Blog from Battery Place

What We're Reading Now: In the Garden of Beasts

2012-02-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

This month, the staff book club had a special guest, our director, Dr. David G. Marwell, who filled us in on some behind-the-scenes intrigues and bigger-than-life personas featured in Erik Larson’s new narrative non-fiction book, In The Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin.

The book is about William E. Dodd, who in 1933 became America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany. A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, her father telegraphed his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watched with alarm as Jews were attacked, the press was censored, and drafts of frightening new laws began to circulate.

At our book club meeting, David helped draw an even fuller picture of the time period and of some of the men the Dodds encountered, including Ernst “Putzi” Hafstaengl, the subject of his doctoral dissertation. Hafstaengl, whom David met in the course of his research, was once a confidant of Hitler.

It was a fascinating conversation about a compelling subject, but even if you don’t have your own in-house expert, you can read along with us next month. We’ll be diving into a work of fiction, Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons.

In the Archives

2012-01-30T10:05:00.000-08:00

I have had the pleasure of going through hundreds of old files...I mean archives, over the past few days. I have read through my share of files that contain one piece of paper, usually an ancient photocopy of a newspaper from 1995 with FILE written on it. I have tossed those faster than you can say reuse, renew, recycle. But one folder made me pause and not just because it was entitled World Wide Web.

Inside was a survey distributed by the building management that leased office space to the Museum before the Museum moved downtown. Set the time machine for 1996, and answer these questions to the best of your ability:

How many of your company’s employees use a computer?
Do any of your employees currently use the Internet at work? If no, would you like to make this resource available to them?
Does your company have a web-page? If yes, is it hosted “in-house?”
Do you use e-mail in your office? If no, would you like to?
Which of the following do you use regularly? Please check all that apply: overnight delivery service; fax machine; courier service
Do you use the Internet as a marketing tool? If no, would you like to learn how?
Would you be interested in learning how to use a Web site to publicize your business?
And finally, would you like to attend a free seminar about maximizing the Internet as your company’s communications tool for the 21st century?

Lisa suggested that when the world was being created a similar survey might have been sent out:

Are your employees currently using light? If yes, would your employees benefit from having light in the expansive sky separate from night?
Would your employees benefit from working on an expanse of land or in the midst of water?
Would you be open to sharing your work space with swarms of living creatures and birds that fly above the earth?

I am not equating the invention of the Internet with the creation of the world, but for our colleagues for whom the Internet has always existed, it is hard to imagine one necessity of life without the other.

P.S. I am keeping the file marked World Wide Web. It is now a file called Hilarious.

Emily Dickinson at Poets House

2012-01-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

This blog entry comes from Byron Bartlett, Library Intern at Poets House. Since they are currently showing an ongoing exhibition about the life and work of Emily Dickinson, we asked them to blog about the Belle of Amherst, who was almost a contemporary of Emma Lazarus. They even shared a friend in common — Emily Dickinson’s mentor Thomas Wentworth Higginson.

Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886) of Amherst, Massachusetts, was one of the greatest American poets. She made hand-bound books of her poems; yet, save for an occasional appearance in correspondence with friends and family, these poems remained unknown during her lifetime. After her death, her family discovered 40 of her manuscript books, and thus began her publishing career.

This winter at Poets House marks an unique exhibition: Donald and Patricia Oresman have been kind enough to lend us pages of Dickinson’s manuscripts from their private collection, which are now on display in our Cheney Chappell Exhibition Space. It is an understatement to say that opportunities to see Dickinson’s papers are few and far between. The exhibit includes rare manuscripts, letters, fragments and even a recipe along with books and other archival materials.

In addition, poet and artist Jen Bervin, who curated the Oresmans’ exhibit, is showing her remarkable “composite quilts” inspired by Dickinson’s manuscripts and Dickinson’s attention to punctuation. Each quilt represents the careful overlaying of all of the pages of a particular manuscript book (now sometimes called “fascicles”) onto one surface. The marks are displayed on one folio-like “page,” (i.e. two facing pages) enlarged to 6 feet by 8 feet. The written words are removed. These quilts are an apt accompaniment to Dickinson’s hand; for Bervin has made a landscape of the marks of Dickinson’s intelligence.

Dickinson’s manuscript books were assembled from earlier drafts of the included poems. The creation of the manuscript book, differing from an artisan’s manufacture of an edition for public purchase, nevertheless seems to have been a private way for Dickinson to create an authoritative work of art.

The printed editions of Dickinson’s work have reduced the variation of punctuation present in her manuscripts. The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson, edited by Ralph Franklin, is an indispensable reference on the subject. Certain of her famous dashes, in manuscript, are actually small and sit at the lower line of the text, aligned with periods and commas. Others are more like the printed “—”, sitting on the median line of text. For those of us who have read her in textbooks and in anthologies, the manuscripts are quite a revelation.

Another example of the uniqueness of the manuscripts, left out of her printed poems, is the “+” mark. In her manuscript books, she often includes alternate word choices, listed below the final line of each poem in the sequence in which they would appear, and marked in the text by a plus sign next to the word replaced.

One can feel Dickinson’s mind searching for alternate matrices of thought that might articulate the ideal state of a poem. While the syntactical structure of each poem may remain the same, she is not content with one word-choice within that syntax. Her additions may be an unconscious acknowledgement that the poem can never be the idea of the poem: she suggests it by allowing there to be no one finished version.

We hope that the manuscripts, Jen Bervin's works, as well as the related public programs will evoke the radical nature of Dickinson's life and work, opening new doors for Dickinson lovers and inspiring Dickinson neophytes.

Come visit us at 10 River Terrace, quite literally minutes away from the Museum of Jewish Heritage. The exhibitions will be open through February 18.

Images: "A blossom" - Letter 803 from Emily Dickinson to Forrest F. Emerson, who briefly served as the pastor of the First Church at Amherst from June 12, 1879 until he was dismissed on February 21, 1883. (c) President and Fellows of Harvard College

Quilt: Courtesy of Poets House

From Museum to Mesopotamia and Back Again

2012-01-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

This blog comes from Monica, one of our Museum Educators, who has just completed her student teaching across the street at Battery Park City’s new public school as part of her Masters program at the Bank Street College. We were delighted when the school opened and very curious to know how our new neighbors were faring. We’re glad to hear they are in such good hands.

This past fall I was able to complete my student teaching requirement in the Museum’s backyard at PS/IS276. I was placed in a 6th and 7th grade social studies classroom. I had about 150 students in total with whom I worked three days a week. I was given the opportunity to write the 6th grade unit on the Ancient Civilization of Mesopotamia and also the beginning of the Ancient Egypt unit. Using my museum background, I included hands on work and incorporated artifacts throughout my lessons. I brought in photographs of works of art for the students to use as resources for their study of each unit. Over the holiday break I assigned an extra credit assignment for students to visit a museum in NYC. I asked them to pick an artifact they could connect to something related to their Social Studies class. I am happy to say that a few of my students took the opportunity to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage and even stopped by my office to say hello. It was a great learning experience and I hope to bring my experiences back into the Museum’s galleries.

Interfaith Living Museum Begins

2012-01-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

Deputy Director Anita Kassof describes her first encounter with our Interfaith Living Museum.

Education Director Liz Edelstein stuck her head into my office this morning to remind me that today is the day that the students participating in our Interfaith Living Museum program are here for their first session. She suggested I head downstairs to see things in action.

I knew that the program, which brings together Jewish and Muslim children to study and present family artifacts from their respective traditions, is one of our most successful. I also knew that today’s session was the first in a semester-long series that includes visits to several other museums and cultural sites and culminates in a student-curated exhibition. What I didn’t anticipate is that after only an hour or so together, these Jewish and Muslim children would be interacting comfortably, enthusiastically trading information, sharing materials, and smoothly cooperating to complete worksheets.

I had the privilege of touring the first floor of the Museum’s Core Exhibition with a group of boys led by veteran Gallery Educator Ann Barandes, who has a wonderful way with the students. Under her guidance, the boys eagerly learned what an artifact is, became familiar with terms like “gallery” and “text panel,” and talked about how an object can tell a story.

Seeing these earnest, friendly, and polite kids in action—together—reminded me, once again, why we do what we do here at the Museum.

Photo: ILM 2010 alums Tanima Rahman of the Al-Ihsan Academy and Alex Shinder of the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan with the prayer books that have been treasured by their families for years. Photo by Elena Olivo.

Ring in the Year of the Dragon with Us at the 2nd Annual Mah Jongg Marathon

2012-01-20T06:05:00.000-08:00

Last Super Bowl Sunday, about 80 women from three generations gathered over the mah jongg tiles for serious (and not so serious) games, chatter, and fundraising for a great cause.

Now, back by popular demand, get ready to join us for the 2nd Annual Mah Jongg Marathon to benefit the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

The festivities will take place on Sunday, March 11 from noon to 5 p.m. You may play for as long or as short a time as you wish. The day will include terrific raffle prizes and great fun.

The registration fee is $36 per person. We can match you with the right players or you can bring your own group. All players are encouraged to get sponsors to support them in their efforts.

Click here for the nitty gritty details about how it works.Have additional questions? Please e-mail mahjongg@mjhnyc.org.

May the tiles be in your favor!

photos: our director, Dr. David G. Marwell attempts to keep the tiles straight with staff members Caroline Earp, Jennifer Roberts, and Melissa Martens. The special events hall was packed with mah jongg players. Photos by Melanie Einzig.

Will to Create/Will to Live: The Culture of Terezin

2012-01-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

This blog comes from Lisa, but we are all in awe of how the many composers, artists, writers, and children who were sent to Terezin created a thriving culture in the "transition camp."

In honor of the enduring human spirit displayed at Terezin, the 92nd Street Y has curated 92 Y- Terezin Will To Create / Will To Live: The Culture of Terezin. From now through February 16, this multi-disciplinary series will explore Terezin’s cultural significance through concerts, readings, dance performances, lectures, films, and classes. You can see the extensive schedule here and learn more about this extraordinary chapter of history.

Museum of Jewish Heritage Facebook fans can get free tickets to select programs in the series that are listed below by using the code Heritage when reserving tickets online at www.92Y.org/Terezin or calling 212-415-5500.

January 18 Panel Discussion: The Story of Terezin, featuring two Terezin survivors, documentary film footage, and stories of family, art, work and daily life in Terezin.

January 19 Concert: The Nash Ensemble will be joined by celebrated Austrian baritone Wolfgang Holzmair for a selection of Czech works by likes of Viktor Ullmann and Pavel Haas.

January 21 Concert: The Nash Ensemble celebrates the pre-war music of Prague with works composed Pavel Haas and others.

January 23 Concert, Wolfgang Holzmair and pianist Shai Wosner (recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant), perform works by set to music featuring the writing of Rainer Maria and Christopher Rilke.

We thank our colleagues at the 92St Y for welcoming our community to commemorate with them.

Image from online Terezin gallery. Courtesy of the 92 St Y

The Evolution of Holocaust Remembrance

2012-01-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Deputy Director Anita Kassof is attending the Association of Holocaust Organizations winter conference in Washington, D.C. Since she is conferring about important Holocaust matters this week, this seemed like the right time to post her blog about her return to the world of Holocaust remembrance. Perhaps we can even get a follow-up post after she comes back.

I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle.

As the first assistant curator at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where I worked from 1988 to 2000, I helped build the collections by gathering materials and stories from Holocaust survivors, some of whom were coming to terms with the past for the first time. In the years since I left the USHMM, I curated an exhibition about refugees from Nazi Germany and co-authored two Holocaust-related books. But they were discrete projects, undertaken within the context of a more general museum career. Since I began working at the MJH in October, I’ve immersed myself in interpretation of the Holocaust, full-time and as my main focus, for the first time since 2000.

And just like Rip waking up from his long nap, I find that the landscape has changed.

Whereas Holocaust commissions and committees and the boards of Holocaust museums used to be dominated by survivors whose vision and drive helped shape those organizations, today the survivors’ presence is often less prominent than that of their children, grandchildren, or others who have no familial connection to the Holocaust. At the Museum’s Generation to Generation Dinner in November, David Marwell asked all of the survivors in the room of 350 people to stand. Only a scattering were there to do so. Two decades ago, most of the people in the room would have stood.

I am glad to be back. The tenor of Holocaust remembrance is changing so rapidly that I think that now, more than ever, we need to renew our energies, to work closely with those survivors who are with us, and to rethink how we remember and interpret the Shoah. That means not only training survivors’ children and grandchildren (“2G” and “3G ” in new lingo I’ve recently learned) to tell their family’s stories, but also innovating ways to find meaning in the Holocaust without resorting to simplistic morality lessons, and using the Shoah to help us understand contemporary tragedies.

And it means figuring out how to make that singular event resonate for future learners who will never have the privilege of hearing first-hand testimony from living survivors.

From Uzbekistan to Battery Park

2012-01-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

A touching story in the New Jersey Jewish News tells of two Holocaust survivors and their Muslim niece that have finally reunited after decades. We’re humbled that they spent part of their reunion here, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where Gulnora Jurajeva of Uzbekistan learned more about her family’s history.

Jurajeva’s cousin, Rob Stevens, had begun a search two years ago in order to try to find his mother’s long-lost sister, Frima who was separated from the family at a forced labor camp. While Frima passed away in 1984, he managed to get in touch with her daughter, Gulnora. After dealing with months of red tape, the family secured a visa for Gulnora’s visit. She told the family, through a translator that “She is so sad that her mother never had a chance to experience this, but she is very happy to be with her family.”

We wish them many happy times together.

Photo of Rob Stevens and Gulnora Jurajeva. Courtesy of Rob Stevens.

Hidden Jewish Roots on PBS

2012-01-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

This blog comes from Lisa, who loves a good period drama, and anything else featuring actors from across the pond who brood quietly over their afternoon tea.

I, along with approximately 4.9 million other viewers, am anxiously awaiting the second season of Downton Abbey, which begins this Sunday, January 8 on PBS.

Fancy, shmancy soap opera? Hurrah for excellent storytelling, compelling social history, superb acting, a spectrum of British accents, beautiful costumes, and magnificent settings, along with a good dollop of Maggie Smith.

In preparation, last week I watched the re-broadcast of the first season and took PBS up on its excellent suggestion to visit their website for exclusive videos and background information about the show. In reading the characters’ back stories, I made an intriguing discovery about Cora (played by Elizabeth McGovern), an American born heiress who is the wife of the owner of Downton Abbey: Cora is the daughter of Isidore Levinson, “a dry goods multi millionaire from Cincinnati”.

Well, that came as quite a surprise! In this homogenous, aristocratic Edwardian world that revolves around fixed class structures and where there are occasional jibes at Lady Cora’s American background, there has been no mention of any Jewish roots.

I did a little searching on the Internet to see if I could learn more. Fan sites had various theories: Cora’s father was a non-practicing Jew married to a Gentile, ergo Cora is not technically Jewish. Or perhaps, the family was secular especially since in 1888 they married Cora off outside the faith, and she likely had to convert to Anglican to marry the Earl. Or, perhaps her family isn’t Jewish at all, but then why would creator Julian Fellowes choose to give her father such a distinctly Jewish name?

Maybe one day there’ll be a flashback scene or a prequel series…In the meantime, I’m looking forward to a smashing Downton Abbey: Season 2. Cheerio!

We Remember Manfred Anson

2012-01-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Shari Segel, our Manager of Special Events, worked in Collections and Exhibitions for many years before joining the Development Department. It is in this capacity that she had the privilege of getting to know artist and Judaica collector Manfred Anson, who passed away January 4. We asked her to share some of her memories with us.

Manfred was a “larger than life” personality. He was sent from Germany to Australia with other young men to escape the Holocaust, and his passion for Jewish history was conveyed in his marvelous Australian accent, a result of his many years spent there. His sister was in Terezin during the war.

After my initial visit to his home in 1989 with Peter (my husband), who was persuaded to drive me to Bergenfield, NJ, Manfred would be in touch by phone or with long typewritten letters with offers of material. In Australia he became involved in the jewelry and opal business, which he continued once he came to the U.S. in 1963. We bonded over opals, as my father was an artist who designed one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, using unusually cut opals in his work.

Manfred was renowned as a major Judaica collector and the day-long visit I made to his home was amazing; fascinating things everywhere you looked. Aside from a huge Statue of Liberty collection, which was the inspiration for his Statue of Liberty Menorah (pictured), he assembled the largest private collection in the world of Theodor Herzl memorabilia (which was later acquired by the Jewish Agency in a special ceremony in Israel in 2007).

As a collector of many eclectic things, he made it possible for us to acquire more than 200 Jewish New Year’s cards and 500 historic political buttons featuring Jewish candidates or aimed at the Jewish vote. His diverse interests are reflected in the wide range of materials from him in our collection: Hebrew language study books, a Nazi banner, Confederate $2 Bill, a ribbon from the 1st Wachnovker Aid Association, pre-war and Holocaust documents from several German-Jewish families, and my personal favorite, a book for new immigrants to America, “English for Coming Citizens” published in 1918 that is a primer to help adults learning English with text, exercises, and photographs on how to become a productive and good citizen in their new home.

We remained in touch over the years, having just spoken to him recently about items for the Emma Lazarus exhibition. I was just about to write to tell him about his silver Liberty Menorah being in the NYT review of Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles when I heard of his death. He will be missed.

The Liberty Menorah in bronze is in our Core Exhibition, and was a gift of Dr. Aaron J. Feingold in honor of Esther and Saul Feingold. Photo by Peter Goldberg (Shari's husband). Explore it in 3D!

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

This blog is from Gabriel, our director of public programs who would like to welcome you to 2012 and to new season of programming from us here at the Museum. The best part of these programs is that none of them involve joining a gym or going on a diet. Why don't you resolve to spend some time with us instead?

Yes, it’s cold outside, and so some cold, scientific programming seemed in order, except – as our exhibition Deadly Medicine shows – science isn’t always so cold and scientific. The exhibition will be leaving us this month but not before getting a grand sendoff.

On January 11, just before Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, we’ll look at how racially based theories were applied not just in Europe but right here at home. Scholars Alondra Nelson and Susan Reverby will examine medical discrimination and the African American community.

Later in the month, on the 29th, in collaboration with the Primo Levi Center, we’ll look at how the Nazis were not alone among the Axis powers in using medical and racial language in propping up their regimes. Francesco Cassata of the University of Genoa will show how Italy’s scientific community helped bolster a fascist conception of “fitness.”

The winter months seem a particularly apt time to look at the Refusenik experience, as highlighted in our exhibition Let My People Go! Whether fairly or not, it’s tough to envision Soviet émigrés without their fur hats.

On January 22, journalist Gal Beckerman and historian Henry Feingold will evaluate the history and legacy of the movement to liberate the Jews of the U.S.S.R.

On February 12, we examine the Soviet-Jewish émigré experience as depicted in film. We begin the day with the 2007 documentary Refusenik and then continue with the little-known 1991 feature film And the Wind Returneth by the Soviet-born director Mikhail Kalik. To give context to the day, we’ll be joined by UMass Amherst film historian Olga Gershenson.

On January 8, we continue our yearlong celebration of Emma Lazarus. Historians Hasia Diner and Aviva Ben-Ur will help map out the different – and fast changing – Jewish world that enlivened the New York of Lazarus’ day.

Later in the month, on the 25th, we again look at New York’s intersecting Jewish streams but through a very different lens. In a New York premiere, we’ll offer a staged reading adapted from Chaim Potok’s 1967 novel The Chosen.

February will begin and end with some of today’s most prominent literary critics.
On the first of the month, New Republic senior editor Ruth Franklin will join Dartmouth College’s Barbara Will for a discussion of a little-known detail of Gertrude Stein’s biography: that she translated speeches by Marshal Philippe Pétain, head of the collaborationist Vichy regime.

To close out the month, we’ll be joined by literary critics Adam Kirsch and Judith Shulevitz for a discussion of Lionel Trilling and the evolving place of the critic in today’s intellectual world.

To round things out, we’ll have two musical offerings in February. For kids, we’ll have a pre-Purim bash with the Mama Doni Band on the 26th, and on the 15th we’ll feature the neo-cantorial stylings of Jeremiah Lockwood and his band Sway Machinery.

Click here to purchase tickets for the above programs and for more information.

Image: Lady Gaga and Mayor Bloomberg ring in the new year.

Apparently We Can All Get Along

2011-12-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

When I was in Boca Raton, Florida on Tuesday, I noticed two houses of worship across the street from one another on the 300 block of SW 4th Avenue. One was the St. Joan of Arc Church, the other was Temple Beth El of Boca Raton. As I pondered what kind of interfaith programming they might do, my eyes caught these two signs at the entrance to each parking lot. As we are fond of saying here, there is hope for our future.

Keeping up with Macy’s, Saks, and Bergdorf’s

2011-12-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

This blog is by Lisa, who wandered past what sounds like a Jewish version of a Disney World ride, but even cooler.

With the holiday season comes a plethora of pop-up stores, each unique in its own way. One in particular caught my attention: the Chanukah Super Store. And, it really is true to its name.

Chanukah Super Store features two spectacular holiday display windows. The backdrop for the displays is a shtetl home, with one scene featuring life-size, moving figures of a family, all gathered around the table playing with a dreidel and lighting a menorah. This window also features a monitor showing how a wooden dreidel is made. It’s beautiful to see the wood on the lathe and Hebrew letters delicately hand painted on.

The other delightful display window is a life-size scene of menorah candles and oil being made, pre-industrialization. There’s also a monitor showing how olives are processed to make the oil.

In the store itself, is a cornucopia of kosher candies in all forms, including parve and milk, as well as Hanukah games (I couldn’t resist Texas Dreidel, a holiday version of Texas Hold ‘Em).

Located on Avenue M and East 16th Street in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, Chanukah Super Store will remain open through the Hanukkah holiday. Hurry!

NYC Welcomes 50 Millionth Visitor

2011-12-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

City dwellers often feel like tourists keep multiplying. It turns out that it is not just our imagination. Here is another blog from Jane, who would be happy to help tourists with directions.

There’s not a moment to spare in the city that never sleeps when there is so much to see and do. If you live or work in New York City or one of New York’s five boroughs, you know what it’s like to briskly walk down the streets of Manhattan and be inundated with foreign tourists staring and pointing in admiration of NYC’s highlights and sights. Sometimes it even makes us jaded New Yorkers see things in a new light.

Craig and Lucy Johnson from Lichfield, England specifically traveled to New York City to have their wedding ceremony at the Top of the Rock on December 20th. What they didn’t know was that their wedding day was going to be much more than a celebration of their unity and life together, but a milestone marker as the 49,999,999 and 50 millionth visitors to New York City. “We are thrilled to be in New York City with our closest friends and family celebrating our marriage,” said the newlyweds. “We traveled to New York City for the first time 10 years ago and it has always been our dream to return.”

If you’ve been planning that special trip out to New York City, now’s the time to book those plane tickets. It’s shaping up to be a comfortable winter, and there are several beautiful exhibitions and top-notch plays on and off-Broadway. Not to mention Spider Man the Musical. Whether you’re visiting for a short time or a longer vacation, be sure to make a point of stopping by the Museum of Jewish Heritage. We’re even open on several holidays including December 25, January 2, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Presidents Day, too.

Thanks to NYC & Company and Mayor Bloomberg for the story and photo, and of course for all their efforts on behalf of tourism in New York.

Only in New York—Happy Hanukkah Edition

2011-12-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

This story was told to us by Lisa, who didn’t have time to blog herself today.

As you may know, our busiest day of the year is December 25. With not much else open, we welcome lots of locals and tourists to the Museum for public programs, tours, and family friendly offerings. As we prepare for December 25th, we try to figure out how to make our visitors’ trip to the Museum as memorable as possible. One thing we like to do for our visitors is have a list of local restaurants which are open that day. So this week we called around to the usual suspects (Jewish delis, hotel restaurants, and Asian establishments) to inquire whether they would or would not be open and if so, which hours.

I was delighted and surprised when I called Budda Bodhai, a vegetarian Chinese eatery on Mott Street. After confirming that they are indeed open, my next question was whether they are kosher and if so, what is their certification. The genial Asian gentleman who answered the phone said, “Yes, we are kosher, Baruch HaShem!”

Only in New York.

We wish you all a Happy Hanukkah.

Photo from Budda Bodhai's website from the New York Times. Photo by James Estrin.

Hanukkah Party Advice

2011-12-16T06:42:00.000-08:00

Even Cinderella and Prince Charming got nervous before the big bash, so it makes sense that every year before the Young Friends Hanukkah party, Regina Roper fields all sorts of calls from potential party goers asking for advice and a little nudge. So we asked her to blog today about the party.

Looking to meet your beshert? Want to get your dance on? All while supporting a great cause? The Hanukkah Party is the place to be. Here are a few answers to some frequently asked questions and if you don’t see your question below, feel free to contact Regina at (646) 437-4320 or rroper@mjhnyc.org. All calls are confidential.

What should I wear to the party?
The invitation says cocktail attire. That being said, wear whatever makes you feel good. Women mostly dress in cocktail dresses and heels, while the guys wear slacks and a button down. Some people come right from work so they are in suits or other business attire which is just fine. It is our gala event of the year, so dress to impress.

What is the age range of attendees?
The Young Friends are between the ages of 21 and 40. Our median age for attendees is probably somewhere around 30. However, there are always a handful of people on either side of the spectrum.

How many people come to the Hanukkah Party?
Last year we had a great crowd of almost 450 attendees.

What is the ratio of men to women?
As with most benefit events, there are always more women than men. We do our best to make sure there is a good mix and usually end up with about 60% women and 40% men.

What kind of food is served?
Each year we have an open bar and a full buffet spread (served by a Glatt Kosher certified caterer). This year the menu includes a latke bar, sliders and hot dogs, a variety of sandwiches and salads, desserts such as sufganiot and fruit, and much more.

Click here to buy your ticket now!

Ways to Get Involved and Donate to Families in Need

2011-12-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

This blog comes from our intern, Jane, who is excited to give back this season. I think you will agree that she makes a better case for it than this week’s episode of Glee.

Too many children and families aren’t able to share in the joy of opening gifts or have a festive home-cooked dinner with their family during the holidays. You can change this by donating new, unwrapped gifts to Toys for Tots, the wonderful organization run by the Marine Corps. We love seeing our children, siblings, and nieces and nephews excited about tearing the wrapping paper off of their gifts—now you can do the same for children whose parents can’t afford to do so. You can type in your zip code to find a local drop-off spot near you.

You can give the gift of warmth this winter by donating a gently-used coat to the New York Cares Coat Drive. To see a complete list of drop-off areas, click here.

As far as providing meals for children and families, you can volunteer your time at a community kitchen for the Food Bank For New York City by visiting the following link.

If you are unable to volunteer at a local soup kitchen, you can donate food as well.

Regardless of how and what you celebrate this year, we should take the time to remember and appreciate all the people in our lives that make everyday special and be grateful for what we have. The holidays aren’t about extravagance but about giving back to those in need and volunteering your time to help out a child or family.

Hanukkah Goodies to Light Up Some Eyes

2011-12-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

This blog comes from our new Communications intern, Jane Gogerman, who is clearly more organized and prepared for the holidays than the rest of us. We welcome her enthusiasm and look forward to putting it to very good use.

With Hanukkah in less than two weeks, you may be feeling like you’re pressed for time to find special gifts. Don’t fret, The Pickman Museum Shop has one-of-a-kind gifts sure to put a smile on the faces of those whom you love.

Your eager-to-learn son or daughter will love their new Friends of the World menorah ($40). Have them tell you something they know about each country as they light the menorah candle. As for your younger tot, I recommend the Melissa and Doug “Noah’s Ark Shape Sorter” set ($29). Teens may be a bit harder to please, but if you have a computer geek who’s eco-friendly, the LED Motherboard Menorah is perfect ($20)!

As a woman who loves dressing up her outfits with jewelry, my eyes are set on a unique pair of Michal Negrin’s blue flower earrings ($40 and up)that will surely complement several outfits. You can find an assortment of beautiful handcrafted jewelry in a variety of styles, shapes, designs and colors by Negrin and other talented designers at the shop.

Do you have a messy but loveable cook always in search of a pot holder and oven mitt? Now you can save them the stress of using their apron or that messy dish rag and surprise them with a menorah print mitt and matching pot holder. As a friendly tip, I recommend attaching two hooks, one near the stove and one by oven—now they will have their own spot ($5-7.50).

No matter who you are shopping for, you are destined to find the gift you are looking for and a welcome break from the mall traffic.

Not Your Typical Bat Mitzvah

2011-12-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today is my 13th anniversary at the Museum of Jewish Heritage –A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. I arrived a tad late this morning to greetings of “Mazel Tov” and a spontaneous Bat Mitzvah-inspired Shirley Temple reception, as well as an early-morning e-mail from the founding director of the museum.

Having grown up in a small town, one of two Jewish girls in the high school, I did not have much of a Jewish identity in my early years. But since arriving at the Museum 13 years ago I have learned to appreciate the joys and sorrows of the Jewish people, from Biblical times to the present day. I love learning about laws of Kashrut, and asking my colleagues for alternative interpretations of Midrash.

When I went to the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oświęcim, Poland during Hanukkah 2007, I lit the gorgeous 19th century menorah and said the blessings before a concert. Saying the prayers in that special place, the synagogue that had been a munitions depot and a carpet warehouse and was now a reborn synagogue, commemorating the Maccabees' victory over their enemies and rededicating their temple gave me pause. Completely overwhelmed, I stepped outside after the candle lighting. Flashing before my eyes were images of Hanukkahs past: affixing candles to a plate when, as a child, we couldn’t afford a menorah; eating gelt too quickly and accidentally ingesting foil and chocolate; singing Hanukkah O Hanukkah over the phone with my old roommate as she celebrated with her children. All the years of feeling disconnected evaporated. I was sharing in the spirit and the joy of a holiday that has for years represented the unrelenting strength of the Jewish people, in a place that had been sacrificed and desecrated. On this last day of Hanukkah, I felt I was rededicating this temple and bearing witness for all the Jews of Oświęcim who had lit the candles decades prior to that moment.

That afternoon symbolizes what the Museum has instilled in me – a love of Jewish culture, history, and the people, especially the people I have gotten to know working here. Whether it is the particularly wise and charming survivors who have befriended me, or the life-long friendships I have developed with colleagues no longer here, but who stay in touch with Skype; or the gang downstairs who constantly teaches me new ways of thinking; or the folks down the hall who make it a joy to come to work each morning; or the gals with whom I share a commute to Brooklyn, or the new cast of characters I admire. It is an honor to work in a place that is so meaningful, emotional, and full of life.

L’Chaim.

Recipes Remembered: in Time for Hanukkah

2011-12-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, December 11, we’re delighted to welcome cookbook author June Feiss Hersh, who will discuss her wildly popular book Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival with Saveur editor Gabriella Gershenson.

Recipes Remembered is a beautiful compilation of recipes from Holocaust survivors and refugees and their families who contributed their personal stories and dishes to the book. In advance of Hanukkah, we’d like to share Ruth Eggener’s lovely recipe for applesauce, which may help end the debate about whether to serve your latkes with sour cream or applesauce. Ruth was a young German Jew who was fortunate to leave Germany in 1934 for the United States with her family.

Ruth Eggener’s Chunky Applesauce

No excuse for ever buying jarred applesauce again. Crisp fresh apples and pure ingredients make homemade applesauce a no-brainer.

Yields: 3 cups; Start to Finish: Under 30 minutes
4 crisp apples (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds). Use at
least 2 different varieties (Macintosh, Golden
Delicious, Cortland) peeled, cored and cut into
bite-size pieces
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 to 2
cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for
20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Getting Ready for Hanukkah

2011-12-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

This post comes from Sarah, our producer of public programs, who in her spare time hangs out with rock stars, actors, directors, and puppets. We're hoping she can introduce us to the Muppets at some point.

Just in time for Hanukkah, I was given the opportunity to produce a music video for Mama Doni, the Jewish indie rocker for kids, who is one of MJH's favorite family performers. A center piece of the video is our beautiful Edmond J. Safra Hall theater where we shot a few of the scenes and then created a smaller replica of the space to create a stop motion aspect of the video. The song featured in the music video is “The Legend of Sour Cream vs. Apple Sauce” from her album Chanukah Fever, which stars Mama Doni, The Sour Cream Divas, Mr. Apple Sauce Man, and a few puppets.

So watch the video and tell me which do you prefer, sour cream or apple sauce on your latkes?

Voices of Liberty – The Irish Version

2011-11-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

To extend the reach of our Emma Lazarus exhibition, we are asking our fellow culturally ethnic arts institutions to blog about the immigration experience and how it affected their culture. Our friends at the Irish Arts Center, co-sponsors of tonight’s program with Lucette Lagnado and Malachy McCourt, have blogged about the Irish. But you will see, as with our Voices of Liberty soundscape, that certain experiences are universal.

The first half of the 20th century saw a new wave of immigrants from Ireland, many traveling alone to aunts, uncles, and distant cousins already settled in the U.S. Immigration in Ireland was often seen as an inevitability, a thing that “had to be done,” with few opportunities for employment to sustain the country’s population.

The quotes below, taken from recent interviews with Irish immigrants to the tri-state area for the Irish Arts Center’s photographic exhibition To Love Two Countries, captures a brief glimpse of the hopes, fears, and experiences faced by many. Though these individuals belong to a specific immigrant community, the themes discussed reflect a larger immigration experience: leaving one’s country of birth for the unknown, the desire to seek greater opportunity, and the need to make a new place, though an ocean apart from family and friends, feel like home.

“I came to NY on my own at the age of 20… The person who was originally meant to meet me off the boat never showed up. It was a neighbor's brother who then came and collected me to begin my life in New York. I had no expectations other than working hard and making a decent living.” Jimmy Clarke, b. 1906, arrived in U.S. in 1927 from County Galway

“You can love two countries – Ireland will always be the land of my dreams.” Sr. Geraldine Flannery, b. 1916, arrived in U.S. in 1939 from County Galway

“My mother always talked about the United States – America – the opportunities. I only intended to come for a short a time. But I got involved in Irish céilí music, met a lot of friends and for that I wouldn’t leave them or the music they were playing. I like the country very much.” Joe Cunningham, b. 1912, arrived in U.S. in 1929 from County Clare

“It was all new to me. I came out of a farm and I thought there would be nothing but concrete and houses. When I came here I thought I’d see no trees, no nothing, but it was very different than what I thought. It was beautiful.” Jerry O’Connor, b. 1923, arrived in U.S. in 1948 from County Limerick

Photo of Joe and Rose Cunningham

Working Mothers Work Hard Everywhere

2011-11-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to Thailand, Human Resources Director Tammy Chiu spent a day learning to be a Mahout (elephant caretaker) to Siam, a 45-year-old working mother of 3 expecting her fourth baby elephant. Tammy’s day of instruction included the care and feeding of her elephant, and how to guide Siam during a beautiful ride down to the river where she bathed and washed her. We're sure that Tammy was as helpful with figuring out a life/work balance for Siam as she is in assisting working moms at the Museum.

Photo: Tammy and Siam

On the Road with Bonnie Gurewitsch

2011-11-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

This post is from archivist and curator Bonnie Gurewitsch, who recently returned from a trip to Florida where she spoke to an audience of hundreds about Jewish refugee scholars teaching at black colleges.

I was invited to be part of the Diversity Initiative event that is sponsored by Dan and Litten Boxser at Temple Beth Sholom in Sarasota, Florida. The event was planned in connection with our traveling exhibition, Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges, which recently opened at the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg. The diversity event was designed to create interest in the exhibition, and to give those who could not get to the Museum a chance to learn the story and be inspired by it.

In my presentation, I told the outline of the story and illustrated it with images from the exhibition as well as the films created by Pacific Street Films for the exhibition. I told some specific stories that added context to the images, such as why Lore Rasmussen took her students on a field trip to pick cotton, or why John Biggers chose to paint "The Gleaners" in Viktor Lowenfeld's class. The audience, featuring people of all ages and backgrounds, was rapt, totally engrossed in the story. Most people had never heard of the refugee scholars and their roles at the black colleges.

Musical renditions by the synagogue's cantor and the Gulf Coast Community Choir, a diverse group, were pleasant and entertaining, adding to the ambience of diversity and community. The program was very well received, and people stayed long afterwards, enjoying refreshments together.

Photo of Joyce Ladner and Bonnie Gurewitsch

Answering the Question “What do you do?”

2011-11-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

This post is from our colleague Thorin Tritter, who is the Managing Director of FASPE, a graduate-level program that teaches contemporary ethics through the examination of the role of specific professions during the Holocaust. He also has a great sense of humor, but that is not on display, for obvious reasons, in the post below.

I am new to the Museum of Jewish Heritage and have been struggling with how to introduce myself to new acquaintances without coming across as too depressing. I direct a program, called FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics), that takes graduate students in professional schools to Europe where they learn about the role of their chosen professions in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, and then use that historic framework to explore contemporary ethics.

I am proud of the program, but the fact is I work on an ugly aspect of world history and spend my time studying and teaching about a very dark time. At a recent cocktail party in my town, I felt my answer to the common question “What do you do?” appeared to cast a black shadow over me. The more common responses of “lawyer,” “banker,” or “sales” might not yield exciting conversation, but they rarely seemed to cast a pall over the party like “Holocaust.” I tried out some other answers, like the vague “I’m a historian” or “I work at a museum,” but there was inevitably a follow-up question that led to my using the word “Holocaust.”

In my nervousness, I made vague attempts at humor, and they were just that: awkward attempts that left my companions even more perplexed. Now despite the topic of my work, I see myself as a relatively upbeat and happy person. The darkness of the Holocaust does not fit my personality – (does it fit anyone’s personality)? What to do? Any thoughts? I’d love to hear them.

Please post your suggestions and help Thorin out.

Holocaust and Genocide Education Conference Takes Place This Weekend

2011-11-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Nov. 19 and Monday, Nov. 20, leading international scholars, including Dalia Rabin and Special Envoy to the US State Department, Hannah Rosenthal, will come together to look at the past 60 years of Holocaust education in Europe and the US. This conference, "Messaging to Remember: The Past and Future of Holocaust and Genocide Education," aims to recognize that Holocaust education in the past often relied on survivors. As time goes on and survivors pass away, educators now need to ask the question of how to engage youth in caring about the tragedy of the Holocaust. The conference will develop new methods, media, and tools for helping future generations appreciate the magnitude of this and other genocides.

Panels will focus on the different dimensions of transmission of the history of the Holocaust and will consider the incorporation of print, radio, photography, film, YouTube, and the Internet into education about the Shoah. Other more recent genocides will also be examined and considered for their impact on the future of Holocaust remembrance and education.

The conference concludes with a screening of the award-winning film: Auf Wiedersehen, Til We Meet Again with an introduction by Martin Lipton at 5:45 p.m. A post-screening discussion will feature filmmakers Linda G. Mills and Peter Goodrich, as well as Dalia Rabin and Hannah Rosenthal. The conference takes place right here at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Lower Manhattan and is free, but registration is required. For more information, please contact Danielle Emery at danielle.emery@nyu.edu.

Co-sponsors of the two-day event are The Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University; Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust; Law and Humanities Institute; NYU Center on Violence and Recovery; NYU Silver School of Social Work; and The Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU.

All details can be found at http://www.nyu.edu/cvr/conference/index.html. If you cannot attend in person, there will be a live stream on the conference website.

Emma Lazarus, Behind-the-Scenes with the Curator

2011-11-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Now that Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles is up and running, we took the time to catch up with the exhibit's curator, the intrepid Melissa Martens, who answered some of our Emma-related questions.

Q: What first interested you in Emma Lazarus?

A: Emma Lazarus is one of the most famous women in American-Jewish history, yet most people only know her for her few lines “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . . .” Her complex body of work and her life story encompass so much more.

Q: How long did you work on the exhibition?

A: The exhibition took about fourteen months to bring to life. Much of that work was in assembling the greatest constellation of artifacts ever brought together on Emma Lazarus and her influences.

Q: What do you wish most people knew about Emma?

A: That she was a deep and thoughtful writer, and that her vision was inspired by Sephardic-American Jewry, German-Jewish immigrants, Eastern-European immigrants, and other newcomers to America.

Q: What was the most surprising thing you learned through researching Emma’s life?

A: That she was mentored by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and was influenced by artists such as William Morris.

Q: What is your favorite artifact in the exhibition?

A: A manuscript of the Sonnet, penned by Emma Lazarus before her untimely death.

Q: What do you hope visitors will take away from Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles?

A: That freedom and liberty are not just gifts we have inherited, but contemporary challenges for us to live up to.

Photo: Melissa at the exhibition opening. Photo by Melanie Einzig.

Honoring Holocaust Survivors and Their Families

2011-11-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

This year's Generation to Generation dinner honored Holocaust survivor Sol Rosenkranz, who brings an extraordinary warmth and dignity to everything he does. Mazel Tov to Sol and his family.

Photos:
Sol (left) with his friend and cousin Harry Prus.

Daughter Rita Rosenkranz, son Joel Rosenkranz, Joel’s wife Janis, Sol Rosenkranz, cousin Harry Prus, and Sol’s son Mel Rosenkranz.

Photos by Melanie Einzig.

Sure, It Gets Dark Earlier, But Now We See Sunsets Like These

2011-11-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

Sunset over New York Harbor from the Museum offices on Monday, Nov. 14. We like to call this view one of the non-economic benefits of working at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Special Announcement for Kristallnacht

2011-11-09T07:27:00.001-08:00

While we commemorate the Holocaust every day at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, there are certain days on the calendar that have particular resonance. One of those days is Kristallnacht, a wave of organized violent attacks in Germany and Austria against Jews, Jewish homes, synagogues, and businesses that started on November 9 in 1938.

To mark the anniversary, this year we are announcing the addition of a very important resource to the Museum’s holdings.

Starting today, the Museum will be the only public institution in New York where visitors can access video testimonies from Holocaust survivors and other witnesses collected by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute which was established in 1994 by Steven Spielberg to collect and preserve the testimonies of survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust.

The Museum’s resource center will have 2,500 testimonies available from several countries in multiple languages. The interviewees include Holocaust survivors, rescuers, and liberators. Survivors of many religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are represented including Jews, Roma and Sinti survivors, political prisoners, and homosexuals.

For more information regarding this free resource, please call 646.437.4290. In the meantime,please visit the USC Shoah Foundation Institute's website to watch testimony from survivors of Kristallnacht.

Image from our collection:

Image of the destruction done to the family home of Henry Bauer in Mannheim, Germany on Kristallnacht. On Kristallnacht, Bauer’s father was arrested and many of his family’s belongings were destroyed. Bauer took these photographs to record the damage done to his home.

Bauer immigrated to London in 1939 and then to the US in 1940, where he settled in New York.

Gift of Henry Bauer in memory of Irma, Ludwig and Werner Bauer

Couple Ties Knot at MJH

2011-11-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

When we announced that weddings were welcome at the Museum, we had a feeling that people who choose to be married here would find special meaning in our mission and our location. We just received a lovely photo and a wonderful e-mail from “our” bride from this past Sunday, who wrote:

We chose the Museum of Jewish Heritage simply because it represents everything we wanted our wedding to be: a celebration of the past, present, and future. The elegance of the building, the generosity of its staff, and the importance of its mission wove itself seamlessly into our day. For all of these reasons and more, we immediately thought of the museum as the perfect spot for our wedding. And it was.

We say Mazel Tov! to EY and Ira, and look forward to the day when they bring their children and grandchildren to visit the site of their nuptials.

Photo by Meg Baker

125 Years of Liberty

2011-11-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Friday, as I waited to get on the Liberty Island boat with Melissa, Betsy, Lisa, David, and Dr. Ruth, I was thinking of my maternal grandmother, Pearl Makiesky Leavitt, who passed through Ellis Island at the age of 12. She spent six months in New York City and it became a point of pride that she hated every minute she spent here. She never spoke of her experience in the city, but the fact that three of her grandchildren and five of her great-grandchildren make the city home makes me smile.

Prior to our arrival on the island, 125 new American citizens were sworn in. Having hosted “swearing ins” in the past, we all agreed how nice it was to be a guest at these festivities. Alice, who rode over on the VIP boat with Sigourney Weaver and her guests, saved us seats. Ms. Weaver read Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” and we unanimously agreed that it was a stellar interpretation, making us think of the poem in a brand new way.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar quoted from President Grover Cleveland’s speech given on the occasion of Liberty’s arrival in the harbor, and he shared with us that at that celebration, suffragists watched the event from a boat, because unescorted women were not allowed to attend. “We have come a long way,” said Sec. Salazar, “but we recognize we have a long way to go.”

There were various musical offerings throughout the morning, including the French National Anthem, performances by Michael Feinstein, a gorgeous rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” sung by Carpathia Jenkins, and the West Point Glee Club performing “America the Beautiful,” including that line from the little-known but powerful fourth verse: O beautiful for patriot dream/That sees beyond the years/Thine alabaster cities gleam/Undimmed by human tears! The National Park Service has launched Torch Cams while the statue is under renovation. Check them out.

Following the ceremony, we had just enough time to visit the gift shop where Melissa purchased nifty light up torches and I took her picture in the diorama of Frederic Bartholdi’s studio.

We felt fortunate for so many reasons that day. We were unescorted women able to enjoy the freedoms denied our ancestors; our boat ride lasted 30 minutes, not months; and we work in a museum where we are reminded that liberty is a work in progress.

Photo of the Statue of Liberty from the water.

There’s a New Deputy in Town

2011-10-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome Anita Kassof, our new Deputy Director, who began Tuesday at the Museum. She has kept busy for the past two days meeting staff, donors, and trustees; attending no fewer than 11 meetings, the opening of Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles, and dinner at the home of our trustee Ingeborg Rennert.

Anita joins us from the Jewish Museum of Maryland (JMM), where she worked for the past decade as associate director, sharing management responsibility for all Museum departments and activities as well as developing exhibitions. Here she will oversee the program areas of the Museum, specifically Collections and Exhibitions, Education, and Public Programs.

During her tenure in Baltimore, she served as co-curator of The Synagogue Speaks and Voices of Lombard Street: A Century of Change in East Baltimore, for which she also co-edited the exhibition catalog. She also curated Lives Lost, Lives Found: Baltimore’s German Jewish Refugees, 1933-1945, edited the accompanying catalog, and produced an award-winning exhibition DVD. She has authored several publications, including Lights & Shadows, a memoir of Holocaust refugee Arnold Fleischmann, and The Synagogue Speaks, a children’s book based on the exhibition of the same name. (It's available in the Pickman Museum Shop.)

Prior to her service at the JMM, Anita served as the associate curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) from 1988-2000, where she helped to develop the Museum’s collections policy and build the Museum’s permanent collection of Holocaust artifacts, documents, and photographs. At the USHMM, she was the associate curator of Assignment Rescue, the Story of Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee, the inaugural temporary exhibition, which subsequently traveled nationally, and co-authored Flight and Rescue, which chronicled the flight of Polish Jews to Japan and Shanghai.

We are delighted to welcome her to the Museum, and look forward to working with her, learning from her, and attending meetings galore with her in the years to come.

What do you get the girl who has everything for her 125th birthday?

2011-10-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wish you could get up close and personal to the Statue of Liberty without waiting in line with the tourists, climbing lots of stairs, or leaving the comforts of your own home? In honor of the Lady of the Harbor’s 125th birthday, The National Park Service just installed 5 Torch cams, that allow you to do just that, and much more. According to the president of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, it is the first time since 1916 that the public will be able to enjoy the views from the torch. The cameras will be on 24 hours a day for visitors around the world to view starting on Friday. Read the full Associated Press story.

Image by EarthCam.

A Bounty of Programs this Fall

2011-10-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

This blog is by Gabriel Sanders, who would like to entice you to put down the hot cider or pumpkin latte and head to the Museum for some fantastic programming. Here is just a sampling of what's in store for the rest of the fall and for the early winter.

After the relative quiet of holiday-rich October, we begin November with back to back blockbusters.

On the 6th, in connection with our ongoing exhibition Deadly Medicine, we will host an afternoon with cultural historian Sander Gilman, an authority on the field of Nazi science, and medical ethicist Arthur Caplan. After their compelling talks, they’ll engage in a discussion moderated by Museum Director David G. Marwell, who has fascinating professional insight himself, having been very involved in the search for the notorious Nazi Josef Mengele.

The very next night, in collaboration with the Primo Levi Center, we will offer a staged reading starring John Turturro devoted to the great Italian author’s scientific works.

Next Wednesday, just in time for the Statue of Liberty’s 125th birthday, we’ll be opening the exhibition Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles. The poet is in many ways the guiding spirit of our programming for the rest of the year, as themes related to immigration and the Statue recur in program after program.

A November 30 discussion will encompass two very different stories of immigration. The Wall Street Journal’s Lucette Lagnado, author of the bestselling 2007 memoir The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, will discuss her follow-up effort, The Arrogant Years: One Girl's Search for Her Lost Youth, from Cairo to Brooklyn, with fellow memoirist and master raconteur Malachy McCourt.

On December 11, June Feiss Hersh will discuss her bestselling cookbook Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival with Gabriella Gershenson of Saveur magazine.

In 1876, Emma Lazarus, published a story based on the life the Book of Esther’s Vashti, Ahasuerus’ banished queen. Like Lazarus, the poet and songwriter Alicia Jo Rabins has drawn inspiration from some of the Bible’s more rowdy heroines. On December 21, Rabins’ band, Girls in Trouble, will celebrate both Hanukkah and Emma Lazarus, a rabble-rouser herself.

Yes, the Statue’s golden door may be closing for renovation later this month, but on December 25, she—or at least versions of her that have appeared in film—will be lifting a lamp for all to see. Join us for Hitchcock’s 1942 thriller Saboteur, the animated classic An American Tail, and, perhaps Lady Liberty’s biggest role ever, Ghostbusters II.

The mercury may be dropping, but inside Edmond J. Safra Hall the temperature is always pleasant.

Give us your huddled masses!

Image: An American Tail. Courtesy of Swank Motion Pictures.

Inspiring Fall Flowers

2011-10-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

This blog comes from our gardening beat reporter and photographer, Keika.

Fall is here, and everyone has their own way of celebrating this season and the harvest festival of Sukkot. You can either seek a sukkah near you (see previous blog entry) or you can check out the Fall Flowers of Japan at the New York Botanical Gardens (on view through October 30). I went to see it this past weekend and was deeply inspired by the beautiful and intricate displays of Japanese chrysanthemums, or kiku. I was especially amazed by the ozukuri, a display of hundreds of flowers all grown from a single stem (seen in photo), which can take up to 11 months to create. The attention-to-detail and execution are unparalleled. The show also features the ogiku, a single or triple stem display, and the kengai, a display of cascading flowers. I was so moved by these exquisite flowers that I went back to see them a second and third time. If you are looking for some inspiration this season, or a place of tranquility, I highly recommend seeing this show.

Desperately Seeking Sukkahs

2011-10-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

Although the temperature is balmy, and barely a leaf has turned, it really is time for the harvest festival of Sukkot. As a public service, Paul and his intern Lily have done some investigating of neighborhood sukkahs. Although we are closed Wednesday afternoon, Thursday, and Friday in observance of Sukkot, you may be nearby or when you return to work you, too, may be seeking a sukkah.

But first a word about the holiday. The word sukkot itself means “booths” and gives significance to the type of dwelling inhabited by the Jews wandering in the desert for 40 years. If you enjoyed sleeping in your backyard as a kid, think how nice it is to do it as an adult. While you can honor the holiday by eating meals in the sukkah, if you are so inclined and you are feeling spry, spend as much time as you can in it. The sukkah is decorated festively and has two halachic architectural demands: it must have at least 2.5 sides and a roof that provides more shade than sun in the day and a view of the stars at night. And just to make things really interesting, the roof must be constructed from materials that grew out of the ground, but are no longer attached to the ground. Last year, Reboot sponsored Sukkah City in Union Square Park, which called upon designers and architects to create sukkahs of drama and usability. Take a look.

Back to the present. Preliminary research indicates the following downtown possibilities:
1. Near the flagpole in Battery Park; historically the sukkah is set up by Chabad
2. On the roof of 160 Broadway, for the use of the Broadway Café customers
3. In front of Pita Express at 16 Ann Street (east of Broadway)
4. At the Wall Street Synagogue, 47 Beekman Place (near William Street)

Disclaimer: We list these sukkah sites as a public service, but we are not affiliated with any of them.

Chag Sameach

Photo: Sukkah at Foehrenwald DP camp, 1946. Gift of Evelyn Cohen.

Walk in Emma’s Footsteps

2011-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

If you have a fancy phone and a comfy set of shoes, we have some really good news for you. The Museum has created a free mobile walking tour of Emma Lazarus’ New York, which will complement our upcoming exhibit about all things Emma. The tour of Gilded Age New York is narrated by Julianna Margulies (whom we wish a hearty Mazel Tov on her recent Emmy), and features a reading of Emma's famous poem“The New Colossus,” by Meryl Streep. The mobile tour features 19 former and current historic sites that shaped Emma’s experience and legacy including her homes and her literary and artistic haunts. For instance, see this photo of Union Square in 1853. Doesn't it look different without the dog run, skateboards, and farmers' market?

The application is a GPS-enabled tour and map that consists of annotated historic tour sites, a slide show, and audio commentary featuring experts in the field of Jewish history, art history, and the history of the Statue of Liberty. The downloadable tour is available for iPhone and Android.

Union Square, looking south in 1853. Courtesy the Picture Collection, New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

Street Scene

2011-10-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

This blog comes from Sarah Wolff, our Producer of Public Programs, who recently stepped outside of her role at the Museum to produce, The Love Letter You’ve Been Meaning to Write New York, a new-media street theater piece around the corner from here that has a lot of critics and neighbors talking.

Directed and conceived by Jonathan Solari, the play features a cast of more than 40 who perform right on Greenwich Street. The audience sits inside the theater and face out the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the street. The play follows the story of a young man who has gone through hard times in the city and has decided to leave New York for good. However, strange encounters on Greenwich Street may influence him to stay. Part of the charm of the work and part of the danger is that we can’t block off the street, which enviably leads to the biggest variable in our piece, cars driving through and people walking by.

The cast is truly a composite of New York City, filled with dancers, actors, musicians and people from all walks of life. The show combines video, large scale dance numbers, puppetry, live music, and scripted performance. The event has become a part of the downtown community, so much so, that the local NYPD have nightly drive bys where they like to give the audience a thumbs-up or turn their lights and sirens on to give the cast a laugh!

As we enter our last two weeks of the run, I can now say that I have fallen in love with New York all over again. This play shows how a simple act can change someone’s life and I personally get excited to see what happens every night. I love to see who is going to walk by and choose to interact with us, or whether it will rain and the cast will join together and share umbrellas or simply choose dance in the rain together.

To see some of our cast talk about their favorite moments head to our Facebook page here!

The Love Letter You’ve Been Meaning To Write New York runs through Oct. 16 at 3LD Art and Technology Center, 80 Greenwich St. (at Rector St.), 212-352-3101; www.TheLoveLetterYou’veBeenMeaningToWriteNewYork.com

In Praise of the American Folk Art Museum

2011-09-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Like many of you, I was saddened to hear of the financial troubles of the American Folk Art Museum. I’ve seen some wonderful exhibitions there of outsider art, art by women, and Americana, but my favorite exhibition was one that relates very much to our own mission. Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: The Synagogue to the Carousel, which was on view in 2007 and 2008, traced the journey of Jewish woodcarvers from Eastern and Central Europe to America through their beautiful secular and sacred works. While I’ve always loved carousel horses, I now have a special appreciation because I know that the carousel animals were a testament to a history of survival and transformation for immigrant Jewish artists who transferred symbolic visual elements into a beloved American icon that brings joy to so many people.

I thank the American Folk Art Museum for sharing this and so many other stories with us over the years and I urge you to go and visit. It is free, although donations are gratefully accepted and very much needed.

For New Parents and Babies Living Downtown

2011-09-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

You know that moment as a new parent when you realize you’ve been wearing the same sweatpants for at least 30 hours, which aren’t the fancy designer kind, but the kind that are really only for sleeping and lounging, not that you have that luxury? You also realize you are in desperate need for an adult conversation and copious amounts of caffeine and to find other parents going through the same thing? Having a baby can be overwhelming and isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. Starting this Sunday, new and expectant parents living Downtown are invited to bring their babies for a new Sunday morning series at the Museum. Coffee and bagels are included and sweatpants are welcome. We won’t judge.

New Families, New Traditions is designed to create a welcoming space for Downtown Jewish and interfaith parents to share their experiences, create a community, and learn from experts. While children enjoy themselves in a safe play area within the room, or snooze in the stroller, moms and dads can chat over bagels and coffee and explore a range of topics that befuddle new parents, such as sleep (or lack thereof) and how to create an eco-friendly home. All families are welcome. Tickets are $10 per family per program and include a light bagel brunch. (Did we mention the coffee?)

Space is limited and pre-registration is preferred, but if you find yourself free at the last minute, stop by. (family@mjhnyc.org, 646-437-4300). The museum is located in Battery Park City at 36 Battery Place. For more information, visit www.mjhnyc.org/newfamilies.

The first program is:

October 2, 11 a.m.
BEDTIME BLUES WITH DREAM TEAM BABY

Sleep deprived? A sleep coach from Dream Team Baby teaches the latest tips for helping your infant or toddler nap and sleep through the night. Dream Team Baby has been featured on NBC’s “Today Show" (watch the video) and has a column on The Bump.

If you have chatted with friends who have older babies, you probably know at least one person who paid a ton of money for a one-on-one session with a sleep coach. They also said it was worth every penny and maybe even saved their marriage or their career. Before you go that route, come this Sunday with your toughest questions.
Stay tuned for information about our Green Babies and December Dilemma programs, or visit us online: www.mjhnyc.org/newfamilies.

Spring events will be announced at a later date.

"New Families, New Traditions" is funded through generous support from the UJA-Federation of New York. Additional support is provided by the Margaret Neubart Foundation Trust.

Getting Ready for the New Year

2011-09-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again, when we crack open the cookbooks and figure out how to celebrate the New Year and what to feed your loved ones. Whether you like to nosh on honey cake, or apple cake, or prefer your kugel sweet or savory, you are going to need a winning main course that can anchor the rest of the meal. I’d like to suggest the following recipe from June Feiss Hersh’s wonderful Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival. The book is chock full of moving stories from Holocaust survivors and their families, but I also have to say that June writes the recipes that are very easy to follow whether you are a beginner or a balabusta.

Shana Tova from our homes to yours!

Lilly Kaplan’s Chicken Paprikash
This authentic Hungarian specialty features plenty of paprika, which lends a rich red color and subtle spicy flavor to this popular chicken dish. While Lilly uses sweet paprika, for an extra jolt of flavor, add a teaspoon of cayenne or smoked paprika.

Yields: 4 servings, Start to Finish: Under 2 hours

2 medium onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 pounds chicken parts, on the bone,
skin removed
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup white wine
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
Kosher salt and pepper
1 green pepper, cored, seeded and sliced

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, cook and stir the onions and garlic, over medium heat, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. In the same pan (adding more oil if needed), brown the chicken pieces in batches and set aside on a plate. When all the
chicken is browned, add the chicken (not the juice that has collected), onions and garlic back into the pan. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, white wine, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Top with the green pepper slices.

Simmer, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a serving platter and bring the sauce to a slow boil. If the sauce is too thin, thicken it by creating a roux. In a skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of oil and then blend in 2 teaspoons of flour, stirring constantly to avoid burning the roux. You’ll want it to be a light blonde color. Let the roux cool a bit,and then stir it into the sauce, cook for several minutes to let it do its thing. If the sauce is still not thick enough, repeat the above process. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with noodles or dumplings. See Greta Margolis’ dumpling recipe (see page 274 of Recipes Remembered) or homemade noodles (see page 30of the cookbook).

Feedback
Paprika can be hot, sweet, and several degrees in between. Look for pure Hungarian paprika, it’s worth the difference. And be sure never to add paprika directly into a dry pan, it will burn quickly as it releases its natural sugar

Downtown's Newest Memorial

2011-09-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

I went to visit the National 9/11 Memorial with my husband on Wednesday. It was a hazy day, yet the reflection of the sun on the granite, the water, and the glass made it warmer and brighter than it really was. Or maybe it was the aura of the place.

It is a truly beautiful and elegant memorial. The sheets of water mask all other ambient noise, not so easy to do when standing along the West Side Highway. The typeface used on the parapet is a classic serif font called Optima, created by Hermann Zapf. You will recognize it from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. It is dignified and solemn and entirely appropriate.

My husband, as a volunteer at Tribute, has gotten to know a lot of mothers who lost their sons on Sept. 11. He printed out the locations of their names in advance from the website (although you can also do it at kiosks on the plaza) and we went to visit them, tenderly sweeping our hands over their names. The metal was surprisingly cool to the touch.

When we walked from the South Pool to the North Pool, a gentle breeze picked up and blew water toward us. Seeing the calm water under the parapet flow into its forceful rush to the bottom and then complete its deliberate descent into nothingness reminded me of nothing less than a visual representation of grief. I don’t mean the literal stages of grief as articulated by Elizabeth Kübler Ross, I mean simply that grief at various times in our lives can be a quiet moment of reflection, or hot angry tears, or sometimes it recedes, slipping below the surface only to reappear on anniversaries or birthdays.

I am not the only one to draw this conclusion. Colleague David W. Dunlap, when writing about the testing of the waterfalls in the May 12, 2005 New York Times, wrote: “Rather, they were more like beaded curtains, with a striation that called to mind the vertical bands of the twin tower facades, dissolving in a cascade of tears.”

Overheard in the Gallery (Well, Really, in the Lobby)

2011-09-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

Eleven people showed up for our weekly guided tour of the Core Exhibition. Since reservations are not necessary, we’re never sure who might be here. Today’s guests included 4 folks from Denmark, 2 from Belfast, 2 from Walnut Creek, Calif., and 3 additional Californians from undisclosed locations. One of the visitors from Denmark told us that he had no idea what he was about to see but came on the recommendation of a friend who said that our Museum was one of five MUST-SEES in NYC. We’re right up there with Ellis Island and the Brooklyn Bridge! To our new Danish friends we say: tak så meget!

In the Movies: The Debt

2011-09-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

While I am not a film critic or historian, I want to recommend The Debt, a gripping film that I caught over the weekend. Billed as an espionage thriller, the story begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stephan (Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds). All three have been venerated for decades by Israel because of the secret mission that they embarked on for their country back in 1965-1966, when their younger selves (Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington) tracked down Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen), a Mengele-like character known as the Surgeon of Birkenau, in East Berlin.

What could have been a pulpy revenge tale is actually refreshingly complex and rich with moral ambiguity and strong multi-dimensional Jewish characters. Without giving any of the twists and turns away, I think the most powerful moments took place when the Mossad agents were holding Vogel captive. While Rachel and David are revealed to have lost their families during the Holocaust, they are seen feeding and shaving Vogel with care and treating him like a human being. As David says, “Remember who we are and who we are not.”

Despite everything, at that moment they just want justice for their families and for Israel, and will not let the monster inside of Vogel infect them. I could tell you more, but I'd rather you see the film yourself for the superb acting and for the compelling story. View the trailer.

Let's Give a Hand to Community Board 1

2011-09-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

Our friends at Community Board 1 have a very meaningful Saturday planned to commemorate the 10th anniversary of September 11. On September 10th at 8:46am, thousands of people will grasp hands to form a human chain along the waterfront from the tip of Lower Manhattan heading north. There will also be a Wall of Remembrance in historic Battery Park where you can post a message or memento. The 9/11 Memorial Museum will keep a portion of this wall for display for years to come. In addition, downtown non-profits will be hosting special community service projects throughout the neighborhood, and you are invited to get involved and volunteer in the community. Participation in the event is free and open to all, but you must pre-register through the website at www.handinhand911.org. You can learn about the service projects on the site as well.

According to the Downtown Alliance, it will be a great challenge to get around Lower Manhattan on Sunday, so treat yourself to a slightly more mellow day of reflection on Saturday.

If you do find yourself downtown on Sunday, however, please visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Admission is free all day and you are invited to visit the Yahrzeit installation and look out at the Statue of Liberty to contemplate freedom and liberty and how valuable they are.

Ambassador for Good

2011-09-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

A news release passed by my desk last month and I made a note to save it for this week. The release announces that our own Auschwitz Jewish Center coordinator Dara Bramson has been named a Fulbright Scholar and will be leaving on Monday night to begin her scholarship abroad in Poland. Dara is one of more than 1,600 U.S. citizens chosen for the 2011-2012 academic year.

I was not aware of the history of the Fulbright program until I read that it was created in 1946 by Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.

Dara, who is studying anthropology at Columbia University, joins the ranks of author Gish Jen, architect Daniel Libeskind, soprano Renee Fleming, and 2002 Nobel Laureate Riccardo Giacconi. No pressure, Dara.

The Fulbright program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Since 1946, approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists have been given the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

We wish Dara the best of luck and look forward to working with her in this new capacity.

Yahrzeit: September 11 Remembered

2011-09-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year we were discussing the appropriate way to observe the 10th anniversary of September 11. We were torn, frankly, because we felt that now that there was a national memorial to commemorate the terror attacks, we didn’t need to add grand gestures. And that is still true, but at a certain point in the spring we determined that we needed to do something for our community.

We created a poignant exhibition for the one year anniversary, curated by Jill Vexler and Ivy Barsky that examined how the anniversary of a death was observed in Judaism. The anniversary of a death is called yahrzeit. The exhibition looked at Jewish responses to the attacks, how Jewish rituals, both joyful and mournful, were observed during that time, and we looked at how the Museum responded.

Remembering how moving that exhibition had been, and noting that our intimate Rotunda Gallery was going to be available in the fall, we agreed that we would create a small contemplative space to allow people to reflect and remember. We re-purposed some of the artifacts from the first exhibition, like an amazing photo taken by the NYPD Aviation Unit moments before the Museum was enveloped by smoke, and Beth Din documents affirming a determination of death.

But there are additions that show the passage of time as well. There is a program from the 2006 dedication of a Torah scroll commissioned in memory of Andrew Steven Zucker, who was last seen on the 85th floor of 2 WTC making a sweep to get colleagues out. His son, Jason Andrew, was born five months after the attacks.

There are quotes from participants in Columbia University’s Center for Oral History 9/11 Narrative and Memory project, including some from former staff members and from Holocaust survivor Frederick Terna. And there is a quote from New York Times reporter David W. Dunlap who described our Robert M. Morgenthau Wing as the …”first significant expression of the cultural rebirth of Lower Manhattan since the attack on New York.” The quote appeared in an article Sept. 12, 2003.

Ilona Moradof led the project team ably and sensitively, and designer Trevor Messersmith created a very warm and inviting space for visitors. The exhibition is on view through Oct. 12.

Graphic based on a photograph by Peter Goldberg.

What We're Reading Now - Sarah's Key

2011-08-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Like any other book club, the Museum’s staff book club is often intrigued by what other people are reading. Once they know about the book club, board members, gallery educators, and other staff members who like to read but don’t like “organized” reading suggest books and sometimes even insist that we read them. For example, Nancy Fisher, who is both a Trustee and a gallery educator, is one of our go-to book critics. She tends to read books well before the professional reviewers. If she says to read something, we highly recommend that you do.

Sarah’s Key is one of those books that we have heard a lot about, so this month that is our choice. Working at a museum that teaches about the Holocaust, we all read a lot of important and powerful fiction and non-fiction books, but I must say that this one is especially absorbing and impossible to put down. Is it historically accurate, well written, or emotionally overwrought? How does the film stand up to the book? Pick up a copy at the Pickman Museum Shop and read along with us and join the conversation. Or, if you have already read it or seen the movie, let us know what you think, but please, don’t ruin the end for those who haven’t finished it yet. Suggestions for future discussions are also welcome.

Visitors are Welcome!

2011-08-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Since our last visitor did not make as much of a mess as we feared, we are open and welcoming visitors. In fact, our first pair of guests arrived at 10:05 this morning.

The first floor of the Core Exhibition is still closed, but the second and third floor of the Core are open. The Morgenthaus: A Legacy of Service is open, and yesterday was going to be the official opening of Yahrzeit: September 11 Remembered, so be the first to see it. Installed during an earthquake and a hurricane, it is the little exhibition that could.

And our Garden of Stones made it through the storm and is especially lovely on this cloudless day. Have a cup of tea in the cafe and reflect on how fortunate we all are.

Hope to see you soon.

The Calm Before the Storm

2011-08-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Considering the amount of activity that has taken place inside the Museum today, I would have to say that the phrase “the calm before the storm” is an absurd statement. The staff has spent the past four-and-a-half hours de-installing artifacts from the first floor. Today is one of those “other duties as assigned” kinds of days. As Gabe took a torah from its case, the torah that was supposed to be in the Nazi Museum of the Extinct Jewish Race, he found the act of safeguarding the torah to have incredible poignancy. Caroline and I took the wedding dress on its mount from the first floor to the prep room. I noticed that the groom’s kittel was kept in a separate area. Ever the modest pair, our little couple.

Erica B, Melissa, Ilona, Alice, and Indra were our Collections and Exhibitions staff here today, and Suzanne, Jackie, Lisa, and Trevor stepped in to provide assistance. We were also joined by former staff Matt P. and Andy to help open the cases and remove artifacts. Lisa maintained her Communications role by taking pictures.

Mike, John, Frank, Scottie, and Nelson and the rest of the Operations gang sandbagged, covered the library in plastic, moved security equipment, moved crates and cases, and continue to preserve the safety of our building.

Matt S., Sarah, and Kim wrapped up the Fazioli piano and moved the stage’s curtain.

Dara, Chris, Bonnie, Paul, and Tracy packed up the Resource Center; Warren packed up the Shop with the help of Paula, Jessica, William, and Suzanne.
David K and Alex shut down, unplugged, took offline, and removed all of our computers from the first floor that handle everything from the AV system in classrooms to the ticketing system at the front desk.

George kept answering the phones telling people we were closed.

David M. kept us all focused on this important work even while contemplating his own evacuation from Lower Manhattan.

And these are just the activities I saw with my own eyes.

And now that the Mayor has declared a mandatory evacuation of Battery Park City and other coastal communities, we will soon leave the building, say the Tefilat HaDerech (the prayer for safe journey) and join our families and friends to ride out the storm.

Be safe.

Now on TV

2011-08-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

This blog comes from Abby and Lisa who both "lobbied" for years for this development.
Yesterday the welcome screens generously donated by the Gallery Educator Friends of the Museum Fund made their debut in the Museum’s lobby. The screens engagingly convey information about the Museum’s exhibitions and programs, as well as give the lobby a sophisticated appearance. The added benefit of these attractive screens is that money no longer needs to be spent on printing signs whenever an exhibition changes. It has taken us eight years to complete the signage program for the lobby, and it would not have happened without the support of the Gallery Educator Friends of the Museum. As Abby says, "We are thrilled with these marvelous additions to the lobby.”

This project is also an excellent model of inter-departmental cooperation, involving Operations, Communications, IT, Education, and Development. Cheers to all!

Before and after photos by Lisa.

Waiting to Exhale

2011-08-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday’s New York Times ran a review of Rebirth, a film about grief and recovery after Sept. 11. We were fortunate to have a screening of this documentary at the Museum in December, before the Project Rebirth team took it to Sundance. While viewing this film with 373 complete strangers I noticed we had one thing in common. Not a single one of us exhaled during the movie.

From early 2002 through 2009, the Rebirth film crew chronicled the lives of five people directly affected by 9/11. The participants include a survivor from an impact floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC); a firefighter who survived the collapse of the WTC but lost his best friend; a high school student who lost his mother; a young woman who lost her fiancé; and a construction worker who lost his brother, assisted with recovery efforts, and is presently helping to rebuild the site.

The themes of grief, healing, and recovery which, in this context, are associated most closely with September 11, are universal. How do you get past the anger when a loved one has died? How do you live with survivor guilt? How do you keep a family together or feel safe enough to start a new one? These are questions that plague survivors in general, and especially survivors of a shared trauma. We know many Holocaust survivors who lost spouses and children during the war and then created new families in the aftermath. These particular moments in the film teach us how to hold on to our humanity in the face of such sadness.

Interspersed between the interviews there is time-lapse footage of the rebuilding at the World Trade Center site. It is tangible evidence that during period progress took place, even if it was not visible to casual observer. As I walk to the Museum from the R train at Whitehall each morning, I look down Greenwich and smile at the new One World Trade Center rising in the sky. It reminds me there is hope for the future.

Photo of MJH and the new One World Trade Center by Andreas Eymannsberger.

You Can Help Honor Jewish Partisans

2011-08-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

One of the questions our curators, historians, and educators are asked often is why Jews didn’t fight back during the Holocaust. To answer that question and honor the brave men and women who took up arms or fought back with other actions, we opened an exhibit in 2007 called Daring to Resist: Jewish Defiance in the Holocaust. Now it is your turn to help recognize these individuals.

Our colleagues at the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation (JPEF) are currently working diligently to expand their database of partisans and partisan families, and to this end are reaching out to the community to help locate individuals.
Scott Polach, the Partisan Family Liaison, writes:

Speaking with living partisans, whose numbers are unfortunately dwindling, is an important part of our work in keeping the legacy of these individuals alive, and we could use your assistance. We're having the sons and daughter of partisans contact those still with us, and the stories we're hearing from these elderly survivors are incredible. It's helping us connect families and piece together a more complete history of the partisans, a history which has largely been untold.

In case you're not familiar with our organization, the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation (JPEF) is the only organization worldwide that preserves the legacy of the partisans by providing free materials for schools and synagogues about the partisan history and legacy. Our educational materials are used in over 5,000 schools and synagogues.

JPEF is having a celebration this November in New York City to honor all the partisans. We’re bringing together as many partisans and their families as we are able to find to celebrate their legacy. This promises to be the largest gathering of partisans in memory, with our list of attending partisans growing daily.

We've released a PSA featuring Larry King, Liev Schreiber, Edward Zwick to aid with our search, and the results have been great with over 40 new partisan names coming this week alone! You could help us spread the word on Facebook by sharing the link to our video on our wall.

Any help you could offer in spreading the PSA or locating partisan families would be immensely appreciated.

For more information, visit www.jewishpartisans.org or email scott@jewishpartisans.org.

image: A group of Jewish partisans in the Rudniki forest, near Vilna, between 1942 and 1944. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

New Year and New Programs

2011-08-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

I’d like to introduce you to a new staff member, Gabriel Sanders, our Director of Public Programs. We have asked him to let us know which September and October programs he is looking forward to the most.

Today’s high may be a balmy 85, but don’t be fooled: summer’s inching toward its close. Sure, there may be a few more weeks of fun and sun, but once those straw hats and white shoes get put in storage, it’s going to be time to get serious.

Fall’s arrival has always been a somber time for Jews—a period of stock-taking and introspection. For New Yorkers — and Americans generally — this will be doubly true this September, as we mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Our programs for September and October look in both these directions—at the Jewish calendar and at our post 9/11 world.

We begin the season on September 7 with a discussion of Trauma’s Afterlife. Psychologists Elizabeth Goren and Rachel Yehuda, authorities of post-traumatic stress disorder, will assess the myriad ways in which the events of September 11, 2001, continue to inform our psychic lives, even as attack itself starts to fade into the past.

On October 2, the Sunday before Yom Kippur, we play host to Kol Nidre: Finding Meaning Through Music, an exploration of the holiday’s central prayer.

But our fall lineup is not only about somberness and introspection. The High Holidays are also about food, family, and fun.

On September 18, cookbook author Jayne Cohen will lead a discussion on the state of contemporary Jewish cuisine with a panel of top New York restaurateurs. The program, Beyond Borscht and Bourekas, will be followed by a light—and presumably cholent-free—reception.

The following Sunday, September 25, will feature a different sort of holiday feast: The storytelling duo Play Me a Story, will perform a Rosh Hashanah-flavored version of the children’s classic Stone Soup.

The season’s concluding offering, in connection with the Museum’s exhibition Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles, will be an October 30 walking tour of the poet’s New York haunts. Seems strange to think it in mid-August, but you’ll probably need a coat.

(image: Play Me a Story by Julie Platner)

Gifts Galore

2011-08-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

If somebody told me that I could go to the New York International Gift Fair and pick out jewelry to my heart’s content, I’d ask, “Is that before the personal masseuse shows up or after I consume my weight in chocolate with no perceptible difference in my waistline?”

Well, no masseuse is to be found, but yesterday I braved the elements and armed with instructions from Warren Shalewitz, our Pickman Museum Shop manager, I went to the show to buy new jewelry for our shop.

The fair takes place at the Javits Center and offers 2,800 exhibitors the chance to sell their wares to shops and stores of all kinds. Here’s a preview of what’s “in store” (or will be soon).

If you appreciate shiny objects the way I do, you will love some of the youthful necklaces created by AlefBet – perfect for the Bat Mitzvah in your life.

Ayala Bar, whose work we have carried for years, had some very exciting rings, earrings, and bracelets that remind me of fabulous wallpaper or gift wrap or amazing textiles.

If you’ve admired vintage long chains in magazines that look as if themed charms and amulets hang delicately from them, you’ll want to see the very spiffy necklaces from Amaro. They will look perfect with a black turtleneck sweater.

Alas, today I have traded in my shopping bag for an editor’s pen, but when these items come in, we’ll put them on the website for all to enjoy. All proceeds from items sold in the Pickman Museum Shop help fund the Museum’s educational programs.

Amaro amulet pictured above.

Preserving the Culture of Tibet

2011-08-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

This blog comes from our high school apprentice, Tenzin, whose internship here has given her new insights into her own Tibetan heritage.

One of the most encouraging and fascinating aspects of the Museum is its portrayal of the survival of Jewish life before and after the Holocaust. Despite the centuries of struggles Jews faced, they have still managed to preserve and maintain their heritage and culture, and most importantly, their identity. Seeing how Jews have held on to their traditions despite all the opposition they faced has made me see a connection between the Jewish Diaspora and that of Tibetans today.

In 1959, many Tibetans fled to northern India and Nepal, including my dad’s family. My dad’s family moved to Nepal, and they had to start completely new lives. This was the Tibetan Diaspora, and it meant that Tibetans had to establish new lives in new communities, just like Jews have repeatedly done for centuries. Today, the struggle Tibetans face relates to not only the loss of a homeland, but also the preservation of our heritage. It is sad to hear that Tibetans are becoming minorities in their own land; they don’t have the freedom to practice their own religion and culture, just like the Jews didn’t during certain periods of history.

I have now lived in America for 9 years, and it has become increasingly difficult to preserve my heritage. I go to a school where there are few Tibetans and live in a neighborhood where there are few Tibetan families. Growing up in these circumstances, it becomes easy to abandon one’s customs. But, being part of the apprenticeship program at the Museum has inspired me to maintain my traditions and culture. I hope that Tibetans, especially the next generation and generations to come, can find the courage, strength, and determination to preserve the Tibetan heritage as Jews have done throughout their history.

Images: photos from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts

Behind the Scenes

2011-08-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today’s blog comes from Assistant Curator Nadine Shatzkes who has taken time out of her busy day to describe her work and how artifacts make their way to the galleries.

The Museum’s Core Exhibition opened to the public September 15, 1997. Repeat visitors are often surprised to see artifacts on display that they had not seen previously. While the main themes of the exhibit remain the same, the artifacts on display throughout the Core “rotate” on and off exhibit, allowing us to showcase new acquisitions and to present as many personal experiences as possible with stories from across the Jewish world. It also preserves fragile paper and textile artifacts, limiting their exposure to light and to the pull of gravity when exhibited upright.

As assistant curator, I work closely with other members of the Collections and Exhibitions Department to plan and orchestrate the rotations. The Senior Curator and I carefully select and research the material that fit the case’s theme, and we write the accompanying labels. The Museum registrars check the physical condition of the chosen artifacts and give their permission and instructions for their display. The preparator mounts the artifacts and installs them during the rotation.

On Tuesday, August 2, we rotated the Opportunity and Opposition gallery at the end of the first floor of the Core. This section features several examples of anti-Semitic and philo-Semitic material from around the world from the late 19th to early 20th centuries.

Returning to display is the 1899 poster called “The Rat Catcher,” which depicts Jews as vermin and an economic threat to the German people. It is a particularly interesting teaching tool and a favorite of Gallery Educators. This was one of the more difficult rotations to plan and install, due to the structure of the cases. Special thanks to building engineers Frank Camporeale and John Gallagher, and to our fearless Austrian intern Andreas Eymannsberger, who helped with the (very) heavy lifting.

Photo of the Rat Catcher from our online collection, which is also managed by Nadine.

Last Chance

2011-08-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

Are you the kind of person who starts preparing your taxes on April 14 and who pulled many all-nighters in college in order to turn papers in on time or sort of on time? I thought so. We know you’ve been meaning to stop by and see our temporary exhibits before they close in the next few days to make way for the upcoming fall exhibitions.

Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh will close on August 7 while Last Folio: A Photographic Journey with Yuri Dojc will close on August 9. You may have read wonderful things about Fire in My Heart in Jewish Week or seen stunning photos from Last Folio on Time Magazine’s blog. You could believe the hype—which is true— or come see for yourself. Our lines are shorter than the Alexander McQueen ones at the Met and we’re open tonight until 8 p.m.

A synagogue in Kosice, Eastern Slovakia
By Yuri Dojc

Staten Island: The Under Dog Across the Harbor

2011-08-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

This blog comes from one of our high school apprentices, Travis. I’d like to add that Staten Island has a beautiful minor league baseball park and that taking the ferry at least once is a must-do for every tourist, and native, too.

It’s 6 a.m. I wake up, brush my teeth, and get dressed. I go down to the kitchen and open the blinds, only to be greeted by a mass of foliage, birds, and the smell of trees just starting to awaken for the day. It’s funny to think that, within the time span of one hour—via express bus 15—I’ll replace walking on suburban tree-lined streets with the hard pavement of a fast-paced, concrete jungle. So by now you are probably thinking I’m some strange nature lover who lives in the woods with animals. Not to worry, it’s just Staten Island.

Contrary to what other New Yorkers might believe, Staten Island is not just a place one drives through to get to New Jersey. In true New York City fashion, the Island plays host to some unique cultural institutions. These include everything from Tibetan gardens, hidden in the hills behind a restored pre-revolutionary village, to a children’s museum with a mission to encourage curiosity by utilizing all five senses. Ghost stories also come alive in this borough, which has a reputation for being one of the most haunted places in New York State.

However, having lived in the “borough of parks” for the past decade, I can say it’s a far cry from “the city.” The neighborhood I live in is one you would be more apt to find in New Jersey or upstate, and the span of water between Lower Manhattan and the St. George Ferry Terminal might as well be the distance between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. So on my first day of work as a High School Apprentice at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, I was definitely experiencing some regret about exchanging my pool time for office time. What if I get lost? What if I miss the bus? I had way too many “ifs” and not enough definite answers. Yet, my biggest fear was being an outsider, since living on an island reachable only by ferry, or a tunnel and bridge combo, doesn’t exactly provide one with optimal social interactions. However, the High School Apprenticeship program is run and cared for by people who make the Museum a place where you can belong, no matter where you are from. My fellow HSAPs are truly a group of diverse kids who also live up to this philosophy of acceptance. After two weeks, the stigma of going from houses to skyscrapers has faded, and I know this experience is something that I will remember for a long time, and is a program that has given me the opportunity to meet exciting new people, and be introduced to an interesting new world beyond the “forgotten borough.”

Seen and Heard in the Galleries

2011-07-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

When you work at the Museum you get the benefit of watching and listening to a wide range of tour guides from Holocaust survivors and former teachers to college and high school interns. They each have their own style and unique perspective that they share with visitors. Regardless of how many times you take a tour, it is possible to look at the artifacts in a new way depending on the interests and knowledge of your tour guide. One of our high school interns, Kaiesha, was happy to tell us about this cute moment she had recently in the Core Exhibition with a group of well behaved and enthusiastic 2nd graders.

I met my fidgety second graders and started the introduction to tour. We compared Jewish heritage to their own heritage and discussed what role heritage plays in their everyday lives. While in the first floor of the Core Exhibition, in the section about weddings, I explained how at the end of a Jewish wedding ceremony, the groom breaks the glass and the guests say “Mazel Tov!” Since they were 2nd graders, I invited them to act out the scene on their own. I was filled with great joy when I looked up and all my little visitors were wrapping their imaginary glasses in their imaginary cloths and placing them on the ground so that they could stomp on them. When my fellow apprentices and I were practicing our tours and attempting this, we felt silly, but the excited look on the children’s faces as they broke their imaginary glass and shouted “Mazel Tov!” and learned about Jewish heritage was priceless.

Photo from our collection of the Wedding of Nancy Roth and Dr. Wayne Weil in 2003Gift of Lois Weiss in honor of Sylvia and Aaron Rothenberg.

Cadets' Life Changing Experience through the Auschwitz Jewish Center

2011-07-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

This blog is from Shiri Sandler, our Manager of International Programs.

Today in The Forward, Don Snyder speaks eloquently about traveling with this year’s American Service Academies Program. I have had the distinct pleasure of traveling with cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. Air Force, Naval, Military, and Coast Guard Academies as they take this annual journey to Washington, D.C.; New York; and Poland to learn about the Holocaust and military ethics. Calling up memories of these students and their responses to this experience, Don’s piece spoke to me about not only the importance of this program, but the incredible nature of the students with whom we are so lucky to work.

Introducing these brilliant and determined young people to the history of the Holocaust and the beautiful past of the destroyed Jewish culture is an honor. It is knowing that they’ll take these lessons forward to the men and women they’ll command in the U.S. Armed Forces that really matters to me, though. This morning, after the article came out, I heard from a friend who works in Islamic Studies, who, through tears, told me how much these students’ words mattered to her. The words of these future officers have a universal power.

This program offers a unique education, but it is about more than learning dates and seeing sites; it offers lessons in maintaining and safeguarding humanity, learning to look past differences, remembering morals, and linking ourselves, and our future, to our common past.

Please view the article here.

Photo by: Krzysztof Galicia

Emma Lazarus: Birthday Girl

2011-07-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

Today marks the birthday of Emma Lazarus (b. 1849), a remarkable individual and the subject of the Museum of Jewish Heritage's upcoming exhibition, Emma Lazarus: Poet of Exiles. While millions have been moved by her words on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..” few know the story of the woman who wrote them. On October 26, we hope that all that will change. The exhibit, which marks the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, is the first major museum exhibit about Lazarus, and will include rare artifacts that explore her unique story and message. It will be on view through summer 2012.

Visitors will be surprised to learn that Emma was a fourth-generation Jewish American of Sephardic background, not a recent immigrant herself. They most likely do not know about her family’s longstanding dedication to American life and that George Washington even quoted one of Emma’s great uncles when writing a famous letter which would become a founding document of religious liberty in this country. Visitors will learn more about Emma’s prolific career and the leading literary and artistic luminaries that were part of her social circle, like her mentor and harshest critic, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Visitors may not be aware that Emma was so much more than a poet. The exhibit will fully explore her work for Jewish causes and how Emma’s journey inspired her to craft an enduring message that addressed exile, home, and the promise of America. Perhaps the most surprising fact of all is that Emma didn’t live to see her words joined with the Statue and she may not have ever seen the Statue completed. She died of Hodgkin’s disease in 1887 at the age of 38. The poem was installed inside the pedestal in 1903, where it remains today—inspiring millions of visitors.

We’re all pretty passionate about this exhibit, but no one is more enthusiastic than Melissa Martens, the Museum’s Director of Collections and Exhibitions, who is very busy right now curating the exhibition. She says, “The Museum of Jewish Heritage—which overlooks the Statue of Liberty and explores Jewish experiences of immigration, exile, and home—is the perfect context in which to present the life and works of Emma Lazarus. As New York celebrates the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, we are reminded of Emma Lazarus’s enduring message of welcome. Her words turned the Statue into a beacon of hope for newcomers.”

Stay tuned for more information and a special website devoted to all things Emma. In the meantime, be sure to check www.mjhnyc.org early and often.

Photo: Emma Lazarus, 1874
Courtesy of Antoinette Geyelin Hoar

The Senior Class

2011-07-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I attended the Senior Discount Culture Fair organized by Councilmembers Jessica Lappin and Gale Brewer. I asked my friend and MJH volunteer Sol Rosenkranz to be my date since he lives just a few block from the fair’s location at the American Museum of Natural History and is himself an active senior. I also had a small ulterior motive for asking Sol to attend. I figured if I encountered any senior Upper West Siders who said we were too hard to get to, I would just point to Sol and say: “Have you met Sol? He is a Museum volunteer and takes the 1 train.” I only had to do that a couple of times. Sol told me I was stirring the pot.

Most of the people we encountered were familiar with the Museum of Jewish Heritage and eager to hear about our upcoming season of programs. The program calendar will be available in August, and until then I was happy to peddle news of our current exhibitions and the remaining Woody Allen films. I can’t tell you how many times I said to people: “This week’s film is Radio Days…and next week we’re showing Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex.” You can only imagine the range of responses I got from a group of people whose average age was about 79.

Late in the afternoon, a woman came up to me share a marvelous memory. Her father was interviewed for the Ours To Fight For exhibition a couple of months before he died. She had suggested to him that he talk about memories of comradeship during the war. Her father died before the exhibition opened in November 2003, but her family would say, “Let’s go visit Dad.” And they would come to the Museum to see him talking about Carmen Miranda, and see him in the exhibition as a happy and healthy older gentleman. I made sure to tell her that Ours To Fight For is traveling, and in fact just opened at the Holocaust Museum Houston.

It was a really meaningful afternoon, made all the more special by spending time in the presence of such special folks. More than 600 seniors were in attendance, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she hoped next year it would be held in her district, at the Javits Center. If you don’t want to wait until next summer, a new guide to cultural events for seniors was just published by New York City and the Alliance for the Arts.

Vive La France

2011-07-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

As we look out at our Lady in the Harbor surrounded by sun-dappled waters, we are reminded that she is a very generous gift from our friends the French, who celebrate Bastille Day today. Now, to be fair, if we are not looking at “Liberty Enlightening the World,” we are meeting about her or talking about her. A lot. Our upcoming exhibition about Emma Lazarus, who wrote the poem that appears on Liberty’s pedestal, will incorporate the statue in some pretty spiffy ways. The exhibition happens to coincide with the 125th anniversary of the gift of the statue, which is Oct. 28.

Known for more than a century as the author of the lines “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . . ,” the poet Emma Lazarus gave voice to the Statue of Liberty and generations of newcomers to America. However, few people know her fascinating story, her Sephardic background, her American roots, and her work for Jewish causes and a Jewish homeland. Visitors will discover how Emma Lazarus was inspired to craft an enduring message of exile, refuge, and the promise of America.

Rest in Peace, Leibby Kletzky

2011-07-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

I know you only from your missing poster as seen at my local subway station. I know you only from the tragic news announcing your death this morning on my clock radio at 6:04 a.m., telling me that your remains were found in a trash receptacle 6 blocks from my apartment. I know more about your incomprehensible death than I know about your life.

May your memory be a blessing for your family and friends, and for New York, and especially for Brooklyn, which felt like a very small town this morning.

Seeking an Artifact for the Collection

2011-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Visitors are often inspired by what they see in our galleries to go through their attics and donate what they find to the collection. Today we have a very special request for you from our senior curator of collections, Esther Brumberg. The Museum is seeking the donation of a prewar wedding canopy (chuppah), or a prayer shawl (tallit) that was used as a wedding canopy.

As you may know, the first floor of the Museum’s Core Exhibition explores vibrant and multifaceted Jewish life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Personal artifacts and family photographs accompanied by documentary films provide a rich emotional component to the exhibition.

The beginning of the Core Exhibition highlights several life cycle events that are important to Jewish life. One of them is the wedding. The wedding display features clothing worn by a bride and groom under a canopy. The Museum’s current canopy, on loan from a private collection, will be taken off exhibit temporarily to be used at the wedding of a grandchild of the lender. This happy event reinvigorates the Museum’s search for a canopy of its own, and reinforces its message as a living memorial and museum.

If you have such an item to donate or know of a congregation or individual who might, please contact Esther Brumberg at 646-437-4248, ebrumberg@mjhnyc.org. For more information regarding donating artifacts, visit our website.

image: chuppah on loan to the Museum. Collection of the Mogilner-Glatzer family.

Harry Potter and Holocaust Education

2011-07-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter fans around the world are marking a bittersweet week as the beloved film series comes to an end. I must admit that I am more than a muggle (or casual fan). In addition to reading the series several times and waiting for the new releases at midnight, I have been to the café in Edinburgh where J.K. Rowling wrote the first book, I took a tour of the Highlands of Scotland where I saw several locations used as backdrops, and I have been to King’s Cross station in London in search of platform 9 ¾. However, the most thrilling experience I have had was a few years ago when I got to go to Carnegie Hall to hear J.K. Rowling read from the Deathly Hallows and answer questions from the audience.

One of the questions had to do with Holocaust imagery in the later books. The audience member asked about the idea of the evil characters being obsessed with pure blood lines and the interrogations performed on half-blood wizards. Ms. Rowling said that it was very much intentional and that she took what she knew about the Nazis and incorporated it into the books to teach about tolerance, resistance, and moral imperatives. My question to educators and to parents is whether Harry Potter could or should be used as an introduction to or as a springboard for a discussion of the Holocaust. What do you think?

Getting Married? What Are You Waiting For?

2011-07-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

Weddings are hot topics in New York right now, but rather than just put in a good word about our gorgeous special events hall and our top-notch professional staff, I thought I would share some new, beautiful photos that show off the panoramic views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. While, of course, we host a lot of Jewish events, we are open to all types of couples of any faith. Whether you feel a connection to the Statue of Liberty, downtown, or just love museums, it is a unique and inspiring space that will be the perfect backdrop for your special day.

Click here for more information.

Photo with couches by Vision Fine Photography; big photo of white tables by SOTA; other photos by Melanie Einzig.

Not Just for Tourists

2011-07-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

This post comes from Lisa. Since she got to go on a beautiful cruise while I was stuck in the office, I told her she had to write about it.

I know that we New Yorkers never go to certain places unless we are accompanying certified out of town visitors…But, if you’ve done the free Staten Island ferry thing and would actually like to get up close to the magnificent Statue of Liberty, here’s something really special and memorable to do on a summer evening, no visiting relatives required:

My colleague, Keika, and I went on a Statue Cruises evening ferry to Liberty Island, and it was a glorious experience. The vistas of the New York skyline from out on the Harbor were stunning. And while we couldn’t go into the Statue of Liberty, we had Liberty Island practically to ourselves! We took in breathtaking views of Lady Liberty without crowds against beautiful twilight and sunset skies. We were also especially thrilled to discover a sculpture of Emma Lazarus near the Statue since there will be an exhibition about her here at the Museum that will open on October 26.

The evening package included a tour and meal. The ranger-led tour was full of fun and interesting facts (Did you know that the Statue is made of 350 copper pieces and the copper came from Norway?). We enjoyed a hearty meal at the Island’s café, where we sat outside and enjoyed the harbor view, summer breezes, and the rustling of trees.

When we returned to Battery Park, we were greeted by the glitter of fireflies, which only added to the magic of the experience. New York can be magical, even for jaded New Yorkers.

Photo of the Statue at night. Also by Lisa.

Participate in Public Art in July

2011-07-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

We love to support our downtown colleagues, and we heard about a project yesterday that is right up our alley. As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, downtown cultural institutions are discussing ways to remember the day in a meaningful way. The Tribute WTC Visitor Center, The Battery Park Conservancy, and Feel the Music! have joined together to create a public art project for residents and workers in Lower Manhattan with just that thought in mind.

During the month of July, curators, artists and Tribute volunteers will collect the handwritten and hand-drawn thoughts and feelings of people who live and work in Lower Manhattan; these contemplations will reflect on the impact of the 9/11 attacks on their lives.

Tables will be set up in key locations downtown on four Wednesdays, from 11 am-2 pm, and on Thursday, July 7, from 4 pm-7 pm. All residents and people who work in Lower Manhattan are invited to participate. Here is where to do it:

Wed. July 6 11 am-2 pm
Peter Minuit Plaza (in front of the Staten Island Ferry)

Thurs. July 7 4 pm-7 pm
Hudson River Park’s Pier 25

Wed. July 13 11 am-2 pm
Coenties Slip Park, 36 Water Street

Wed. July 20 11 am-2 pm
World Financial Center Courtyard, adjacent to Starbucks

Wed. July 27 11 am-2 pm
59 Maiden Lane Plaza

International painter and muralist Tova Snyder will assemble the collected reflections into a unified visual expression of the sentiments of the community. The final work of art, “9/11 Tenth Anniversary Reflections,” will be installed August 4 in historic Battery Park, near its Gardens of Remembrance. So if you come to see us, you will be able to see it, and vice versa.

Says the Tribute Center, “Participants and the general public will be able to read, see and be moved by one another’s thoughts and contributions in this touching and inspirational work of public art.”

Funding for this project has been made possible with support from the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Feel the Music!, Tribute WTC Visitor Center, with additional support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Brookfield, 59 Maiden Lane Associates LLC, Hudson River Park Trust, and Manhattan Youth.

Where Are They Now?

2011-06-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

I’d like to introduce a new blog feature called “Where Are They Now?” in which we’ll take the opportunity to catch up with performers and authors who have previously graced the stage of Edmond J. Safra Hall.

I bet that those of you that came to the Museum in February 2010 to hear Adam Mansbach speak about his poignant novel, The End of The Jews, thought he was a wonderful writer with a lot of interesting things to say about race and culture. I bet they didn’t realize that they were listening to a future New York Times bestselling “children’s” book author extraordinaire with a wicked sense of humor that would make pundits cringe and critics rave.

For those of you either without kids or under a rock, Adam’s new book, Go the F*** to Sleep, is a literary sensation and for good reason. It captures those late night feelings of frustration that come with having little ones. You can watch Samuel L. Jackson read it online, or purchase a copy yourself, as I did for my husband for Father’s Day. We laughed so hard we almost cried and woke the baby up, which may have been worth it.

Filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum was last seen here at the first New York’s Best Emerging Jewish Artists showcase when she presented her short film My Nose, which Associated Press calls “funny, sad, candid and insightful.” Since then, she has received an outpouring of support for her original film which was a humorous portrayal of her mother’s quest to pressure her into having a nose job.

Gayle writes, “Audience members all over the world told me how they related to my story and wanted to know how I could even be around my mother much less love her. I knew it was time to answer their questions in a film and the only way to do that was to go deep into our relationship. My mother agreed to allow me in with cameras rolling for nearly the last eight years.” Gayle is now actively trying to finish a full length film entitled My Nose: The Bigger Version. She has even become an accidental therapist who teaches people “The Seven Healing Tools” on how to transform difficult relationships.

We wish Adam and Gayle the best of luck in their new endeavors.

Images: Gayle and her mom; Go the F*** to Sleep cover

High School Interns Get Ready for A Challenging Summer

2011-06-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

This blog comes from Keika, who manages our department’s high school interns with patience and good cheer.

Last night, the Museum of Jewish Heritage welcomed a new class of 14 high school apprentices from public schools throughout the five boroughs. This graduation was the culminating event after four months of bi-weekly seminars, where the apprentices learned about Jewish heritage and the Holocaust. Starting in July, these apprentices will embark on a six-week journey where they will work in a variety of Museum departments, learn about the inner workings of a museum, and gain valuable work experience.

Many proud parents, family members, and staff members were in attendance, and the evening was filled with inspiring remarks, including those of high school apprentices—past and present.

When asked about her heritage, Reyna Schaechter, a 2011 apprentice, recalled that she had difficulty at first figuring out what her heritage was exactly, but she realized that after meeting such a diverse group of peers, that "[o]nly in New York, could a group of 14 bright teens gather twice a month to discuss heritage. Only in New York could this group of teens include Muslims, Christians, Jews and Buddhists, to name a few.”

William Chen, a 2010 apprentice, gave some words of wisdom to the incoming class, “Make sure to take advantage of all the opportunities around you. Be involved in everything and step out of your comfort zone.” He urged that, “What you put into something is what you will get back.” Thank you, William, for these valuable lessons.

As one of the mentors of the high school apprenticeship program, I couldn’t be more proud of this group. Welcome to the Museum family and good luck this summer.

Photo: Reyna Schaechter. Photo by Melanie Einzig.

Fostering Friendship Between Jewish and Muslim Children

2011-06-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

If you’ve read Abby’s lovely blog about Ivy’s going away celebration, you know that it has already been a really emotional week at the Museum. Now it is my turn to make you even more verklempt.

For the past six years, the Museum has worked with Jewish and Muslim elementary school students on a life changing project called the Interfaith Living Museum. Designed and run by the Museum, and spearheaded by the always enthusiastic Dr. Paul Radensky, this year the program brought together students from the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan, the Islamic Leadership School (Bronx), the Kinneret Day School (Bronx), and the Al-Ihsan Academy (Queens) who worked together over a period of four months sharing their culture and developing an appreciation for their differences.

After visits to the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the American Museum of Natural History’s Islamic artifacts display, the New York Public Library’s Three Faiths exhibit, a mosque, and each other’s schools, the students brought artifacts from home to show one another, and then organized their objects into galleries based on theme. An enthusiastic audience of family and friends attended the exhibition at the Museum on June 13.

What words cannot express is how moving it is to see the kids become friends and to see the parents and family members come out to meet each other and support their sons and daughters. This year was particularly special as it was the biggest group in the program’s history. Close to 80 students took part in the program. It was also especially moving for another reason. As many of you know, the Museum is just a few blocks from the World Trade Center site. As the tenth anniversary of September 11 approaches, it was poignant to witness the healing power of dialogue and the power of personal artifacts to help foster understanding.

Pictured here are (left from right): Shuayb Siddique of the Al-Ihsan Academy and Tal Lavi of the Kinneret Day School with a souvenir that Shuayb’s aunt gave him before he left Guyana for the United States.

Credit: Melanie Einzig

Norbert and Ivy 4-Ever

2011-06-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Monday we hosted a very special program in Edmond J. Safra Hall. The staff and Gallery Educators gathered to wish our beloved and dear deputy director Ivy Barsky farewell as she moves to Philadelphia with her family and becomes the director of the National Museum of American Jewish History.

There were a lot of moving parts to the day but the most important moving part was ensuring the secrecy of our surprise keynote speaker, Survivor, Gallery Educator, and the original godfather of soul, Norbert Friedman. Ivy had no idea he was coming and keeping it from the rest of the staff was tricky. Norbert last appeared at the Museum on April 26, 2006 when he discussed his memoir, “Sun Rays at Midnight.” Ivy and Norbert share a bond that is beyond collegial, beyond familial. I think their meeting was written in the stars, so I would have to call their relationship celestial.

Norbert came to the stage to the surprise and delight of all who know him or have heard of him and delivered a soliloquy that could only come from him. Weaving together the concerns of Holocaust survivors, he said that the narrative designed to draw “from our most horrific experiences, positive lessons for mankind – which is the dream of all of us—may not reach those that it aims to reach, and will not fulfill the purpose of our cause. Ivy, who has thoughtfully and creatively used the palette of our heritage, of our persona, as we see ourselves, to impress others how they should see us, has always shared those concerns.”

Norbert went on to describe two interactions he had, firmly rooted in the programs that Ivy has nurtured. As one of our colleagues told us, “I don’t even know Norbert and I’m crying.” He concluded his remarks with the following:
“And although my heart breaks because Ivy is leaving this museum, this vehicle, by which we have travelled together for so long and identified our life’s dreams and purpose with, I am comforted by the knowledge that she is leaving to build, to lay a new foundation, to create a new treasury of Jewish heritage, to educate a new generation of narrators, who long after our generation leaves the scene, will continue the sacred task.

“We are proud and fortunate to have had the privilege of working with Ivy all those years. We will benefit from this association in years to come, as will those who will have the privilege of working with her in the future.”

Following hot on the heels of Norbert’s praise was no easy task, but trustee and Gallery Educator Nancy Fisher did a splendid job and presented Ivy with a gift from the Gal Eds. Director of Education Liz Edelstein presented a heart-felt Educator Evaluation of Ivy via PowerPoint, and Director David Marwell spoke emotionally about his partner in crime and dedicated a chair in the hall to Ivy.

It was time for the guest of honor to speak who told us she sought out advice from her family on how to approach her remarks. Her son Harry suggested she say, “You’re all awesome… blah, blah, blahbety blah.” While she started out that way, she ended up in another vein.

“With you, I’ve helped build two extraordinary buildings.
“With you from here, I watched, horrified, as two others fell.
“With you, I helped plant and nurture the Garden of Stones, which reminds us every day that we’re not here for us, as much as this means to us. But that our task is to very gently and very respectfully hold in our hands (like we did those saplings and their roots)—to hold these fragile memories, these precious stories, names, accents, recipes, and loves, and carefully nurture them for the time we won’t be here. It’s for future generations. L’dor v’dor. Thank for you letting me be part of that for this small time. I leave here confident that I’ve entrusted the Garden to the very best hands. May the Museum and each of you go from strength to strength.”

And then we sang the unofficial anthem of the Museum: Petula Clark’s Downtown and consumed comfort food in the form of chocolate cookies and wine.

Photos of Norbert and Ivy by Caroline Earp

Say Cheese

2011-06-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

This week marks Shavuot, one of my favorite holidays. Not only does it commemorate the anniversary of when the Israelites received the Torah, it also gives us an excuse to celebrate with delicious dairy dishes.

Sure you could make blintzes (yum!) or cheese cake (divine!), but may I suggest one of my favorites? Martha Stewart (an honorary balabusta if ever there was one) makes the ultimate macaroni and cheese—gooey, crisp, and rich—an even better a couple of days later.

Trust me, you will never be able to eat the stuff in the box ever again.
As the old ads say, “Ah, the power of cheese!”

Celebrating Women and Sharing Personal Stories of Survival

2011-05-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

One of our warmest annual events is fast approaching. The Spring Women’s Luncheon will take place on Thursday, June 2 at the Pierre Hotel. This year’s event welcomes Auschwitz survivor Stella Levi to share her story of growing up on the Aegean island of Rhodes and her life before, during, and after the war.

Mrs. Levi, an Italian citizen, was born in 1926, the youngest in a Sephardic family of seven children. By 1938 five of Stella’s siblings had already emigrated, but as her father was too ill to travel, Stella, her mother, and her older sister stayed behind. In September 1943 German troops occupied the island. In August 1944, the 1,700 Jewish citizens of Rhodes were shipped to Athens and then to Auschwitz where Stella’s parents were killed. In October 1944, Stella and her sister were sent to Landsberg and then to Turkheim, a sub-camp of Dachau. Near the end of the war, they were on a death march that took them to a satellite camp of Dachau outside of Munich where they were liberated by American troops in May 1945. Of the 1,700 men, women, and children deported from Rhodes, only 152 survived.

In 1947, Stella and her sister arrived in New York where they joined other family members who had immigrated before the war.

Please join us to hear Stella’s inspiring story in her own words at this very special event that celebrate all survivors. The Spring Women's Luncheon raises money for the Museum Community Fund, which provides access for those that cannot afford Museum admission.

For more information, contact Shari Segel at 646.437.4322 or email ssegel@mjhnyc.org.

image: Stella Levi, as a child, with her older sister, Selma (right), and friend, Louisa Hasson, Rhodes, c. 1929. Gift of Stella Levi, Yaffa Eliach Collection donated by the Center for Holocaust Studies.

A Celebration of Recipes Remembered

2011-05-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

A very special event took place at the Museum Tuesday. June Feiss Hersh, author of Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival, presented the survivors who contributed their food memories and histories with their own copies of the book. The entire room was kvelling with pride, most especially for June, who took on this project three years ago with the devotion of Mother Theresa and the will of Scarlett O’Hara.

The brunch, graciously hosted by June and her family, was a combination reunion and revival meeting. A lot of spontaneous applause, especially when it was announced that the book sold out in three weeks. Not to worry, we are reprinting as I type.

David Marwell and I spoke briefly, but June’s remarks were, well, there is no other word for it: remarkable. She spoke honestly about the long journey of the cookbook, and she showered love on the survivors, calling them out by name and fondly recalling their interviews, recipes, and histories. She spoke to them, and about them, with adoration and reverence. It takes great talent to write a cookbook that tells stories of the Holocaust and make it joyful, but that is what June has done. I got the sense that many of the survivors had told their stories to groups before. But by telling their stories to June, each story was captured forever in print. What a gift she has given them. And what a gift she has given the world. I think she’s just swell.

Pre-order your copy now of the book described by the New York Times’ Florence Fabricant as “lavishly illustrated” and “a rich collection” of recipes and stories. You can get it online at http://www.pickmanmuseumshop.com/ or call 646.437.4213. Read more about the book here.

Photo of Holocaust survivor Fira Stukelman, Museum Director David Marwell, and author June Feiss Hersh by Caroline Earp.

Read 'Em and Weep

2011-05-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have attended two author events at the Museum that have filled me with awe. One was Dara Horn talking about her novel “All Other Nights” and the other was Wednesday night, when Julie Orringer, the amazingly gifted author of “The Invisible Bridge,” was interviewed by Gabriel Sanders, deputy editor of Tablet and soon to be our new Director of Public Programs.

Julie’s book is a sweeping epic of Paris and Budapest from 1937-1945. The stories of brothers, lovers, and friends are set against a backdrop of war-torn Europe, and they are at once exhilarating and heartbreaking. Like Dara’s book, which is set during the Civil War, I marvel at the abilities of these women to create a landscape that is purely authentic, fascinating, and makes you almost teary because the book has come to a close. This is no small feat for a book that is 758 pages (Julie’s) or 358 pages (Dara’s).

In both novels, the characters are so well drawn you want to devour all there is to know about them. As Julie said Wednesday night, she would ask herself every day, “What is going to happen to these people?” And to think that she lived with them for seven years. That’s longer than many marriages. When Dara was here I did not ask her how long she spent writing “All Other Nights,” but if the Civil War lasted four years, I will guess writing the novel took at least as much time. Considering this year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, do yourself a favor and read Dara’s book. The story revolves around a Jewish union spy who infiltrates the confederate army. The writing is vivid, the history is captivating, and it is a marvelous example of an unfolding mystery.

I could go on comparing their wonderful qualities, but I have some speeches to write. Bottom line – make sure to add these writers and their books to your own personal library, or Nook or Kindle or IPad or whatever reading technology you use. I will note that one audience member discovered the drawback of using a Kindle: your favorite author can’t sign your Kindle.

The Eichmann Trial: 50 Years Later

2011-05-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Israel. Eichmann, the chief architect of the deportation of the Jews, was found in Argentina by Mossad agents in 1960. He was captured and brought to Israel where he was tried and executed.

The proceedings captured worldwide attention, but more than that, it prompted a new openness; many Holocaust survivors felt able to talk about their experiences for the first time as the country and the world confronted this traumatic chapter.

However, there is still a lot to be discovered and written about the importance of this dramatic story. Historian Deborah Lipstadt's new book, The Eichmann Trial (Nextbook/Schocken), delves into the trial and the aftermath to shed new light on the nuances of the events of 1961. The Wall Street Journal calls the book a “thoughtfully researched and clearly written account of the courtroom proceedings and of the debates spurred by the trial.” Hear the author in her own words in a Tablet Magazine podcast.

The Eichmann Trial is available in the Pickman Museum Shop.

Woody Allen A to Z

2011-05-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

If you have been reading the arts section of your local newspaper, you have seen that Woody Allen has been taking Cannes by storm with his new film, Midnight in Paris. However, before he was the darling of the European film scene, he belonged to us schlubs in grungy New York City. This summer, the Museum of Jewish’s free summer film series will feature Woody Allen A to Z: Classic Films From Annie Hall to Zelig.

The series of six award-winning films from the 1970s and 80s will begin on Wednesday, June 22 and run through Wednesday, July 27. The series starts on June 22 with the Purple Rose of Cairo, one of Allen’s all-time personal favorites. Annie Hall, which has the distinction of beating out Star Wars for the best picture Oscar in 1977, will be shown on June 29. Manhattan will be shown on July 6 followed by Zelig on July 13; Radio Days on July 20; and last, but certainly not least, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* But Were Afraid to Ask on July 27. I wouldn’t recommend bringing a first date to that one, unless your date likes vignettes about perversions, bodily functions, love, cross-dressing, aphrodisiacs, sex research, and pleasure. And if so, wouldn’t you want to know that sooner rather than later?

All films are free with suggested donation. Tickets will be available at the box office on a first-come first-served basis starting at 3 P.M. on the day of each screening. To reserve a ticket in advance and guarantee a seat, there is a minimum donation of $5 per ticket. Call 646.437.4202 or visit www.mjhnyc.org/woodyallen to reserve.

Photo: Alvy and Annie chase live lobsters in Annie Hall.

Congratulations, JDC!

2011-05-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Our friends at the American Joint Distribution Committee launched a new website last week that will help survivors and others fill in some blanks in history. Called The Shared Legacy, the site allows people to participate in three key ways:

By looking at photographs and tagging people to help identify them;

By searching 500,000 historic documents by family name, survivors can look for their names or those of friends and loved ones; and

By sharing their own experiences with the JDC.

As the JDC told us, once aid was provided, people went on to live their lives and it was difficult to keep track of these folks. Whether the JDC helped in a Displaced Persons Camp or offered assistance in immigrating to a new country, they want to collect these stories on the website.

Here is a great AP story that spells out how fascinating this archive is, citing among other examples a list of 426 boys taken from Buchenwald to Paris by the JDC; one of those boys was Elie Wiesel.

This spring, all kinds of organizations are asking the public for help in identifying or otherwise filling in missing information. The USHMM launched its Remember Me project and in a separate project working with Ancestry.com, they launched the World Memory Project to create the largest online resource of information of victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution.

We always suggest starting with JewishGen when you begin search for lost friends or loved ones, but just think of how powerful all of these amazing resources can work together.

Photo courtesy of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).

Celebrating Israel’s Independence

2011-05-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

Today, May 10, is Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. This year we’re proud to invite you to learn about one of Israel’s first heroes in our inspiring exhibition Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh.

The holiday celebrates Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s 1948 declaration that Israel was an independent state, but many people should be honored for their contributions to the early days of the Jewish State. Hannah Senesh is one of them.

Known throughout the world as the author of the hymn Eli, Eli, Hannah Senesh came of age as a promising poet in cosmopolitan Budapest. In 1939, like many other idealistic young adults, she immigrated to the Land of Israel and became a pioneering kibbutznik. After completing two years of studies at the Agricultural School for Young Women in Nahalal, she joined the newly organized kibbutz, Sedot Yam. In 1943, she volunteered to participate in a secret British mission to parachute behind enemy lines, hoping she might at the same time aid Hungary’s embattled Jews. She was caught, and executed the following year at the age of 23. Almost immediately, Senesh became a national hero to the fledgling Jewish community in Palestine. Her remains were moved to Israel in 1950, and she is now buried in the section of Israel’s national military cemetery dedicated to the parachutists. Hannah’s mother and brother survived the war and lived in Israel until their deaths in 1992 and 1995 respectively.

Following the opening of the exhibition in New York in October 2010, the office of the Prime Minister of Israel announced that they would work with Kibbutz Sedot Yam in order to preserve Hannah’s legacy by expanding the museum in her memory and transforming it into the permanent home of her archive.

Visit www.mjhnyc.org/hannah for more information and artifact explorations. The exhibition will be on view through August 7.

Photo: Hannah and friend in Palestine, 1940-41.
Collection of the Senesh Family

Great Writers and Important Books Now Available On E-Readers

2011-05-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today’s post is from our colleagues at Open Road Media. We’re grateful that they are making these works available as e-books and hope that they will find a new audience.

In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, we are excited to celebrate the lives and works of two women who are crucial to our history: Ruth Gruber and Lucy Dawidowicz. While Ruth Gruber is known for being an award-winning journalist, photographer, and humanitarian, and Lucy Dawidowicz for being an influential historian, both women shared the same essential drive: to tell the stories that must be told, and to tell them well.

Today we will share some of these stories.

When Ruth Gruber’s book Haven was published, the New York Times called it “a visceral jolt.” The people agreed. Haven tells the powerful story of a top-secret mission to rescue on thousand European refugees in the midst of the Second World War. A simulated general with the approval of the US Government, Gruber escorted the refugees on this secret mission across the Atlantic to Oswego, New York. Each day carried the threat of Nazi capture. And each day, Gruber recorded the fears, dreams, and stories of the passengers aboard the ship.

A poignant and engrossing story of suffering under Nazi persecution and bravery in the face of the most overwhelming of circumstances, Haven is a book that has changed the lives of many. It is a book that must be read—not just by those concerned with the Holocaust or Jewish-American history, but by all Americans.

Click here for an excerpt of Haven.

Prior to the 1983 release of Haven was the release of Lucy Dawidowicz’s The War Against the Jews: 1933–1945. Written with devastating detail, the book is one of the most definitive and comprehensive books on one of history’s darkest chapters. When released in 1975, it inspired waves of both acclaim and controversy: Dawidowicz argued that genocide was, to the Nazis, as central a war goal as conquering Europe; from the rise of anti-Semitism to the creation of Jewish ghettos to mass murder, she explored in full detail the history of Hitler’s “Final Solution.” The New York Times called it, “a clarification of modern history’s most horrifying passages.” Readers across the web call it “the most comprehensive, best documented, and well-written book to have appeared on the subject of the Holocaust,” and the single volume of history anyone should start with.

Click here for an excerpt of The War Against the Jews: 1933–1945.

Please celebrate the lives and timeless work of these women by sharing these clips with friends and people who care. Tweet or share this:

Celebrate Ruth Gruber & Lucy Dawidowicz @http://bit.ly/kMqPLi.

Click here to watch and grab a documentary quality video of Ruth Gruber.

The Family Observance of Yom HaShoah

2011-05-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today Holocaust survivors Judith Steel, Ruth Gruener, Thea Gottesmann, Edith Rosenbaum, Jack Gruener, and Sol Rosenkranz lit candles in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust. They were joined by High School Apprentices who read statements of remembrance written by Gallery Educator and Holocaust Survivor Norbert Friedman. This solemn observance, attended by Museum staff and a few guests, is a very private moment in an otherwise public space. Following the candle lighting, intern and cantorial student Israel Gordon chanted El Maleh Rachamim, a prayer for the departed. It was absolutely beautiful, and you could almost feel that this “plea of the soul” was reaching heaven.

The staff also sang the haunting Eli, Eli by Hannah Senesh. Listen to the melody here if you want to sing the words.

Eli, Eli, shelo yigamer l’olam:
Hachol v’hayam, rishrush shel hamayim,
B’rak hashamayim, t’filat ha’adam.

Oh Lord, my God, I pray that these things never end:
The sand and the sea, the rush of the waters
The crash of the heavens, the prayer of the heart.

After the ceremony many of our candle lighters were in the galleries talking to students and other visitors about their experiences during the Holocaust. I listened to Salomea Kape describe life in the ghetto to a group of high school students. Witnessing illness and death, taking care of parents, young people became adults fast, she told us. But when she was in school, it was the only time she could be a child. She went on to show us a report card. I didn’t get to examine it closely, but I am willing to bet she received excellent grades. I am grateful each year for the opportunity to be with the Museum Family on this day.

Pictured above are Sol Rosenkranz, center, High School Apprentice Sarah Broughton, and Sol’s daughter Rita.

Sunday, May 1 is Holocaust Remembrance Day

2011-04-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust opens at 10 a.m. on Sunday and Holocaust survivors and artifact donors will be in the galleries from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. to talk to visitors. It is always a meaningful and humbling day. As you listen in the galleries you cannot help but ask yourself where does the inner strength come from to survive atrocity? How do you rebuild your life? How do you live with absence? How do you find joy? You need not wonder. Come to the Museum on Sunday and hear for yourself. Spend some time reflecting in the Andy Goldsworthy’s Garden of Stones, which has blossomed this week, in time to remind us once again how life can thrive even in the most seemingly inhospitable of places.

If you can’t get out on Sunday, you can listen to the Annual Gathering of Remembrance via live audio stream beginning at 2 p.m.

We have a wonderful concert of music from the Holocaust taking place on Wednesday, May 4. Learn more.

However you choose to observe Yom HaShoah, we hope it is a meaningful day for you.

Photo by Melanie Einzig.

Beyond Flowers and Perfume: Celebrate the Women in Your Life This Mother's Day

2011-04-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, we have a couple of thoughtful ideas that will help make the mothers in your life feel extra special this year. On the day itself, why not take your mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends to the Museum of Jewish Heritage to see Judy Gold’s hilarious and poignant show 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother? which has been called “fiercely funny, honest, and moving,” and “a rich borscht” full of characters by the New York Times. See a clip here.

We are also thrilled to announce the release of a wonderful, uplifting cookbook: Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival by June Feiss Hersh. The book includes moving stories about food and families; recipes from Holocaust survivors from around the world; as well as recipes from many top chefs including Mark Bittman, Daniel Boulud, and Ina Garten. All proceeds will benefit the Museum, which makes this inspiring book a gift that will keep on giving long after it is unwrapped and treasured. Read a review in the New York Times.

Image: Regina Finer arriving in America, 1950.

Passover 2.0

2011-04-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

While modern technology can sometimes be a bit of a minor plague (I’ve had two cell phones die on me in the past 6 months alone), it has more than made up for it by the sheer amount of funny videos on YouTube and the aforementioned Bronx Zoo Cobra Twitter feed. Now we have a new obsession. Aish.com has made a hilarious ode to Passover that asks ‘What if Moses Had Google Maps, Twitter, and Facebook?’ Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday!

What We’re Reading Now

2011-04-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that the Museum Staff book club has started up again after a little hiatus. I am even happier to report that we just read and discussed a wonderful novel — The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.

The book, which the LA Times calls “a stunning first novel,” has been compared to work by Tolstoy and Dr. Zhivago in scope and feeling. I have to agree. It is romantic and epic, and has an exquisitely drawn out plot worthy of Dickens. I don’t want to say too much, but The Invisible Bridge is a love story set against the backdrop of 1930s Budapest and Paris and a tale of two families whose lives are ravaged by war.

The book 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, the beautiful and mysterious Klara Morgenstern, 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 Italy, their younger brother disappears, and their friends are scattered when they can no longer continue their studies, Europe’s unfolding tragedy sends each of their lives into terrifying uncertainty.

Julie Orringer will be here May 18 to speak about the book with Tablet’s Gabriel Sanders who always asks great questions. That said, if he misses one, there will be a chance to ask the author your own question.

Also, If you have other suggestions of books that the staff may like, feel free to let us know by posting a comment or emailing communications@mjhnyc.org.

Poem in Your Pocket Day

2011-04-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

We are terribly excited that today, April 14, is Poem in Your Pocket Day (PIYPD), an initiative to get New Yorkers to stop and enjoy poetry and think about how to incorporate it into their lives. Our neighbors at Poets House will be distributing small cards with poems printed on them to passers-by. Staff and volunteers will be in and around Lower Manhattan at the World Financial Center courtyard (11 a.m.–2 p.m.) and at Poets House itself (throughout the day).

The City of New York launched Poem in Your Pocket Day in 2002, and last year it went national. There are events galore, a Facebook page, and of course twitter opportunities aplenty in the form of poetweets.

If you are inspired to create your own poem, the Tribute Center is hosting a haiku workshop today from 3-5 p.m. Actual poets will guide visitors in the art of haiku, the Japanese poetry form that consists of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.

The Brooklyn Museum will grant free admission today to anyone bearing a poem. I don’t think you need to recite it, just have it on your person.

I have to say that PIYPD can be a little intimidating when you have an exhibition up about Hannah Senesh and you are curating one about Emma Lazarus. On the other hand, what a wealth of resources we have from which to choose a magnificent poem. Here is a poem Hannah wrote to her brother when he was leaving Hungary for France in July 1938. It is translated from the Hungarian by Peter Hay.

Farewell

You left.We waved a long while.
Porters clattered behind.
We watched and you disappeared.

Life took you. You were happy.
Maybe your heart had songs within.
Our tears were well hidden.

Wordless, we went home
Watching the sky, pale and blue,
And our soul, unseen and secretly
Is waving still to you.

If you are observing PIYPD, please share your poem in the comments section.

May the Tiles Be in Your Favor

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is an exciting week around the offices of the Museum. Not only are we getting ready for Passover, but this week the new 2011 mah jongg cards have arrived in the Pickman Museum Shop. As you know, the Museum staff is full of mah jongg devotees. We’ve been eagerly anticipating the new cards for months. There have been many discussions about which hands we’ll miss and which ones we will be glad to never see again. At first glance, the card looks challenging, but well organized with fewer concealed hands other than in the “Singles and Pairs” section of the card. Once you are familiar with the new card, feel free to stop by the Museum’s café around lunch time and play a hand or two with us. We wish you luck and lots of jokers in the coming year.

Another Side of Iraq

2011-04-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

This blog is from Keika who studied a lot of ancient history in college, and we're not talking early 1980s which is ancient history to some of our interns...

Last night, at the Museum, I attended a captivating program called Tales from Iraq. Authors Ariel Sabar and Jessica Jiji, both children of Iraqi Jewish immigrants, shared stories about their heritage and charmed the audience with an intimate look into the culture and history of both the Jews of Baghdad and the Jews of Kurdistan. Jiji and Sabar have admired each other’s work for years, but had never met in person until last night so it was great to share this moment with them as they reminisced. One amazing fact I learned is that Sabar’s father is one of the last people on earth to speak Aramaic fluently.

Prior to attending this program, I knew little about the 2,600-year history of Jews in Iraq, but have always been intrigued with this topic. To me, these communities seem to be the closest we’ll ever get to see how the Judahites lived in the land of Israel thousands of years ago. I also learned that, historically, Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived side-by-side in relative peace in Iraq; and the Jews in Baghdad were also successful business people and politicians. But, between 1948 and 1951, there was a mass exodus of about 130,000 Iraqi Jews to the State of Israel due to the increasing tensions. As a result, fewer than 100 Jews live in Iraq today. That is why it is important to preserve the history of these communities, and both Jiji and Sabar accomplish that through their literary works (both fiction and non-fiction). To learn more about this fascinating history, you can order their books from the Pickman Museum Shop.

Photo: Ariel Sabar.

History is Made on the Fourth Floor

2011-04-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

In this week’s edition of The Jewish Week, there is a story of special interest regarding an historic agreement made this week between the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the German government. Germany has agreed to a multi-year commitment to fund home care for needy Holocaust survivors through 2014. The funding will go from $177 million in 2012 to $196 million in 2014, but as the Claims Conference website says, the total is $600 million. Negotiators on both sides should be pleased and proud of their work on this monumental task.

Prior to sitting down on Monday across a long mahogany conference table in a room on the fourth floor that overlooks the Statue of Liberty, the group went on a tour of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. “We took them on a tour of the museum for an hour before the session with a German-speaking guide,” Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, the Claims Conference’s special negotiator, told The Jewish Week. “The environment was quite good and historic.”

Following the tour they retreated to our board room to get down to business.

Given the result of these momentous talks, I don’t think I’ll ever see our board room quite the same way ever again.

Behind the Scenes of “Who Do You Think You Are?”

2011-04-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Last Friday’s moving episode of Who Do You Think You Are? delved into the background of Gwyneth Paltrow. While audiences across the country watched Gwyneth discover amazing stories about her father’s rabbinical ancestors in Poland, what they didn’t see is how the show’s researchers got started on that path. Paltrow and the show’s team were able to begin their investigation thanks to information found in the 4.2 million records found on the independent Jewish Records Indexing – Poland, an extensive website, database, and discussion group hosted by JewishGen, an affiliate of the Museum. The show’s researchers found that Paltrow’s roots go back to a long line of rabbis named Paltrowicz from northeastern Poland and the towns of Suwalki, Lomza, and nearby shtetls. JRI-Poland, which the show’s researchers called “invaluable,” had 90 records related to her family.

Viewers of the show have learned through Lisa Kudrow’s dramatic journey that it is very difficult for many Eastern European Jewish families to find records of relatives as connections were often lost because of the Holocaust. While Who Do You Think You Are? employs professional researchers and genealogists, JewishGen makes it possible for anyone to start researching their family for free with the help of experts who offer assistance through special interest discussion groups. These longtime researchers provide up-to-date data to the site making previously unknown information available to all.

To get started, JewishGen recommends that first-time researchers first interview the family members who may have information about the family’s history. Researchers should then register for the JewishGen Family Finder, which registers the family names and ancestral towns that they are researching. If people are researching the same names or ancestral towns they may contact each other. Thousands of people have been reconnected to relatives through the JGFF. Discussion groups are also available and are read and contributed to by researchers around the world. On the discussion group, readers ask questions, provide tips, and focus on specific geographic areas and interests.

Log onto www.jewishgen.org to begin your own journey.

Photo: Ms. Paltrow at the Eldridge Street Synagogue.

Snake Takes Manhattan

2011-03-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I was home sick, I was catching up with the news and dismayed to hear about the trouble our colleagues at the Bronx Zoo are having as they try to locate their missing cobra. It really put my missing stapler into perspective.

Luckily, the animal trainers and communications office prepared the snake well for real-world challenges like map reading, typing, and social media skills. He has been having a grand old time tweeting about his adventures via his iPhone.

While I was reluctant to join Twitter and I harbor a fear of snakes, together they make a delightful combination. Who knew?

Our Communications team has been following the cobra’s escapades with great interest. We have even invited him to stop by the Museum since he has recently been on Wall Street and at Ellis Island. So now is a great time to follow us on Twitter and see what happens. We don’t bite. I doubt you’ll get the same promise from the snake.

100 Years Ago Today

2011-03-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

A lot has been written in the past month about the Triangle Shirt Waist Fire that 100 years ago today killed 146 people, mostly young women, and mostly Jews and other immigrants. While it is interesting to me that 100 years later people are still debating organized labor and immigration issues, and it is left to the reader to determine how far we've come after 10 decades of discussion, I can’t help but think that the victims themselves have been lost to history.

This weekend there are commemorative events at NYU, Cooper Union, the Museum at Eldridge Street each with its complement of poetry, impassioned speeches, music, storytelling, theater, prayer, and ideally a moment to reflect on those 146 souls.

The Forward put together a really terrific print issue and website devoted to the fire. Articles that appeared in the “Forverts” have been translated into English and give the reader a true sense of what it was like to read about this tragedy in its immediate aftermath. We learn about a young woman who was to be wed later that week, and another couple who embraced and kissed before leaping to their deaths. It reminded me of the New York Times solemn devotion to the Portraits of Grief after September 11.

May the memory of all who lost their lives that day be a blessing for the ages.

There is a particularly interesting video produced by Gabrielle Birkner on the Forward site about workplace safety issues that resulted in 35 fire safety laws in New York state that were eventually adopted on the federal level when FDR was president. If you work in a public space, or ever find yourself in one, say a special blessing for the EXIT sign, panic bar, fire extinguisher, and manual fire alarm in your midst.

Sneak Preview- Last Folio: A Photographic Journey with Yuri Dojc

2011-03-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

This beautiful exhibition of photos by Yuri Dojc of remnants of Jewish life in Slovakia opens to the public tomorrow, but we couldn't wait to share a few images with you. Last Folio: A Photographic Journey with Yuri Dojc will be on view through the late summer. It is always exciting to finally see an exhibit mounted on our walls, but this one is especially rewarding for us because designer Daniel Weil of Pentagram has created something really unique and evocative. Come by soon and see for yourself.

In the Galleries

2011-03-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today, students from the eponymous Hannah Senesh Community Day School are visiting Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh. I caught the beginning of a 4th grade class yesterday and saw that the teachers, who have studied the exhibition in depth, had prepared worksheets for the students. The pupils were given prompts based on which section of the exhibition they were in. Questions included: Why was it so important that Hannah learned Hebrew? Find a few Hebrew words that you know and write them here. What did Hannah take with her when she went to Palestine? Why did she join the army? What was her job?

They were also asked to talk about favorite artifacts. I particularly appreciated that the last worksheet asked the students to create a tour of the exhibition for someone else based on the artifacts they liked. It is never too early to plan for a career in Museum education.

I was also told about a great interaction between a chaperone and a young person. They were looking at the Garden of Stones from the 3rd floor. The chaperone noticed the child looking confused and described what they were viewing, explaining that each of the boulders is hollowed out and each has a small oak tree growing from it.

“What?” he asked, curious and undaunted by his confusion.

She reiterated that each boulder is hollowed out and holds soil and the tree grows in the soil.

Beginning to see the light, the young man responded, “Wait, let me get this straight. They’re hollowed out? Each one is hollowed out?”

And then they left for the bus.

Photo Collection of the Senesh Family.

Spring Fever

2011-03-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

It may be rainy with a chance of snow this week, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t look ahead to spring. We’re happy to announce that the April, May, and June public programs have been announced and that tickets are on sale.

Some highlights of the season are:

The New York premiere of Cantors, A Faith in Song will take place on Sunday, April 10. Cantors Alberto Mizrahi Benzion Miller, and Naftali Herstik will perform music from their PBS concert of joyful and deeply spiritual music.

On Wednesday, April 13, we’ll team up with the Public Theater to present a lively debate about Shylock, Shakespeare, and the Jews: Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice. New York Times theater critic Patrick Healy will moderate Barry Edelstein, director of The Public Theater's Shakespeare Initiative; Columbia University Prof. James Shapiro; and Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union. This should be a hotter ticket than Spider-Man and far less dangerous.

On Mother’s Day, May 8, we’ll be kvelling because Judy Gold will perform her hit one-woman show 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother which the New York Times calls “fiercely funny, honest and moving.”

On May 22, the Museum, Centro Primo Levi, and a bunch of other wonderful Italian organizations will present La Roma Ebraica: The Choir of Rome's Tempio Maggiore in Concert . 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. Bellissimo!

Finally, in June, we’ll start our free summer film series. This year we’ll be showing Woody Allen films such as Annie Hall, Purple Rose of Cairo , and more. They are all free with suggested donation.

These are just some of the fantastic programs we have lined up for you. Visit the website for more information. We hope to see you soon!