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• Jewish author, teacher, activist and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Shortly thereafter, Wiesel founded The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, whose mission is to "combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality."The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: About Us

  On February 26, 2009, Wiesel admitted his charity lost $15.2 million, and he lost all of his personal life savings with accused Ponzi scheme artist Bernard Madoff.New York Times: Elie Wiesel Levels Scorn at Madoff (February 26, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: September 30, 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania (now Romania)
  2. Entered Auschwitz at age 15Academy of Achievement: Elie Wiesel Biography>
  3. Both his parents died in concentration campsThe Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: Elie Wiesel
  4. Has written more than 40 booksThe Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: Elie Wiesel
  5. Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University since 1976 NobelPrize.org: Elie Wiesel Biography
  6. Named Chairman of the President's Commission on the Holocaust by Jimmy Carter in 1978The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: Elie Wiesel
  7. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Freedom in 1985Academy of Achievement: Elie Wiesel Biography
  8. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986
  9. Bernard Madoff's firm reportedly handled all investments for The Elie Wiesel Foundation for HumanityBloomberg: Bernard Madoff Arrest Stirs Worry Among Nonprofits (December 15, 2008)

• Quotes

  "And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe."The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: Nobel Prize Speech

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Holocaust | Nobel Prize | Nobel Peace Prize Winners | Bernard Madoff | Auschwitz | Yad Vashem | Liliane Bettencourt | Aung San Suu Kyi | Anne Frank YouTube

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