Eric Kandel & Elie Wiesel @ 92nd Y

Last night @ the 92ndY there was an unforgettable panel consisting of Dr. Eric Kandel, Elie Wiesel and facilitator, Dr. Gail Saltz.  Dr. Kandel is a pioneer in the study of neuropsychiatry and awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the brain & memory.  Author, Elie Wiesel has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Peace Prize.  (It was an honor to be in the presence of two such distinguished humanitarians.) Dr. Gail Saltz mediated the powerful discussion.  She is a psychiatrist and contributing TV reporter for NBC, CBS & CNN on various psychological issues.  The focus of the panel was to explore the mysteries of memory.  How we remember, why memories are so vital & ways to alter or enhance our memories.  Both Kandel & Wiesel experienced heinous crimes inflicted on Jews during the Holocaust as young boys. Their mutual respect and camaraderie was apparent. They both said their experiences and memories have motivated them to do what they do.  Wiesel calls himself a teacher above all else and is compelled to remember everything. He has made it his mission to insure his memories will continue to live on.  Kandel escaped the horrors of the concentration camps but his mission has become the study of the brain and to understand how memory works.  Both agreed that without memory, there would be no civilization, no culture; memory is what distinguishes us as human beings.  Wiesel said, "Life is the sum of moments and moments belong to memory.  I want to remember everything. Not to live in the past but have the past live in me."  Kandel said that the most important word in the Bible is "remember."  Dr. Kandel discussed the physiology of how memories are formed in the brain, how memories are stored & morph, and how to enhance memories.  Wiesel ended the evening saying, "The art of survival is memory."  The discussion made an indelible impression in the synapsis in my brain.  I was privileged to have attended.  In the row in front of me was a group of young people (13-15.)  I thought, they are the last generation to hear first hand from those who survived the Holocaust and the onus to Remember is upon them.