Monsieur Chouchani

Teacher

1895 – 1968

17

Who was Monsieur Chouchani?

Monsieur Chouchani (מר שושני in Hebrew) , or "Shushani," is the nickname of an otherwise anonymous and enigmatic Jewish teacher who taught a small number of distinguished students in post-World War II Europe and elsewhere, including Emmanuel Levinas and Elie Wiesel.

Not much is known about "M. Chouchani," including his real name, a secret which he zealously guarded. His origins are completely unknown, and his gravestone reads, "The wise Rabbi Chouchani of blessed memory. His birth and his life are sealed in enigma." The text is by Elie Wiesel who paid for this gravestone. The name "Shushani," which means "person from Shushan," is most probably an allegorical reference, or possibly a pun. Elie Wiesel hypothesizes that Chouchani's real name was Mordechai Rosenbaum, while Hebrew University professor Shalom Rosenberg asserts that Chouchani's actual name was Hillel Perlman. An article published by Yael Levine in 2015, based on genealogical research, brought documentation supporting the view that Chouchani was none other than Perlman, a native of Brest-Litovsk (Brisk).

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Born
Jan 9, 1895
Profession
Died
Jan 26, 1968
Montevideo

Submitted
on May 06, 2018

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