Eli Broad Pledges To Give Away 75% of His Fortune
Late last week, in response to a campaign by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, high profile Jewish philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad publicly pledged to give away 75% of their $5.7 billion fortune. As part of an initiative that aims to increase philanthropy among the wealthiest Americans, Gates and Buffett have challenged the super-rich to join them in donating more than half of their money to charities and other not-for-profit causes.
“We agree with Andrew Carnegie’s wisdom that ‘the man who dies rich, dies disgraced,’” the Broads said in a statement.
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose net worth is estimated at $18 billion, has also signed on, and The Economist reports that others are expected to jump on the gold-plated bandwagon soon.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
