I have met Elie Wiesel and have great admiration for his work It has special resonance with me because I am the child of Holocaust Survivors.
I may be pilloried for this, but Elie Wiesel seems to have lost his way. At a Portfolio magazine forum at the 21 club yesterday, Elie Wiesel said, “We thought Madoff was god.” Elie, there is only one god and she is in the heavens. I can not believe that I, a secular Jew, have to remind the religious Wiesel where god is.
As a money manager for 28 years, I can say this unequivocally, “Money managers are never god.” I hate to admit this about my profession, but typically money managers are the farthermost thing from God.
Elie Wiesel’s comments echo my own to the Palm Beach Post about the Jewish Madoff investors. “Jews believed in Madoff more than God.” Sadly, the people of the book have become the people of the putter.
March 5, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Laura, your comments are interesting – i.e. what you have to say, how you respond, and what you DON’T say (but I “feel”). My feeling is that you sincerely care about the world and want to do something to improve it. Though “others” in your profession may not do for/with money what you wish they would do, your continuing to do what you seem to believe in your heart is the RIGHT thing to do, that is different from the others, IS VERY IMPORTANT, so don’t give up. The 11 suggestions you sent to the SEC, on how they can improve their agency, is just one example (I read a brief blurb in the NY Post regarding Bernie Madoff and your having attempted to warn people about his Ponzi scheme – March 1st). As an example, I have a program, PROVEN to be successful in Russia, the US, and elswhere under very dangerous conditions/circumstances, that is the key to the resolving of serious global problems such as leadership, poverty, homelessness, unemployment, terrorism, conflicts (racial, ethnic, religious, sectarian, gang, class, gender, etc.), health care, education, and MUCH more, all of which lead to the solving of the financial crisis. Like you, no one wants to listen to me who should. These are weak people in leadership positions who prove on a daily basis they are NOT leaders. You must never let people like that stop you. “THEY” are as much in need of our help, as are those who clearly need help, though their “image” is not that of being in need. People like us are a threat to them, not realizing we want to help them change and succeed for the betterment of all people, not just for themselves. I was hated when I first went to Russia, but when the Russian people (military, mafias, government, politicians(!), educators, biznessmen, scientists, general public, and others) finally believed I sincerely cared about them and their country, the Russian people opened their hearts, minds, and arms, and we succeeded TOGETHER, magnificently. You/we must not give up in our efforts to make a better world, regardless of the “obstacles” we must confront and overcome. Ultimately, it will be people like us, working together, who will make the positive global change that will benefit ALL people that has always been possible if the right people were brought together. Laura, the problems of the world are caused by people, not by a lack of resources. Take care of the people and they will take care of the problems (and no one takes care of people better than we do). That is just too simple a concept for our multitudes of over-educated, non-life-experienced, people considered to be “leaders”, “experts”, policy-makers, “authorities”, etc., ad nauseam. To quote a 10 year old boy: “All these wise people, with all these wise words, and everything is getting worse.”!!! Action, that is sincere and knowledgable, is needed, not the endless rhetoric of what is already known, common sense, and obvious. Send me an email if you are interested in our, and others, working together. Be positive, strong, healthy, aggressive, and smile often. TONY