Month: July 2023

Elie Wiesel Foundation stands against Uyghur persecution, grants support activism. Interfaith fellowship fosters unity and fights prejudice.

The Elie Wiesel Foundation, named in honor of Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate Elie Wiesel, has allocated grants totaling £420,000 to support organizations championing the cause of the persecuted Uyghur Muslim minority in China. This philanthropic initiative aims to raise awareness about the ongoing Uyghur genocide, coordinate global responses, energize activism, and explore innovative ways to engage conscientious individuals. In addition to supporting Uyghur advocacy, the Foundation is fostering an interfaith fellowship between Black and Jewish college students, promoting unity and understanding amidst the challenges of racism and antisemitism.

Uyghur Advocacy and Awareness

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) are among the organizations receiving grants from the Elie Wiesel Foundation. These groups, along with Jewish World Watch (JWW), will host a Conference of Uyghur activists and allies in New York, seeking to mobilize international support, galvanize activism, and facilitate collaboration among stakeholders. By shedding light on the grave human rights abuses and mass internment of Uyghur Muslims in China, this event aims to rally global action against the atrocities being committed.

Ana Care’s Cultural Preservation Efforts

Ana Care, another recipient of the Foundation’s grant, is dedicated to preserving the Uyghur people’s language, history, and culture. Through interactive programming for schools, communities, and Uyghur families in the diaspora, Ana Care aims to ensure that the rich heritage of the Uyghur community endures despite the oppressive conditions they face. By supporting Ana Care, the Elie Wiesel Foundation acknowledges the importance of safeguarding cultural identities and empowering communities impacted by persecution.

Natan Sharansky’s Perspective

Renowned Jewish human rights activist Natan Sharansky, a member of the grant selection panel, emphasizes the urgency and severity of the Uyghur persecution. Comparing the situation to concentration camps, Sharansky denounces the Chinese regime’s inhumane treatment of Uyghur Muslims, deeming it one of the most significant human rights violations of our time. He also expresses concern about the insufficient response from the international community and calls for a stronger collective effort to address this grave injustice.

The Fellowship Promoting Unity 

In addition to supporting Uyghur advocacy, the Elie Wiesel Foundation is fostering an interfaith fellowship between Black and Jewish college students. In collaboration with Gratz College and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), this one-year fellowship aims to connect the two groups by exploring landmarks of significance to each culture while building common experiences and fostering mutual support. By bringing together these communities affected by racism and antisemitism, the Foundation promotes understanding, empathy, and unity, while paving the way for future collaboration in combating prejudice.

The Elie Wiesel Foundation’s grants and initiatives exemplify the power of effective philanthropy in addressing pressing human rights concerns and fostering unity amidst prejudice. By supporting Uyghur advocacy organizations, the Foundation contributes to the international effort against the ongoing Uyghur genocide. Simultaneously, their interfaith fellowship program bridges the gap between Black and Jewish college students, strengthening solidarity and mutual support in the face of racism and antisemitism. Through the legacy of Elie Wiesel, the Foundation sends a clear message: we must stand together and invest in combating prejudice, regardless of our backgrounds, for a more inclusive and compassionate world.

Elisha Wiesel, son of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, who heads foundation in his father’s name, explains why he’s devoted himself to genocides half a world away from Auschwitz

Elisha Wiesel, the chairman of the foundation and son of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, the foundation’s namesake, spoke to eJewishPhilanthropy over email about why he’s devoted himself to crises half a world away from Auschwitz.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Haley Cohen: What was the rationale for selecting groups working on behalf of the Uyghurs? 

Elisha Wiesel: The attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to erase Uyghur culture represent the largest genocide occurring on the planet today. More than a million Uyghurs are being detained for their ethnicity and faith. Reports of torture have made their way to the West through survivors who have made it out. It is hard to listen to the stories of these survivors without feeling highly motivated to act and amplify their story. Against seemingly impossible odds, my father faced the biggest bully on the planet during the Cold War — the Soviet Union — and over a 25-year period helped build the Soviet Jewry movement. I believe we honor his memory by challenging the Chinese Communist Party to end their mistreatment of the Uyghurs.

HC: With so much geopolitical tension between the U.S. and China, what leverage does the U.S. really have on this issue?

EW: Confronting the Chinese Communist Party on their mistreatment of Uyghurs is, thankfully, a bipartisan issue, enabling rare political agreement that can actually drive change. The Chinese economy is not without its difficulties and relies heavily on the U.S. consumer. Consumers are more socially conscious than ever, and there is an opportunity for major American brands to publicly declare that their supply chains are free of Uyghur forced labor.

HC: China has recently begun to focus on the Middle East and is establishing ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. What are those nations doing to support their Muslim brethren?

EW: Sadly, the Arab League’s recent visit to China was accompanied by a press release which said, “Members of the delegation said that Xinjiang’s society is harmonious, the economy is prosperous and Muslims freely exercise their ethnic and religious rights in accordance with the law.”

HC: Is there any evidence that pressure on China by outside groups has been effective in improving their human rights practices?

EW: We can only hope that people in China will hear the messages that their government has gone too far and will one day use their influence for better treatment of the Uyghurs. As my father said in his 1986 Nobel acceptance speech, [referring to victims of human rights abuses everywhere,] “What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone.”

HC: What are your thoughts about the criticism in some quarters of the Jewish community for “universalizing” the lessons of the Holocaust — in other words, using those lessons to shed light on a situation like the Uyghurs?

EW: My father believed that surviving the Holocaust left him with a mission not only to testify about the genocide that occurred to the Jewish people but also to do what he could to prevent future genocides. We are capable of being morally activated in the present without trivializing or minimizing the past. The detainment and mistreatment of a peaceful population, which poses no threat to China, rightly deserves the international attention, which the Uyghur community are asking for.

Those fighting for China’s persecuted Muslim minority will get a six-figure boost as Natan Sharansky says West’s response is ‘weak’

Advocates of China’s persecuted Uyghur Muslim minority are among those to have been allocated grants totalling £420,000 from a foundation set up in Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s name.

Three recipient organisations – World Uyghur Congress (WUC), Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), and Jewish World Watch (JWW) – will host a Conference of Uyghur activists and allies in New York this winter.

The aim of the event is to galvanise the international response to the ongoing Uyghur genocide, coordinate stakeholders, energise activism, and discuss new ways of engaging citizens of conscience.

Additional grantee Ana Care is working to preserve the Uyghur people’s language, history, and culture through interactive programming for schools, communities, and Uyghur families in the diaspora.

Russian-born Jewish human rights activist Natan Sharansky, who was part of the grant selection panel, said the Chinese regime “de facto keeps the Uyghur people in concentration camps, treating them in the most inhuman way”.

He added that their persecution was “probably the most massive violation of human rights in our time”, but that “the free world’s response is disproportionately weak to the scope of this crime”.

Dr Mehnaz Afridi, director of the Holocaust Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College, said: “I am especially grateful that the Foundation has focused on restoring the dignity of the Uyghur population.

“The work of the Elie Wiesel Foundation is an example of effective philanthropy. The message is loud and clear: that we must work together by investing in all prejudice no matter who we are.”

Further monies went towards a one-year Fellowship between Black and Jewish college students, in collaboration with Gratz College and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

The foundation said it was “committed to jointly facing the challenges of racism and antisemitism”, adding that the Fellowship “will connect these two groups of students by visiting landmarks of importance to each culture while building on common experiences and understanding the need for mutual support”.

Jewish World Watch, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that is dedicated to providing assistance and support to survivors of mass atrocities worldwide, made an exciting announcement on Monday. They have received a portion of a $550,000 grant for their groundbreaking winter conference in New York.

The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity has selected JWW as one of the beneficiaries of its inaugural grant-making cycle. Launched in October 2022, the foundation seeks out and supports organizations whose work aligns with the legacy of Elie Wiesel, a renowned educator, activist, journalist, and man of faith.

Serena Oberstein, the executive director of JWW, expressed her gratitude for being among the first recipients of a grant from the Elie Wiesel Foundation. She stated, “We are honored to be recognized by the foundation and to receive their support.”

Joining JWW as grantees are the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur Human Rights Project. These organizations have been chosen, in part, for their advocacy on behalf of the Uyghur community. The foundation reports that since 2017, over 1.8 million Uyghurs have been forcibly separated from their families and placed in “re-education camps” in northwest China or East Turkestan.

Elisha Wiesel, the chairman of the foundation, explained, “Our inaugural activist portfolio grants are specifically aimed at supporting advocates who are diligently working to restore the rights and dignity of the Uyghur population.” He added, “Elie Wiesel’s legacy represents resilience, optimism, and the responsibility we all share to strive for a world without genocide.”

The $550,000 grant will be used to support a winter conference in New York, where Uyghur activists and allies will gather to address the international response to the Uyghur genocide. JWW officials believe that the conference will foster collaboration among various stakeholders and invigorate ongoing Uyghur activism.

Omer Kanat, the executive director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project, expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to work alongside the Elie Wiesel Foundation, Jewish World Watch, and the World Uyghur Congress. He said, “The December conference will serve as a powerful demonstration of solidarity and our unwavering commitment to the principle of ‘never again’. We will also use this platform to call for further action against the ongoing genocide.”

This significant grant and the upcoming conference highlight the dedication and collaborative efforts of organizations striving to make a lasting impact in the fight against mass atrocities and the protection of human rights.

The grants aim to help shed light on China’s genocide of Uyghurs, foundation head says.

The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity has awarded grants amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars to three Uyghur groups dedicated to Uyghur rights advocacy and education amid ongoing repression against the mostly Muslim ethnic group by Chinese authorities.

The Germany-based World Uyghur Congress and U.S.-based Uyghur Human Rights Project were selected as grantees for planning to host a conference of Uyghur allies and activists later this year in New York to discuss the international response to the persecution of Uyghurs, which the U.S. government and other Western parliaments have labeled a genocide.

They will hold the event along with Jewish World Watch, another grantee.

The third Uyghur organization selected as a grantee is Ana Care and Education, a nonprofit based in Virginia, in the United States, that provides programs for Uyghur families living in the diaspora to preserve their language, history and culture.

The grantees were selected “based on their commitment to advocating for the Uyghur community, who are being unlawfully detained by the Chinese government in an effort to create a single-ethnic state,” the nonprofit organization said in a statement issued on Monday.

Grants totaling US$550,000 were awarded to the activist organizations as well as to four other nonprofits for educational fellowships, though the specific amounts for each were not given.

The grant-making initiative, launched in October 2022, supports organizations whose efforts are grounded by the values of Elie Wiesel, a writer, educator, political activist and Holocaust survivor who died in 2016.

Wiesel and his wife, Marion, set up the foundation after he received the 1986 Nobel Prize for Peace.

Elisha Wiesel, Elie’s son and chairman of the foundation, told Radio Free Asia that by using the money to shed light on the Uyghur genocide, the world will learn about the crimes that are occurring in Xinjiang.

“The largest genocide on the planet is [that of the] Uyghur minority,” Elisha Wiesel said. “Right now, the Chinese government is trying to end their Muslim practices, trying to assimilate their faith, and as is in many ways trying to end their identity as a people, including the use of detainment camps.”

“We feel it is the cause that is the most severe on the planet, and yet not many people are speaking about it.”

Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, said the grant is important because it will help make the world accept the genocide, gain the world’s sympathy, and make the Jewish community more aware of the Uyghur issue and act upon it.

Sureyya Kashgary, director of Ana Care & Education, said her organization received a $50,000 grant for school-based learning for students and adults that connect them to their Uyghur ancestry.

Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

Jewish World Watch, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit committed to bringing help and healing to survivors of mass atrocities across the globe, announced Monday it received a share of a $550,000 grant for its landmark winter conference in New York.

The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity awarded JWW as one of its first beneficiaries of its inaugural grant-making cycle. Launched in October 2022, the foundation identifies and supports organizations whose efforts are grounded by Elie Wiesel’s legacy as an educator, activist, journalist and a man of faith.

“We are honored to be among the first organizations to receive a grant from the Elie Wiesel Foundation,” Serena Oberstein, executive director of JWW, said in a statement.

JWW is joined by World Uyghur Congress and Uyghur Human Rights Project as grantees, selected in-part for their advocacy of and for the Uyghur community. At least 1.8 million Uyghurs have been separated from their families and forced into “re-education camps” since 2017 in northwest China or East Turkestan, according to the foundation.

“Our inaugural activist portfolio grants are laser-focused toward advocates working purposefully and urgently toward restoring the rights and dignity of the Uyghur population,” Elisha Wiesel, chairman of the foundation, said in a statement.

“For those of us working at the intersection of Judaism and activism, Elie Wisel’s legacy represents perseverance, hope and the obligation each of us has to work for a world free of genocide.”

The $550,000 grant will support the trio’s winter conference of Uyghur activists and allies in New York to address the international response of Uyghur genocide.

JWW officials said the conference is intended to build collaboration among stakeholders and energize current efforts of Uyghur activism.

“The opportunity to work alongside our valued allies at the Eli Wiesel Foundation and in collaboration with Jewish World Watch and World Uyghur Congress is of enormous value,” Omer Kanat, executive director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project, said in a statement.

“The conference in December will be a chance to demonstrate a commitment to upholding the vow of `never again’ in solidarity, and to call for further action to stop ongoing genocide.”

Grants totaling $550,000 to be awarded to Organizations supporting Elie Wiesel’s Values and Mission