Mark Madoff’s Name Became Too Big a Burden to Bear

Last Friday, the publisher of a promising real estate newsletter called Sonar Report rose before dawn, scoured the news to gather items for that day’s edition and, at 9:04 a.m., sent it out to his e-mail subscribers. Unknown to almost all of his subscribers, that publisher was Mark David Madoff, the older son of the convicted swindler Bernard L. Madoff.

[additional-authors]

Jewish Journal

December 17, 2010

Last Friday, the publisher of a promising real estate newsletter called Sonar Report rose before dawn, scoured the news to gather items for that day’s edition and, at 9:04 a.m., sent it out to his e-mail subscribers.

Unknown to almost all of his subscribers, that publisher was Mark David Madoff, the older son of the convicted swindler Bernard L. Madoff.

Less than 24 hours after sending his e-mail, he hanged himself in his downtown Manhattan apartment, leaving behind a life of burdens and blessings.

Did you enjoy this article?

You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Israel and the Internet Wars – A Professional Social Media Review

Marion Haberman

The Invisible Student: A Tale of Homelessness at UCLA and USC

Tabby Refael

What Ever Happened to the LA Times?

Dan Schnur

Who Are the Jews On Joe Biden’s Cabinet?

Ryan Torok

You’re Not a Bad Jewish Mom If Your Kid Wants Santa Claus to Come to Your House

Marion Haberman

No Labels: The Group Fighting for the Political Center

Larry Greenfield

Latest Articles

Zionism and the Bones of Ezekiel

Kathleen Hayes

Democracy, Divinity and the Inherent Challenge of the Image of God

Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern

Papa, Thank You

Regina Portnoy

The Two-State Conundrum

Dan Schnur

Jewish Agency’s Israeli Emissaries from the U.S. March in New York’s Israel Day Parade

Kylie Ora Lobell

Jewish Angelenos and our Allies Deserve Better

Debbie Paperman and Laura Goldstein

As California Primary Elections Arrive, Community Grapples with Choices

June 2, 2026

Whether backing long-shot candidates, weighing strategic votes or sitting races out altogether, many said they were still searching for leaders who reflected both their values and their concerns.

Let’s Fight Antisemitism by Reclaiming Our Americanism

June 2, 2026

Maybe it’s because our 250th birthday is right around the corner. Or maybe it’s a statement of defiance, a way of telling Jew-haters I’m giving them the very opposite of what they want.

When Hippies Hate

June 1, 2026

The one community that should have shown unwavering solidarity with Israel after October 7 was the Park Slope Food Coop. Unless they were tripping out on antisemitism last week, what could possibly have drawn them to the side of carnivorous barbarians?

Israel in Three Words

May 30, 2026

Israelis seem to have a special affinity for that electric energy of the here and now. Maybe that is how the country has made it this far— millions and millions of “What do we do now?”

TEBH Gala, Jews of Color Initiative

May 29, 2026

Notable people and events in the Jewish LA community.

Boring, Very Boring

May 29, 2026

AI is accelerating our decline into a monoculture, where everything sounds the same, a culture that is dull and unoriginal.

Does This Count? – A poem for Parsha Nasso

May 28, 2026

I wish I knew about this in the 90s when I had the confidence to strut around in a mullet.

A Bisl Torah — Keep Searching

May 28, 2026

As you search, God will likely find you.

Ruth, Naomi, Mara, Maror, Meir and Elisha ben Abuyah

May 28, 2026

A Moment in Time: “Hmm, That Isn’t Right”

May 28, 2026

Print Issue: The Rise of Magen Am | May 22, 2026

May 28, 2026

How a Chabad rabbi built a community security movement in Los Angeles.

When Everything Becomes a Product—Including Girlhood

May 27, 2026

In her debut book, “Girls®: Generation Z and the Commodification of Everything” Freya India presents a stinging indictment against those she blames for having turned normal girls into GIRLS®, an ideal target market for the social media, pharmaceutical, beauty and online therapy industries.

Rebels, Superheroes and Family Ghosts: Three Skirball Exhibitions on Jewish Reinvention

May 27, 2026

Three fascinating exhibitions now showing at the Skirball Cultural Center stand on their own, yet together they trace unexpected threads of Jewish identity, memory and cultural reinvention.

Gabba Gabba Oy!

May 27, 2026

For Cate Thurston, the chief curator at the Skirball, the exhibit gives the museum a chance to “explore this sort of underserved story” about the Jewish relationship and participation and crafting the look of punk

Antisemitism Isn’t Hiding— It’s Evolving on UC Campuses

May 27, 2026

Universities are supposed to protect political free speech, but antisemitism stops being protected political expression when Jewish students are targeted, threatened, harassed, and blamed for the actions of the state of Israel.

Recognizing Jewish Heritage Month

May 27, 2026

On this beautiful Sacramento morning, in the face, perhaps in defiance of, so much in the world that is painful, tenuous and deeply troubling, we convened and we lifted up what connects us – the promise of growth and healing, and the potent ability for people to endure, to create change, and to scaffold our communities in justice and truth.

Mark Madoff’s Name Became Too Big a Burden to Bear

Jewish Journal

Did you enjoy this article?

You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.