations, brought me to tears. Once again, Wiesel shows the power of words and the strength of the Jewish people.

My thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions here are my own.

A Jewish ghetto under Nazi rule, somewhere in Europe. A rabbi is beseeched by the community elders to solve their problem, for the Nazis are demanding ten sacrifices – ten people of the faith to be killed for Purim, and they need his sagacity to tell them which ten. As a result, he consults with his faith, and finally finds an answer that manages to force the Nazis to use a lot more bullets than they might have expected, but that also means they lose…

This poem, which reads to me like pleasant prose, with no need to be displayed as verse, is a very good introduction, if one is needed, to Elie Wiesel conveying the Holocaust through fiction, although it is based on true incidents. It has a wonderful way of showing how the thinkers the rabbi consults, from the founding days of Hassidism, come to life for the man, and even though he only holds dusty scrolls in his hands, the texts are ways for him to dialogue with his forefathers. Of course, the final message is of more importance to the piece, which is where the niggun comes in. A word I was not aware of, not even an acceptable Scrabble word, and not a word you say on the New York subway without the clearest of diction, it's a religious piece of music for Jews. I'll say no more, to leave the pleasure of finding the plot of this compact little narrative open for all to find. Presented as a rarity since first debuting in the late 1970s (Wiesel's own son didn't know about it until much more recently, it seems), this edition comes with pleasant and strong visuals from the painter, Mark Podwal, who successfully shows the symbols of Judaism, the books and their authors as present in the discussion, the balance of power between the community and the Nazis, and finally the architecture of the Jews – their home, their shul – as beats on the song of life, which is what they are proven to be here. L'Chaim.

Its been ages since I read such a powerful book. It got on to show that you do not need hundreds of pages to make an impact. You can move strong emotions just in a few lines or few pages. This is one side of World War II which has been shown so differently; a situation in which even the most learned, the elder and the Godman felt being at loss of words and had to approach the ancestors and spirits of learned souls over hundreds of years for guidance.

Even the most difficult of situations can be handled differently, even when all hope is gone, you can still pick up yourself and march into the jaws of death singing and embracing the times with both the hands.

This book was so beautiful

It was told through verse and I devoured it in one go. Such powerful language and imagery.

Would definitely recommend