Current Foundation Activities
Prize in Ethics
We believe in the power of ideas and their ability to change the world. It is through these ideas that we can inspire millions to witness, learn, teach, share, protest and reflect. As such, each year we award five Prize in Ethics scholarships to qualifying college juniors and seniors who are unafraid to take action against injustices and stand up for what is right, even when it’s hard. Entrants must submit an essay that articulates with clarity an ethical issue that they have encountered and analyze what it has taught them about ethics and themselves to be considered.
2014 Honorable Mention winner Katelyn Edwards with Professor Wiesel
Students at Beit Tzipora
Current Foundation Activities
Beit Tzipora
In the mid-1990’s, soon after thousands of Ethiopian Jews were rescued from violence and persecution in Africa, The Elie Wiesel Foundation created two educational centers in the State of Israel. These Beit Tzipora Centers – named in memory of Elie Wiesel’s younger sister, who died in Auschwitz – are located in Ashkelon and Kiryat Malachi, and focus on educating the Ethiopian-Jewish community and giving Ethiopian-Israeli young people the opportunity to grow, excel, and participate fully in Israeli society. The centers currently enroll more than 1,000 boys and girls in after-school programs and serve as a model for other schools.
We created the Beit Tzipora Centers because there was a great need for the Ethiopian children to feel they were learning and being cared for in general. They give the children a sense of importance and give them similar learning privileges that other children in Israel enjoy. Visiting the Centers, it is so rewarding to see how happy the children are and how wonderful their teachers are.Marion Wiesel about Beit Tzipora
Current Foundation Activities
Uyghur Advocacy
Your voice is a powerful asset that can be used to bring attention to issues and suffering around the world. The Foundation is committed to calling attention to the plight of they Uyghur Muslim community in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) of northwest China. Elie Wiesel believed in thoughtful dialogue and giving voice to the voiceless. The Foundation encourages all who feel moved to start meaningful conversations about the suffering of the Uyghur people and educate themselves about the crisis, the movement, and the organizations who are actively working toward positive change.
To learn more about the Uyghur crisis, please read the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s report: “To Make Us Slowly Disappear” The Chinese Government’s Assault on the Uyghurs
Elie Wiesel addressing the United Nations General Assembly on January 24, 2005
Elie and Marion Wiesel visiting with students at Beit Tzipora
Current Foundation Activities
Grantmaking
Coming Soon
Every person has a part to play in the world – student, activist, teacher, mentor. Whatever your part, your message deserves to be heard, and we want to help you spread it. The Foundation aims to share your stories and work with those who need it the most so you may inspire change and motivate people to take action for your worthy causes. Our grantmaking program will give you the resources necessary for you to continue your mission and amplify your impact and footprint in the world at large.