The Wiesel Symposium 2026: We are Living Lessons

The Inaugural Wiesel Symposium will be a two-day gathering and learning journey focused on the theme: We are Living Lessons. With plenary sessions, panels, and other learning opportunities, attendees will experience the teachings of Professor Wiesel and the personal humanitarian commitment of he and his wife, Marion, through the voices of those who were close to them.

Info: With remarks from Eric Stillman, President and CEO of The Florida Holocaust Museum, and Michael A. Igel, FHM Board Member and Chair of The Wiesel Legacy & Archive Council

Info: Transportation will be provided to and from all excursions. 1:40 is when buses begin loading.

Info: From 1973-2016 Elie Wiesel and Carolyn Johnston taught different Winter Term classes together at Eckerd College. Each year twenty students were in the seminars. They share their experiences in their classes and the profound impact Elie Wiesel has had in their lives.

Info: In this intimate fireside chat-style conversation, Elisha Wiesel reflects on lesser-known quotes from Professor Wiesel’s speeches and writings. These passages never became famous but carry the same moral urgency as his most celebrated words. Together, we'll explore what these words mean to him personally, and how the rest of us might carry them forward.

Info: Elisha Wiesel spent 25 years at Goldman Sachs, building risk systems the firm relied on through a financial crisis and eventually setting technology direction for thousands of engineers. In this frank, unscripted conversation with Wiesel Council Chair Michael Igel, Elisha talks openly about the calls he made under real pressure, and how much of the man making them was shaped by growing up the son of Elie and Marion Wiesel. With welcome by Stacy Conroy, Board Chair of The Florida Holocaust Museum.

Info: The Mishna insist that we must know “where we are going to.” In a variety of writings and lectures, Prof. Wiesel embraces and comments on this central teaching of the Sages. Our session will examine how Prof. Wiesel’s profound understanding of ancient Jewish teachings serve as a guide to a daily life filled with care and purpose.

Info: This panel will explore the ways The Foundation is carrying forward Elie & Marion’s work to promote understanding, human dignity and moral leadership around the world. From almost forty years of the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics, a college essay competition that specifically encourages principles of moral responsibility, human dignity and ethical leadership, to the Beit Tzipora program serving six hundred Ethiopian and other Israelis families to human rights advocacy in the U.S., Ukraine, Sudan and beyond, The Foundation is building a stronger, more humane and civics-minded community. Join us to hear more about how you can join the work and sustain Elie and Marion’s legacy.

Info: What does Professor Wiesel’s vast and profound legacy offer us as we consider our collective future? What aspects of his approach to teaching and learning can we apply to today’s moral questions? How does Professor Wiesel's innovative thinking about ethics support emerging leaders who will need to respond? As our world faces overwhelming moral challenges, how might we invest in the next generation of moral leaders in a “Wieselian” way? Join members of the Witness Institute to learn from their experience and consider lessons and insights for our own moral leadership.

Info: To close the 2026 Wiesel Symposium, join nationally-recognized strategist and speaker Deb Turcott for an inspiring intersection of key learnings from throughout The Wiesel Symposium and your daily life, bringing Professor Wiesel’s teachings and direction into practical, applicable tools for your personal and professional relationships, career, and personal growth. Her session will create a bridge between Professor Wiesel’s lessons and modern-day circumstances so attendees can create a personal roadmap fueled by his guidance. Deb’s authentic and engaging, sometimes humorous style helps audiences connect to their learning experiences, leaving you with a path forward you can act upon.

Info: With Michael A. Igel & Professor Carolyn Johnston

Info: Transportation will be provided to and from all excursions.

Info: With remarks from Eric Stillman, President and CEO of The Florida Holocaust Museum

Info: Join Opening Reception Sponsor Reza Yazdani for brunch at Marina Bay, adjacent to Eckerd College. Transportation and brunch provided by Reza Yazdani and Marina Bay.

Event venue & nearby stays

The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection, 501 5th Avenue Northeast, St. Petersburg, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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