Elie Wiesel charity vows to fight on despite being swindled in Madoff affair

Elie Wiesel and his wife Marion decided to establish the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity after the feted Holocaust survivor was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

The foundation's goals, as sketched out by Wiesel, attested to his past and his experience as a survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. As a man who claims that apathy on the part of countries and individuals was one of the factors that set in motion the Nazi apparatus of mass destruction, one of Wiesel's top priorities was to combat the indifference towards suffering and distress that were a daily reality for those in regions of conflict.

Well past his 80th birthday, Wiesel's world turned dark last week. All the money which was raised for his foundation over the years courtesy of grants and contributions totaling $15.2 million went down the drain overnight following the collapse of the investment fund managed by Bernard Madoff, who now stands accused of masterminding a $50 billion fraud scheme.

An associate of Wiesel told Haaretz that they would not let the Madoff affair put an end to the foundation's activities, adding that since news of the losses broke, hundreds of well-wishers have sent donations and words of encouragement to the foundation through the Internet. On Thursday alone, the foundation received a total of 136 donations.

The associate added that although these were small donations, the level of support has been moving.

One initiative that is considered dearest to Eli and Marion Wiesel is the two education centers they established a few years ago, one in Kiryat Malachi and another in Ashkelon. Some 1,000 students - most of which are of Ethiopian origin - receive instruction in these centers.

The maintenance costs of the centers, the Beit Tzipora Centers, which were named after Wiesel's younger sister who perished in the Holocaust, are covered by the foundation with help from the municipalities.

Another enterprise the foundation holds dear is an essay competition for American university students. Hundreds of students annually submit written compositions dealing with the subject of ethics and can win up to $5,000.

"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," The Elie Wiesel Foundation said in a statement released in New York on Wednesday. "We 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," the statement read. "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."