Epstein’s Shadow Pushes Wexner Foundation Alumni to Fund Survivors of Sexual Exploitation

Leslie Wexner, the billionaire retail mogul behind Victoria’s Secret and the Wexner Foundation, is once again under scrutiny for his decades-long association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. What was once a quietly acknowledged relationship has exploded into a reputational crisis for Wexner’s foundation as new revelations from the Epstein files expose the depth of their collaboration.

Rachel Faulkner, a senior director at the National Council of Jewish Women and a former Wexner Foundation fellow, says she only recently grasped the full extent of Wexner’s ties to Epstein. “The reality is that his money was mixed up with Epstein’s, and it’s the same money that I benefited from through this program,” Faulkner told Religion News Service. Troubled by this connection, she joined other Jewish leaders to launch the Ashru Fund, aiming to raise $100,000 for nonprofits supporting survivors of sexual trafficking.

The foundation, long respected for training Jewish leaders, now bears the stain of Epstein’s legacy. Epstein was Wexner’s financial manager starting in the late 1980s and even held power of attorney over Wexner’s affairs in the early 1990s. Although Wexner claims he was “conned” and unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities, a recent lawsuit alleges he enabled Epstein by providing substantial resources—$200 million, a New York townhouse, and an airplane—that facilitated trafficking operations.

Wexner has denied these allegations and has not faced charges, but his name appears over a thousand times in the released Epstein files. Epstein also served as a trustee of the Wexner Foundation, further entangling the two men’s legacies.

The fallout is personal for many alumni. Rabbi Josh Feigelson, CEO of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, has removed any mention of his Wexner fellowship from public introductions to avoid uncomfortable questions. He and Faulkner co-founded the Ashru Fund—named after a Hebrew call to “aid the wronged”—to channel support directly to survivors. Feigelson hopes the foundation itself will step up, urging it to lead efforts addressing the intersections of money, power, and sexual exploitation in the Jewish community.

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, another alumna, has also taken a stand by donating her Wexner Foundation book advance to survivor organizations. The growing movement among former fellows reflects a broader reckoning: no legacy can be untangled from the enabling structures that allowed Epstein’s abuses to flourish.

As the Epstein files continue to unearth uncomfortable truths, the Wexner Foundation alumni are transforming their shame into action—demanding transparency, restitution, and a commitment to survivors that the foundation’s founder has thus far failed to provide.