The Sunflower

Mr. Simon Wiesenthal recently passed away. Probably better known for his work in hunting down former Nazis who somehow escaped justice, Mr. Wiesenthal also wrote at least one book, The Sunflower.

Mr. Wiesenthal was a Jewish prisoner of war who watched death all around him every single day. In this powerful book, Mr. Wiesenthal tells about an encounter he had with a young Nazi soldier who lay on his deathbed. This soldier had requested that a Jew, "any Jew", be brought before him so that he could ask forgiveness for his part in the war. You see, the young Nazi had been seriously wounded in battle and was not going to live much longer.

Mr. Wiesenthal's book has been edited several times to allow for some pretty serious discussion about the possibilities and limits of forgiveness when he solicited comments from religious leaders and thinkers from around the world. The Nazi had asked Mr. Wiesenthal to forgive him, but Mr. Wiesenthal ran from the room without uttering a word. Twenty-five years later when he wrote the book, he was still grappling with whether he should have forgiven the soldier.

This is a powerful book that will play with emotions the likes of which few of us could possibly identify, having never suffered in such a way. Mr. Wiesenthal left many good gifts to our world, not the least of which was The Sunflower.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Wiesenthal.