A Beggar in Jerusalem by Elie Wiesel
"A Beggar in Jerusalem" by Elie Wiesel is a poignant novel narrated by David, a character grappling with the weight of his cultural and historical legacy as a Jewish survivor. Set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Six-Day War in June 1967, the story explores themes of survival, identity, and the complexities of hope amidst despair. David, grappling with feelings of guilt and the perceived abandonment of God during the Holocaust, seeks a sense of purpose through his experiences at the front and his relationships with others, particularly his fallen comrade Katriel.
As the narrative unfolds, the celebrations in Jerusalem serve as a powerful symbol of unity and resilience for the Jewish people, merging the joy of victory with the somber remembrance of loss. Through laughter and a newfound self-discovery, David attempts to reconcile his past with the present, ultimately choosing to marry Katriel's widow in a gesture of companionship rather than romantic love. Wiesel's work invites readers to reflect on the broader themes of suffering and redemption, offering a message of optimism and the possibility of renewal for those haunted by history, while acknowledging the ongoing struggles of marginalized communities. The novel stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of a people who continue to seek joy amidst their tribulations.
On this Page
A Beggar in Jerusalem by Elie Wiesel
First published:Le Mendiant de Jérusalem, 1968 (English translation, 1970)
The Work
A Beggar in Jerusalem is told in the first person by David, heir to a bloody history of anti-Semitic persecutions. It is a novel in which Jewish survivors of destruction must confront their miraculous escape. In the process, although they suffer from guilt and anger, they ultimately forge an identity based on hope.
In June, 1967, the forty-year-old David goes to fight against the united Arab armies. He wishes to die in order to finally overcome the despair caused by God’s abandonment of the Jews during World War II and by his own pointless survival. At the front, he meets Katriel, and both soon agree that whoever comes back will tell the other’s story. Israel wins a resounding victory in what comes to be called the Six-Day War, and as the narrative opens, there are celebrations all over the land, especially in Jerusalem. Katriel, however, does not come back.
David not only tells his comrade’s story—much as King David told of Absalom—but also wonders whether he ought to live it as well. This he does, at the end, by marrying Katriel’s widow, not out of love, which would imply a total gift of self and of which he does not feel himself capable, but rather out of affection and sympathy, perhaps out of friendship. The hero has realized that, beyond suffering and bitterness, he can arrive at self-discovery.
Whereas Albert Camus favored revolt in the face of the absurd, Wiesel advocates laughter. By laughing one succeeds in conquering oneself, and by dominating one’s fear one learns to laugh: “Let our laughter drown all the noises of the earth, all the regrets of mankind.” There is no longer a need to search for an antidote against distress, but simply to abandon oneself to the joy of an event without precedent—the reunion of Israel with Jerusalem, uniting those absent and present, the fighters and mad beggars, in similar euphoria and similar ecstasy: “I want to laugh and it is my laughter I wish to offer to Jerusalem, my laughter and not my tears.”
In his tireless attempt to understand the awesome and terrifying mystery of Jewish suffering, the once-tormented David is resolutely optimistic, for the recaptured Jerusalem means the end of despair for Jews in Israel and abroad. The victory celebrations are a memorial to the dead, a song to and of life, and an appeal in behalf of history’s wandering outcasts—the allegorical beggars who, after the annihilation of European Jewry, have come to Jerusalem to give God the last chance to save his people.
Bibliography
Abrahamson, Irving, ed. Against Silence: The Voice and Vision of Elie Wiesel, 1985 (three volumes).
Berenbaum, Michael. The Vision of the Void: Theological Reflections on the Works of Elie Wiesel, 1979.
Brown, Robert McAfee. Elie Wiesel: Messenger to All Humanity, 1983.
Cargas, Harry James. Harry James Cargas in Conversation with Elie Wiesel, 1976.
Estess, Ted L. Elie Wiesel. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1980.
Ezrahi, Sidra DeKoven. By Words Alone: The Holocaust in Literature, 1980.
Fine, Ellen S. Legacy of Night: The Literary Universe of Elie Wiesel, 1982.
Green, Mary Jean. “Witness to the Absurd: Elie Wiesel and the French Existentialists,” in Renascence. XXIX (1977), pp. 170-184.
Patterson, David. In Dialogue with Elie Wiesel. Wakefield, N.H.: Longwood Academic, 1991.
Rosenfeld, Alvin H., and Irving Greenberg, eds. Confronting the Holocaust: The Impact of Elie Wiesel, 1979.
Roth, John K. A Consuming Fire: Encounters with Elie Wiesel and the Holocaust, 1979.
Sibelman, Simon P. “The Mystical Union: A Re-Examination of Elie Wiesel’s Le Mendiant de Jérusalem.” Literature and Theology 7, no. 2 (June, 1993): 186-197.