We are deeply saddened and distressed that we, along with many others, have been the victims of what may be one of the largest investment frauds in history. We are writing to inform you that the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity had $15.2 million under management with Bernard Madoff Investment Securities. This represented substantially all of the Foundation's assets.

 The values we stand for are more needed than ever. We want to assure you that the Foundation remains committed to carrying on the lifelong work of our founder, Elie Wiesel. We shall not be deterred from our mission to combat indifference, intolerance, and injustice around the world.  

At this difficult time, the Foundation wishes to express its profound gratitude for all your support.

                                                 The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity

Madoff Update: One Year Later

To Our Friends:

The year 2009 started as an "Annus Horribilis" but we are able to report that with hard work and determination it was a productive year for The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.  Thanks to generosity from around the country and world, with donations from $5 and up, we are pleased to let you know that we are able to honor all of our commitments and continue all of our projects.

Our two Beit Tzipora Centers in Israel, which provide after-school educational programs for close to 1,000 Ethiopian-Israeli children and teenagers, remain among the Foundation's main projects.  We continue to prepare these students for their higher education examinations and this year's test results were the strongest to date.

Seeking to address the dire needs of Darfurian and Sudanese refugees who have found shelter in Israel, our Foundation's two year-old project, in collaboration with the Bialik-Rogozin School in Tel-Aviv, provides their children with after-school educational opportunities they desperately need.  With our help, the children are adapting to life in Israeli society.  Our work in Israel is constantly expanding and will remain at the heart of the mission of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.

Our other programs continued to flourish in 2009.  In its 20th year, our Ethics Essay Contest for juniors and seniors in U.S. colleges and universities received hundreds of essays of high caliber.  The all-day Ethics Seminar we host in conjunction with the Award Ceremony proved to be highly successful.  In honor of the 20th anniversary a celebration was held in October, hosted by Mutual of America and our coporate sponsor LRN.  This year's winners were joined by previous winners from the history of the contest, all of whom spoke about the impact of the contest on their lives.  In conjunction with our 20th anniversary, a book of winning essays from the span of the contest is planned by Yale University Press for next spring.

Responding to our core mission to fight injustice, indifference and intolerance, the Young Friends of the EWF was formed by college students determined to help see our work continue.  Its first benefit at the 92nd Street Y in Tribeca honored Golden Globe Award winning actress and Oscar nominee Natalie Portman with the inaugural Young Friends Award.  A fashion show and raffle helped make for a successful and fun evening.

As you know, 2009 was a very difficult year for our small Foundation.  Were it not for the incredibly generosity of old friends and new supporters, we would not be able to continue our efforts.  We want you to know how very grateful we are to everyone.