36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280

Edmond J. Safra Plaza
36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280
(646) 437-4202 www.mjhnyc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2011
Contacts:
Abby R. Spilka / (646) 437-4333 / [email protected]
Betsy Aldredge / (646) 437-4337 / [email protected]
April-June Public Programming Schedule Announced
at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
New York, NY – The April-June public programming schedule at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A
Living Memorial to the Holocaust has been announced. Highlights this season include performances by
world-class musicians. Cantors Alberto Mizrahi, Benzion Miller, and Naftali Herstik perform the
program from their acclaimed PBS special Cantors, A Faith in Song on April 10. On May 4, the
Museum will present the New York premiere of Ghetto Songs, composer Paul Schoenfield’s setting of
Yiddish poetry by Mordechai Gebirtig as part of the Voices of the Holocaust concert featuring soprano
Caroline Helton and the Michigan Chamber Players. May 22 welcomes The Choir of Rome's Tempio
Maggiore for a special concert that will include Verdi’s beloved Hebrew chorus from Nabucco.
Theatrical offerings this season include a Mother’s Day performance of the hit show 25 Questions for a
Jewish Mother, starring comedienne Judy Gold on May 8. Theater lovers will also be intrigued by a
panel discussion presented in conjunction with The Public Theater entitled Shylock, Shakespeare, and
the Jews: Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice. Barry Edelstein, director of The Public Theater’s
Shakespeare Initiative, Columbia Professor James Shapiro, the author of Shakespeare and the Jews; and
Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President, Orthodox Union will discuss the complicated themes in
the play. New York Times theater reporter Patrick Healy will moderate.
This season the Museum commemorates Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday,
May 1. On this day the Museum is free with suggested donation and all are welcome to visit the galleries to
hear from Holocaust survivors and artifact donors. The community gathers for the Annual Gathering of
Remembrance, the city’s oldest and largest Holocaust commemoration, on May 1 at 2 p.m. at Temple
Emanu-El.
Other upcoming programs in April, May, and June:
Jayne Cohen’s Family Passover – The cookbook author will offer tips on how to have an inclusive,
meaningful, and delicious holiday for guests of all ages (April 3)
Tales from Iraq – Authors Jessica Jiji and Ariel Sabar will share their stories about their Iraqi Jewish
heritage (April 6)
Prisoner of Her Past – Director Gordon Quinn, Dr. Yuval Neria, and Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich
will screen and discuss this film about Howard’s mother, Sonia, a Holocaust survivor suffering from late
onset Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (April 7)
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin – Yale University professor Timothy Snyder will talk
about his much acclaimed book with Museum director Dr. David G. Marwell (March 24)
Memoirs About Our Mothers – Authors Martin Lemelman, Ann Kirschner, and Erin Einhorn, the
children of Holocaust survivors, will discuss their award-winning books (May 11)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 2 of 12
The Invisible Bridge – Author Julie Orringer will discuss her debut novel, an epic tale that takes place in
1930s Budapest and Paris (May 18)
La Rafle (The Roundup) – One of the most moving dramas of the year, this film about the 1942 roundup
of 13,000 Jews in Paris, was a standout at the New York Jewish Film Festival (June 1)
Stories for All Ages – Children’s author and artist Douglas Florian will share some of his favorite tales
and lead an art activity for families (June 5)
Detailed descriptions of all the programs listed above are included with this release.
The Museum will close at 3 P.M. on April 18 and will be closed on April 19, 20, 25, and 26 in observance
of Passover. The Museum will be closed on May 3 for a special event. The Museum will close at 3 P.M.
on June 7 and will be closed on June 8 and 9 in observance of Shavuot.
Public Programs
Sunday, April 3, 2:30 P.M.
Jayne Cohen’s Family Passover
Prepare for Passover with cookbook author Jayne Cohen who will help make this special holiday more
delicious and accessible for guests of all faiths and ages. Cohen will also discuss how to make the seder
more interactive for children and how to make food that even the pickiest kids will enjoy.
Jayne Cohen’s most recent book, Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover’s Treasury of Classics and
Improvisations, was named a 2009 finalist for a James Beard Foundation award in the international
cookbook category. Publishers Weekly called Jayne’s first cookbook, The Gefilte Variations, ―an
outstanding debut.‖
Free
Wednesday, April 6, 7 P.M.
Tales from Iraq
Authors Jessica Jiji (Sweet Dates in Basra) and Ariel Sabar (My Father’s Paradise), winner of the
National Book Critics Circle Award; moderated by Sandee Brawarsky, Jewish Week book critic
Iraqi Jews constitute one of the world’s oldest and most historically significant Jewish communities, and
yet fewer than 100 Jews live in Iraq today. Authors Jiji and Sabar will share remarkably moving and
resonant stories of their mutual Iraqi Jewish heritage and tales of immigration from their most recent
works.
Jessica Jiji’s father left Iraq in 1947 as an 18-year-old, when Iraq was not yet besieged by war, Jews held
positions of power in the government, and friends of different religions lived together in harmony. Her
book, Sweet Dates in Basra, is a novel about friendship and family set in Iraq during the Second World
War. Jiji is also a speechwriter for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the author of
Diamonds Take Forever.
Ariel Sabar’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Monthly, Mother
Jones, and other publications. He is an award-winning former staff writer for the Baltimore Sun, Christian
Science Monitor, and Providence (RI) Journal. His most recent book is Heart of the City: Nine Stories of
Love and Serendipity on the Streets of New York.
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 3 of 12
Sabar’s memoir, My Father’s Paradise, explores the life of his father, Yona, who was born in a mud hut
in the remote Kurdish region of northern Iraq. As a young man, Yona and his family joined the mass
exodus of 120,000 Jews from Iraq. In Israel, Kurdish Jews struggled against poverty and bigotry. Yona
worked his way through night high school in Jerusalem and was then admitted to Yale University, where
he devoted himself to the rescue of his people’s vanishing traditions. Now an esteemed professor at
UCLA, Yona is one of the world's most sought-after experts on Aramaic, the language he grew up
speaking.
Sandee Brawarsky is the book critic for Jewish Week and author of 212 Views of Central Park:
Experiencing New York City’s Jewel From Every Angle.
$10, $5 members
Thursday, April 7, 6:30 P.M.
Prisoner of Her Past
(2010, DigiBeta, 57 min.)
Post-screening discussion with Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune’s jazz critic; director Gordon Quinn; and
Dr. Yuval Neria, Director Trauma and PTSD Program, Columbia University
Sixty years after her tragic childhood, Holocaust survivor Sonia Reich believes everyone is trying to kill
her. This powerful documentary follows her son, Howard, as he travels the world to uncover his mother’s
secret past.
Sonia's childhood fleeing the Nazis has come back to haunt her. She believes that yellow Stars of David
have been sewn to her clothes, that doctors and nurses are trying to poison her, and that her grandchildren
have been taken away. Past and present merge in Sonia’s perceptions, and Howard sets out to discover
why. He locates the few experts in the world who can explain the obscure phenomenon of late-onset
PTSD, and he travels to the city of Sonia's birth, in Ukraine, to uncover the horrors that now haunt his
mother.
Artistic Director and founding member of Kartemquin Films, Gordon Quinn has been making
documentaries for over 40 years. He was the executive producer of the acclaimed documentary Hoop
Dreams, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, among others. Other films
Gordon has made include: Vietnam, Long Time Coming, Golub, 5 Girls, Refrigerator Mothers, and
Stevie. Recently he executive produced two films, one about community based conservation in Africa,
Milking the Rhino, and At The Death House Door on a wrongful execution in Texas.
Howard Reich has been covering music and the arts for the Chicago Tribune since 1977 and joined the
staff in 1983. He has written four books: Let Freedom Swing: Collected Writings on Jazz, Blues and
Gospel; The First and Final Nightmare of Sonia Reich; Jelly’s Blues; and Van Cliburn.
Dr. Yuval Neria’s interests include the mental health consequences of extreme traumatic events, with a
particular focus on specific populations such as war veterans, POWs, and minorities. He has authored
more than 60 publications in the area of trauma-related disorders. Dr. Neria is the lead editor of two books
9/11: Mental Health in the Wake of Terrorist Attacks and The Mental Health Consequences of Disasters.
He is currently leading various research projects that are related to the aftermath of September 11, 2001
including a nationwide survey on traumatic grief in 9/11 victims and a longitudinal study in low income
minority, primary care, patients in NYC affected by 9/11 attacks.
Free with suggested donation
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 4 of 12
Sunday, April 10, 3 P.M.
Cantors, A Faith in Song
Cantors Alberto Mizrahi (Chicago), Benzion Miller (Brooklyn), and Naftali Herstik (Jerusalem) with choir
and orchestra
Three of the world’s greatest cantors join together for a performance of their acclaimed PBS concert,
praised around the world for its uniquely joyful and deeply spiritual music. Called the first super group of
cantors, Mizrahi, Miller, and Herstik perform music from a wide range of Jewish repertoire including music
from the Broadway stage, Yiddish folk songs, Sephardic melodies, and liturgical selections.
Greek-born tenor Alberto Mizrahi, one of the world’s leading interpreters of Jewish music, is the cantor of
the historic Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago. Hazan Mizrahi also serves on the faculty of the H. L.
Miller Cantorial School in New York. Known as the ―Jewish Pavarotti,‖ he has thrilled audiences
worldwide in recitals, symphony concerts, and opera, and on countless recordings.
Cantor Benzion Miller is the cantor at the prestigious Young Israel Beth-El of Borough Park. Acclaimed as
one of the foremost interpreters of Liturgical Music, Cantor Miller is equally at home in operatic repertoire
and Jewish and Hassidic folk music. He has appeared with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Jerusalem Symphony, the Haifa Symphony, and members of the London Symphony and at sold out
concerts in Romania, Russia, Poland, and Hungry, where he sang with the Budapest State Opera Orchestra.
Cantor Naftali Herstik is the chief cantor of the magnificent Jerusalem Great Synagogue. He graduated
from the Royal College of Music in London. Cantor Herstik, currently the director of the Tel Aviv Cantorial
Institute, has a worldwide reputation as a superb concert artist with rare elegance and style. He has sung
with the London Festival Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the
Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, and
most recently with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, as well as with some of the finest choirs in the world.
This program is made possible through a generous grant from the Keller-Shatanoff Foundation. Additional
support provided by Priscilla and Harold Grabino and Luna Kaufman.
$35, $25 members
Wednesday, April 13, 7 P.M.
Shylock, Shakespeare, and the Jews: Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice
Barry Edelstein, director, The Public Theater’s Shakespeare Initiative, and author Thinking Shakespeare;
Prof. James Shapiro, Columbia University, and author Shakespeare and the Jews; and Rabbi Steven Weil,
Executive Vice President, Orthodox Union
―Hath not a Jew eyes?‖ These five words, which begin Shylock’s most memorable speech in The
Merchant of Venice, invariably open up a literary, historical, and social quagmire regarding the nature of
Shakespeare’s enigmatic Jewish character. This distinguished panel debates these controversies in light of
The Public Theater’s widely celebrated recent production of the play, starring Al Pacino as Shylock.
Barry Edelstein has directed Shakespeare at The Public Theater and at venues around New York City
and the country. He staged Julius Caesar starring Jeffrey Wright at the Delacorte in Central Park and The
Merchant of Venice, featuring Ron Leibman’s OBIE award-winning portrayal of Shylock at The Public.
From 1998-2003 he was Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company, where he directed Richard III
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 5 of 12
starring John Turturro and Julianna Margulies and The Winter's Tale starring David Strathairn. At the
Williamstown Theater Festival, he directed As You Like It starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
James Shapiro is the Larry Miller Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia
University, where he has taught since 1985. He is the author of several books, most recently A Year in the
Life of William Shakespeare: 1599. He has been awarded numerous fellowships and grants from
institutions such as the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the
New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He has written for The New York
Times, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications.
Rabbi Steven Weil is a popular teacher and lecturer, having delivered invocations for former President
Bush and Governor Schwarzenegger among others. He has served internationally as scholar in residence
on land and on sea, and is a passionate advocate for Israel and for Jewish education.
Patrick Healy is the theater reporter for The New York Times, a position he has held since December
2008. Previously, Mr. Healy covered the 2008 presidential election and was the lead Times reporter
covering Hillary Clinton’s 18-month campaign. He joined The Times in January 2005 as a political
reporter in the Metro section. In 2005 and 2006, he covered the campaigns of Mayor Bloomberg, Eliot
Spitzer, Andrew Cuomo, and then-Senator Clinton.
Presented in conjunction with The Public Theater.
$10, $7 students/seniors, $5 members of the Museum and The Public Theater
Wednesday, April 27, 7 P.M.
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin
(Basic Books, 2010)
Author Timothy Snyder, Yale University, interviewed by Museum Director Dr. David G, Marwell
Before World War II began, Josef Stalin had killed millions of his own citizens—and kept killing them
during and after the war. Before Hitler was finally defeated, he had murdered six million Jews and nearly as
many other Europeans. At war’s end, both the German and the Soviet killing sites fell behind the iron
curtain, leaving the history of mass killing in darkness. In his acclaimed new book, Snyder recasts the
history of modern Europe around the central catastrophe of the millions killed by totalitarian regimes led by
Hitler and Stalin.
Timothy Snyder is Professor of History at Yale University. He is the author of The Reconstruction of
Nations, Sketches from a Secret War, and The Red Prince. Bloodlands is a New York Times bestseller and
a book of the year according to many publications including The Atlantic, The Independent, The
Financial Times, Telegraph, and The Economist.
Dr. David G. Marwell received a Ph.D. in Modern European History from the State University of New
York at Binghamton. Prior to his work at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
from 1997 to 2000, Dr. Marwell was Director of the Berlin Document Center in Berlin and then
Executive Director of the JFK Assassination Records Review Board. He also served as Chief of
Investigative Research for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Special Investigations. In that
capacity, Dr. Marwell was responsible for conducting historical and forensic research in support of Justice
Department prosecution of Nazi war criminals, including Klaus Barbie and Josef Mengele. He has also
served as an expert witness and consultant to the governments of Canada and Australia on several war
crimes prosecutions, and was a member of the Interagency Working Group for Nazi War Criminal
Documents.
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 6 of 12
$10, $5 for members
Sunday, May 1, 10 a.m.- 5:45 p.m.
Day-Long Observance of Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day
Come to the Museum to remember those who were lost and learn from those who survived. Museum
admission is free for everyone with suggested donation.
2 P.M.
Annual Gathering of Remembrance
Congregation Emanu-El, 5th Avenue and 65th St
Join community leaders for New York City’s oldest and largest Holocaust commemoration.
Tickets are required. To reserve tickets, please call 646.437.4227 between the hours of 10 A.M. and 3 P.M.,
Monday through Friday or e-mail [email protected]. Tickets must be reserved by April 22.
Wednesday, May 4, 7 P.M.
Voices of the Holocaust
Caroline Helton, soprano; Kathryn Goodson, piano; Michigan Chamber Players; and Paul Schoenfield,
piano
The New York premiere of Ghetto Songs, composer Paul Schoenfield’s setting to music of Yiddish
poetry by Mordechai Gebirtig, along with songs by Kurt Weill, Erich Korngold, and others will be
performed in this commemorative concert.
Caroline Helton joined the voice faculty at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and
Dance in the fall of 2000. She performed Voices of the Holocaust live on Chicago’s classical music radio
station WFMT with pianist Kathryn Goodson. This year she has also appeared as Zerlina in Arbor Opera
Theatre’s production of Don Giovanni, as well as with the Michigan Chamber Players.
Pianist Kathryn Goodson is an international performer, teacher, and coach, and has appeared in recital
throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan with leading wind instrumental and vocal artists. At the
University of Michigan School of Music in Ann Arbor since 2005, she has served as collaborative pianistcoach; in 2008 her position expanded to include musical direction for Robert Swedberg’s opera studio.
She has performed on several recordings as well as on international radio and television broadcasts.
Paul Schoenfield, a professor of composition at the University of Michigan, has received commissions
and grants from the NEA, Chamber Music America, the Rockefeller Fund, the Juilliard School, the
Cleveland Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, and many other organizations. Although he rarely performs
publicly, he was formerly an active pianist, touring the United States, Europe, and South America as a
soloist and with groups including Music from Marlboro. Among his recordings are the complete violin
and piano works of Bartok with Sergiu Luca. His compositions can be heard on the Angel, Decca, Innova,
Vanguard, EMI, Koch, BMG, and the New World labels.
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 7 of 12
This concert was made possible by grants from the University of Michigan’s Office of Vice President for
Research for the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and the Jean & Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic
Studies.
$15, $10 members and University of Michigan Alumni
Sunday, May 8. 2 P.M.
25 Questions for a Jewish Mother
By award-winning playwright Kate Moira Ryan
Starring Emmy-winning actress/comedienne Judy Gold
Bring your mom, sister, or daughter and share a few laughs with Gold and Ryan who embarked on a fiveyear journey across the U.S. interviewing more than 50 Jewish women. The end result is a touching and
humorous portrait of what makes a Jewish mother… a Jewish mother.
Emmy Award-winning actress and comedian Judy Gold was nominated for a 2006 Drama Desk Award
for Outstanding Solo Performance for 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. In addition, the show won the
2007 GLAAD award for Outstanding New York Theater. The New York Times called this one-woman
show ―fiercely funny, honest and moving.‖ Judy’s new show, It’s Judy’s Show: My Life as a Sitcom
debuted to rave reviews in Washington D.C. and at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Most recently,
Judy has been in the cast of Nora and Delia Ephron’s Off-Broadway play, Love, Loss and What I Wore.
Visit www.judygold.com for television and film credits and additional awards.
Buy mom lunch in the Museum café and receive a complimentary dessert with two forks
(minimum purchase $20).
Presented in conjunction with Jewish American Heritage Month
$25, $20 members
Wednesday, May 11, 7 P.M.
Memoirs About Our Mothers
Authors Martin Lemelman (Mendel’s Daughter: A Memoir), Ann Kirschner (Sala’s Gift), and Erin Einhorn
(The Pages in Between)
In honor of mothers around the globe, this special evening will welcome three authors, all children of
Holocaust survivors, as they share selections from their award-winning memoirs.
Martin Lemelman is a graphic artist, professor of communication design at Kutztown University, and
freelance illustrator. He has illustrated over 30 children’s books and his work has been published in
magazines ranging from the New York Times Book Review to Sesame Street Magazine.
Ann Kirschner began her career as a lecturer in Victorian literature at Princeton University, where she
earned a Ph.D. in English. A frequent contributor to conferences and publications on higher education and
interactive media, Dr. Kirschner is the University Dean of Macaulay Honors College of the City University
of New York.
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 8 of 12
Erin Einhorn is a reporter for the New York Daily News where she’s covered New York City’s government
and the nation’s largest public school system. She has written for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia
Daily News, and Fortune. A contributor to public radio’s This American Life, Einhorn’s story was the basis
for one of the show’s most popular episodes.
$10, $5 members
Wednesday, May 18, 7 P.M.
The Invisible Bridge
Author Julie Orringer interviewed by Gabriel Sanders, deputy editor, Tablet Magazine
Expertly crafted and emotionally haunting, Orringer’s first novel is a love story set against the backdrop of
1930s Budapest and Paris, an epic tale of three brothers whose lives are ravaged by war, and the chronicle
of one family’s heartbreaking struggle.
The Invisible Bridge follows Andras Lévi, a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student, who arrives in Paris
from Budapest in 1937 with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter he has promised to
deliver. As he falls into a complicated relationship with the letter’s recipient, he becomes privy to a secret
history that will alter the course of his own life. Meanwhile, as his elder brother takes up medical studies in
Modena and their younger brother leaves school for the stage, Europe’s unfolding tragedy sends each of
their lives into terrifying uncertainty.
Julie Orringer is also the author of the award-winning How to Breathe Underwater, a short story
collection. Her stories have been published in The Yale Review, the Paris Review, Ploughshares, and by the
Washington Post Magazine. She is the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, and her work has appeared in
numerous anthologies, including The Granta Book of the American Short Story, The Best American
Nonrequired Reading, and The Scribner Anthology of American Short Fiction. She is currently at work on a
novel about Varian Fry.
Gabriel Sanders was the associate editor of the Forward for 4 years, before joining Tablet Magazine. He
has interviewed a wide range of authors at the Museum. His writing has appeared in The New York Times
Book Review, Bookforum, The Jerusalem Report, Time Out New York, and other publications.
Join us for a tour of Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh at 6 p.m. Space is limited. Preregistration for the tour is required. Call 646.437.4202.
$10, $5 for members
Sunday, May 22, 2:30 P.M.
La Roma Ebraica: The Choir of Rome’s Tempio Maggiore in Concert
Claudio Di Segni, conductor; Alberto Funaro, hazan of Rome; Angelo Spizzichino, organ; introduction by
Francesco Spagnolo, musicologist
This once-in-a-lifetime concert will feature Verdi’s beloved Hebrew chorus from Nabucco and other
beautiful and evocative works that embody Jewish life in Rome throughout the ages.
Maestro Claudio Di Segni studied music at the Rome Conservatory S. Cecilia where he currently
teaches. As tenor he trained with the legendary Franco Corelli, among others. He received important
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 9 of 12
awards for his opera roles including Riccardo in Verdi’s Ballo in Maschera, Edgardo in Lucia di
Lammermoor, and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto.
Rabbi Funaro is the hazan of the Tempio Maggiore and of the Tempio Spagnolo of Rome. He has
recorded several CDs of Roman and Sephardic liturgical music.
Angelo Spizzichino received his degree in violin from the Conservatory of Rome. Since 1995 he has
been the organist of the Tempio Maggiore. As an instrumentalist he appeared in important television
productions and recordings. He teaches music at the Jewish School of Rome.
Francesco Spagnolo, Ph.D., is the Curator of Collections at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and
Life in Berkeley, California. In 1997, he founded the Jewish music archives in Milan, and between 1998
and 2002 was responsible for the preservation and publication of Italian Jewish sound recordings at the
Ethnomusicology Archives of the National Music Academy in Rome and the National Sound Archives in
Jerusalem.
This program is presented by the Museum, Centro Primo Levi, the Jewish Community of Rome, and RAI
Italian Broadcasting Company in collaboration with the American Society of Jewish Music, and is made
possible through the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 150th Anniversary of the
unification of Italy.
$15, $10 Museum and Centro Primo Levi members
Wednesday, June 1, 6:30 P.M.
La Rafle (The Roundup)
(2010, DigiBeta, 124 min., French and Hebrew with English subtitles)
Written and directed by Rose Bosch; post-screening discussion with film scholar Stuart Liebman
Paris, 1942 saw the infamous ―Vel d’Hiv roundups of 13,000 Jews, including 4,000 children. Based on
extensive research and first-hand accounts, this wrenching film, a standout at the New York Jewish Film
Festival, is one of the most compelling dramas of the year. Jean Reno (The Da Vinci Code) and Mélanie
Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) star.
Stuart Liebman is a professor of the history of cinema at the CUNY Graduate Center and Media Studies
at Queens College. His awards include a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship and the
Association of American Publishers prize for the best single issue of a scholarly journal in 1995. He is a
member of the advisory board for the critical journal October and a former member of the board of
trustees of Anthology Film Archives in New York City.
$12, $10 students/seniors, $7 members
Sunday, June 5, 11 A.M.
Stories for All Ages
With Douglas Florian (Bing, Bang, Boing)
Douglas Florian, the children’s book author and artist behind Monster Motel, Beast Feast, and dozens of
other books, will dazzle families with delightful and clever word play at this Shavuot celebration under the
trees of Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park. Children are invited to make rhymes and poems together, and then
create original art to take home. For all ages. In case of rain, the program will move indoors to the
Museum’s classrooms.
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 10 of 12
Douglas Florian’s award-winning books for children include A Pig Is Big, as well as the poetry collections
Beast Feast; Lizards, Frogs, and Polliwogs; In the Swim; and Mammalabilia.
Co-sponsored with the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy. This program is made possible, in part,
through a gift from the Margaret Neubart Foundation Trust.
Free
Exhibitions
Last Folio: Remnants of Jewish Life in Slovakia
Opens March 25, 2011
Last Folio features stunning photographs taken by Yuri Dojc of once-vibrant Jewish communities
throughout Slovakia. His photographic journey began with an iconic portrait of his father taken just days
before he passed away and ended with the unexpected discovery of his grandfather’s prayer book in a
neglected house.
Between those two defining moments, destiny led him to an abandoned school in Bardejov, where time
has stood still since the day in 1942 when its students were taken to concentration camps. Dojc’s images
capture decayed books and the poignant ruins of schools, synagogues, and cemeteries—remnants from a
Jewish past. A documentary created by Katya Krausova follows Dojc through Slovakia, and is part of the
exhibition.
Last Folio is made possible by a leadership gift in memory of John Grunwald by Rita Grunwald.
Additional support provided by Henry Kallan in honor of his mother Magdalena Szollos-Kallan, Fern
Schad and Alfred H. Moses, The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin
Foundation, and EPSON, Canada.
News Corporation is a media sponsor.
Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh
On view in the Irving Schneider and Family Gallery through August 7, 2011
www.mjhnyc.org/hannah
Among Israel’s most important heroes is Hannah Senesh, who died by firing squad in 1944 at age 23.
This first-ever major exhibition tells how this Budapest-born poet, diarist, and author of the hymn Eli, Eli
discovered her love for the Land of Israel, how she volunteered for a mission to rescue downed Allied
fliers and Jews from Nazi-occupied Hungary, and how she became an enduring symbol of
courage and determination.
This exhibition is made possible by leadership gifts in loving memory of Anne Ratner from her children
and grandchildren, and from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Additional
support provided by the David Berg Foundation and The Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation, Inc.
We are grateful to the Senesh Family for making the exhibition possible by providing material from their
collection.
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 11 of 12
Travel generously sponsored by EL AL Airlines.
Jewish Week is the media partner.
The Morgenthaus: A Legacy of Service
On view through September 5, 2011
www.mjhnyc.org/morgenthaus
The Morgenthaus have embraced the promise of America since their arrival in 1866. Wanting to
contribute to their country and their communities, they dedicated themselves to public service. The
exhibition tells the story of three generations of this family, and explores the fascinating ways in which
their service to others changed the course of world events, American politics, and Jewish history.
This exhibition is made possible through generous funding from The Isenberg Family Charitable Trust,
Marina and Stephen E. Kaufman, Lois and Martin Whitman, Jack Rudin, and New York State Senator
Eric T. Schneiderman. Media sponsorship is generously provided by Manhattan Media.
Keeping History Center
Now on View
www.mjhnyc.org/khc
Link history with the present using the latest technology in this award-winning installation. While
enjoying breathtaking views of New York Harbor, explore Voices of Liberty, a digital soundscape
composed of stories about arriving on American shores or seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time.
Come add your story, too. Investigate the intersection of art, memory, and time with Timekeeper, a virtual
exploration of Andy Goldsworthy’s stunning memorial Garden of Stones.
The Center is designed by the award-winning firms C&G Design and Potion.
The Center, dedicated by Morton Pickman in memory of Morris and Fannie Pickman, is made possible by
a generous grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is funded by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development; with additional support from New York State Senator
Eric T. Schneiderman.
Garden of Stones
On permanent display
Andy Goldsworthy’s only permanent installation in New York City, Garden of Stones is a contemplative
space dedicated to the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust and honors those who survived.
There is no charge to visit the garden, which is open during regular Museum hours.
Each of the 18 boulders in the Garden of Stones holds a growing dwarf oak evoking not only the adversity
and struggle endured by those who experienced the Holocaust, but also the tenacity and fragility of life.
Survivors and their families helped the artist plant the garden in September 2003. More than seven years
later, the living memorial garden continues to inspire in new ways.
Reflection Passage
On permanent display
(more)
Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust/Page 12 of 12
MacArthur Fellow and architectural artist James Carpenter’s site-specific installation captures New York
Harbor’s ephemeral qualities of light and water and re-presents them inside a main passageway of the
waterfront Museum, creating a shimmering and ever-changing reflection.
The external events of the harbor displayed within the Museum environment are seen as a ―mirroring of
reality,‖ capturing the daily seasonal light and weather cycles. Andy Goldsworthy’s Garden of Stones sits
one level below the Carpenter installation, and like the garden, Reflection Passage relies upon changes in
the natural world to complete the artistic process.
Reflection Passage is the Gift of The Gruss Lipper Foundation.
General Information
TICKETS
To purchase tickets to public programs call (646) 437-4202, or visit our website at www.mjhnyc.org, or
visit the Museum in Lower Manhattan.
MUSEUM HOURS
Sunday through Tuesday, Thursday 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Wednesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (DST)
Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (EST)
The Museum is closed on Saturday and major Jewish holidays
MUSEUM ADMISSION
General Museum admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $7 for students. Members and children 12
and younger are admitted free.
Museum admission is free on Wednesday evenings between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Note: Tickets to public programs do not include Museum admission. Public programs may require a
separate fee.
The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,
and is a founding member of the Museums of Lower Manhattan.
###
(more)