Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity

The Foundation's mission statement, created in remembrance of the Holocaust, is "to combat indifference, intolerance and injustice through international dialogue and youth-focused programs that promote acceptance, understanding and equality.

"[1] Wiesel has dedicated the foundation to bringing together people from all over the world to share ideas on political, cultural, religious, and academic boundaries.

Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.[1] The foundation opened up two "Beit Tzipora Centers" in Israel for Ethiopian Jews fleeing violence in Africa.

Tesfaye Gebre-Kidan became the new leader and accepted a letter from President George Bush requesting that he allow the exodus of Jews from the country to Israel or the United States would not help him negotiate a truce with the advancing rebels.

The centers' missions are to educate the community of Ethiopian-Jews in Israel and give the Ethiopian-Israeli young people the chance to be knowledgeable enough to participate fully in society.

[1] Israeli school and government officials have seen and commented on the positive, dramatic impact the Beit Tzipora study and enrichment programs have had on the Ethiopian-Jewish children.

It instituted an after-school program at the Bialik-Rogozin School in Tel-Aviv for the Darfurian refugees, which provides them with English and Hebrew training, computer technology education, tutoring, arts and crafts, and most importantly counseling.

The center strives to not only provide the counseling and education the refugees desperately need but also to help the children of the genocide feel more comfortable with their new lives in Israel.

The contest "challenges college students in the U.S. to submit essays on the urgent and complex ethical issues that confront us in the modern earth.

[1] The Humanitarian Award was created by to recognize people that fight injustice, intolerance and share the beliefs and goals of the foundation in their work.

Nicolas Sarkozy, former French President, won the award in 2008 for renewing ties with WW2 allies and his commitment to peace for Israel and the Middle East.