Apr 3, 2013:

The Center for Jewish History in New York City today announced it is adding more than 600 high-resolution artworks to the Google Art Project, allowing internet viewers around the world to instantly explore paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, prints, book illustrations, and other objects housed at the Center.

The artworks, which will be added to the Google Art Project beginning April 3 and in the coming months, are from the Leo Baeck Institute Art Collection. Highlights include many paintings and works on paper that survived the Holocaust and attest to the experiences of German-speaking Jews under the Nazi regime:

• work secretly created in concentration camps by architect Norbert Troller (Czech and American, 1900-1984);
• paintings by Max Leibermann (German, 1847-1935), including The Cabbage Field, 1923, which depicts the artist’s former flower garden transformed into a vegetable garden to provide his family with food in the aftermath of WWI’s inflation and shortages;
• portraits of Sigmund Freud and Theodor Herzl in 1903, and of Friedrich Nietzsche in 1911, by master etcher and lithographer Hermann Struck (German, 1876-1944);
• a self-portrait c. 1920 by Impressionist painter and printmaker Lesser Ury (German, 1861-1931), celebrated for his paintings of his adopted hometown, Berlin;
• a woodcut depicting the Shanghai ghetto from 1943-45 by David Ludwig Bloch (German, 1910-2002), whose work was seen in a retrospective at the Jewish Museum in Munich in 2000;
• work by sculptor and printmaker Peter Lipman-Wulf (German and American, 1905-1993), which often reflected the influence of German Expressionism. His work is in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Also included will be a substantial collection of drawings and watercolors by Lene Schneider Kainer (Austrian, 1885-1971), who traveled with an author, Bernhard Kellermann, retracing the steps of Marco Polo. She painted and drew what she saw during the journey through China, Iran, Central and Southeastern Asia, and India, since taking photographs was alarming to many of the people she met.

The resolution of the images on the Google Art Project, combined with a custom-built zoom viewer, allows art lovers to discover minute aspects of paintings they may never have seen up close before.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for viewers to experience the depth and breadth of the diverse collections housed at the Center,” stated Michael S. Glickman, Chief Operating Officer, Center for Jewish History. “These works of art will help to bring Jewish history to life for local and global communities and will enhance the opportunities afforded to thousands of scholars, students, and members of the general public who do not live in New York City and wish to access the collections. We are most appreciative to Google for making critical engagement with historical material more accessible and for including us in this most important initiative.”

About the Google Art Project

Visitors to the Google Art Project can browse works by the artist’s name, the artwork, the type of art, the museum, the country, collections, and the time period. Google+ and video hangouts are integrated on the site, allowing viewers to invite their friends to view and discuss their favorite works in a video chat or follow a guided tour from an expert to gain an appreciation of a particular topic or art collection.

The “My Gallery” feature allows users to save specific views of any of artworks and to build their own personalized gallery. Comments can be added to each image and the whole gallery can then be shared with friends and family. It’s an ideal tool for students or groups to work on collaborative projects or collections. In addition, a feature called “Compare” allows users to examine two pieces of artwork side by side to look at how an artist’s style evolved over time, connect trends across cultures, or delve deeply into two parts of the same work

To date, more than 40,000 high-resolution objects are available in the Google Art Project. The Art Project is part of the Google Cultural Institute, which is dedicated to creating technology that helps the cultural community bring its art, archives, heritage sites, and other material online. The aim is to increase the range and volume of material from the cultural world that is available for people to explore online and, in doing so, to democratize access to it and preserve it for future generations.

Apr 2, 2013:

This article originally appeared in the The Wall Street Journal

New York City's Center for Jewish History is contributing more than 600 high-resolution artworks to the Google Art Project.

Highlights include paintings and works on paper that survived the Holocaust and portraits of Sigmund Freud.

The Google Art Project is part of the Google Cultural Institute. It uses technology to put art, archives, heritage sites and other cultural material online.

It has more than 40,000 objects. Viewers can browse works by the artist's name, type of work, museum, country, collections and time period.

The Center for Jewish History is home to the American Jewish Historical Society, Yeshiva University Museum and other Jewish organizations.

Other institutions that have contributed to the site include the Museum of the City of New York and the Museum of the Moving Image.

Mar 8, 2013:

By Sandee Brawarsky
This article originally appeared in the The New York Jewish Week

In April 1850, Peter Still, a slave, purchased his freedom from Joseph Friedman, a sympathetic Jewish businessman in Tuscumbia, Ala., for $500. When Still relocated with his family in the North, he stayed in touch with Friedman. His slave narrative, “The Kidnapped and the Ransomed ... Being the Personal Recollections of Peter Still and His Wife Vina After Forty Years of Slavery,” was published in the 1850s and is included in a new exhibition, “Passages through the Fire: Jews and the Civil War,” opening on Sunday, March 10 at the Center for Jewish History.

Presented on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the exhibition is a collaboration between two institutions, Yeshiva University Museum and the American Jewish Historical Society, both housed in the center. The exhibition brings together new scholarship and a wide assortment of visual objects and stories that are more than footnotes to the War. The last time this material was explored in a major exhibition was in 1960, at the centennial, “The American Jew in the Civil War” at The Jewish Museum.

“The Civil War was a major turning point in American Jewish history,” says Jacob Wisse, director of Yeshiva University Museum. Jonathan Karp, executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society agrees, pointing out that the disruptive events gave the Jewish community opportunities to participate fully in American life, both on the battlefield and the domestic front. Karp calls the Civil War a crucible. In fact, the war accelerated the process of acculturation for the Jewish community, then composed mainly of immigrants. They IT emerged from the war as A GROUP OF Americans, with expanded freedom and opportunities.

Curated by Ken Yellis, the exhibition draws on the holdings of the two sponsoring institutions and also on the extensive collection of Jewish Civil War memorabilia owned by Robert Marcus of Farifax, Va. Some objects from that collection have been previously exhibited but never this many of them at once.

The exhibition describes the Jewish community circa 1860, covers the war through military stories as well as through reports on the home front, and also portrays the aftermath of the war. Yellis explains that while the curators wanted to tell the story of how Jews engaged fully in the country’s core struggle and collective trauma, they also wanted to present the mirror image: “the ways in which the talents, the skills, the networks, the energy, the imagination, the courage, the readiness to sacrifice, lead, get involved, take a risk, lose one’s life, and more, were a gift to America in the crisis, a gift that America very much needed.”

Yellis is the kind of curator who likes compression in exhibitions, the gathering and juxtaposing of a large number of objects and texts to convey a sense of great energy. Included here are historical paintings, religious objects like prayer books that may have been carried onto the battlefield, handwritten letters, business records of Jewish textile merchants, diaries, medals, discharge documents, weapons, poetry by a mother who lost her son, and the first membership badge issued by the Hebrew Union Veterans Association. Two photographic portraits of unidentified Union and Confederate soldiers are by Benedict “Ben” Oppenheimer, a deaf man who served in the Confederate infantry and cavalry. His job was to fire his company’s cannon, as his hearing wouldn’t be damaged.

Books are also showcased, including a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Yiddish, a soldier’s Haggadah and an illustrated book on the foot by Isachar Zacharie, a podiatrist who was Lincoln’s closest Jewish friend; Zacharie was sent on a secret mission to make peace with his co-religionist Judah P. Benjamin, the Confederacy’s secretary of state.

For those buffs who savor every detail of the Civil War and those whose interest was only recently piqued by Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” there’s much to ponder.

As part of the exhibition, award-winning director Oren Rudavsky made three short films focusing on slavery, anti-Semitism and the legacy of the war; they feature the words of leading scholars in American Jewish History including Hasia Diner, Harold Holzer, Adam Mendelsohn, Dale Rosengarten, Jonathan Sarna and Lance Sussman. Sarna says, “By shedding blood for the country, Jews demonstrated they were part of that country.”

Early on in the exhibition, a large and detailed map tells the story of America’s Jewish population, which is key to understanding Jewish involvement in the war. In 1840 the Jewish population of America was 15,000 and 20 years later, in 1860, it was 150,000 and spread across the continent, in large cities and towns, in the North and South.

Yellis underlines the fact that, for the most part, Jews sided with their region, with those in the North fighting for the Union, and Jews in the South for the Confederacy; in short, they echoed what was happening in the larger society. As in the rest of America, some Jewish families were split between North and South, with brother fighting brother. About 10,000 to 12,000 Jews served in the armies and navies.

The exhibition features stories of Jews who rose to high ranks: Judah P. Benjamin, who served as the Confederacy’s secretary of war, attorney general and secretary of state, and lesser-known figures like Phoebe Pember, a nurse from a prominent Charleston Jewish family who was an administrator of a major Confederate military hospital in Richmond; Pember’s sister Eugenia Levy Phillips in OF New Orleans, who defied the Union general, Benjamin F. “Beast” Butler; and Annie Jonas and the women of Quincy, Mass., who formed the Needle Pickets, to raise money to aid the troops and their families.

The exhibition tackles the subject of Jews and slavery directly. There were Jews who were sympathetic to slavery and slave owners, and those who were abolitionists. But Yellis explains that there was little discussion of slavery in the Jewish community until the Civil War — and “almost dead silence from the pulpit until the fall of 1860 and the election of Lincoln.”

The brutality and heavy casualties of the War are also evident. On display are revolvers, rifles and swords owned by Jewish soldiers. One ceremonial sword, made by Tiffany’s & Co. of brass and polished steel and engraved with an eagle and other U.S. symbols, was presented to Alex Newburger, Quartermaster of the 4th New York Cavalry, in 1864. In contrast, the less elegant field swords look as though they were used.

The exhibition also addresses two well-known episodes, General Grant’s General Orders No. 11 expelling the Jews from the Tennessee territories, and the prohibition of Jews serving as chaplains, both reversed by Lincoln.

By the end of the Civil War, many Northern Jews felt great affinity for Abraham Lincoln. After his death, he was cast as Father Abraham, a benevolent patriarch. In many synagogues, Kaddish was recited for him. A wall text explains, “Over the next century, the Great Emancipator became a versatile symbol for synagogues, socialists, Zionists and civil rights activists in search of an American patriarch they could claim as their own.”

A series of public programs will be held in conjunction with the exhibition. A curator’s tour, free of charge, is planned for Wednesday, March 13 at 6 p.m.

Filmmaker Ken Burns will speak on “Revisiting the Civil War Documentary Series 20 Years On” on Sunday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets $15 general, $10 AJHS and YUM members, students, seniors. For reservations, call Smarttix.com, or (212) 868-4444.

Jan 29, 2013:

The Center for Jewish History has announced a $1.5 million grant from The Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust. In honor of this support, the Center will establish The Lillian Goldman Reference Services Division.

The new Reference Services Division will adjoin the existing Lillian Goldman Reading Room, which serves as the gateway to the archival and library collections of the Center for Jewish History's five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. With a renewed focus on the level of services it provides to visitors, the Center, located at 15 West 16th Street, will create a state-of-the-art environment for the study and exploration of Jewish history.

"This remarkable support will allow us to enhance the research experiences of thousands of scholars, students and members of the general public who come to the Center from around the world to use the partners' collections. It will help us to continue advancing the ways in which libraries and learning institutions can best serve 21st-century publics," stated Michael S. Glickman, Chief Operating Officer, Center for Jewish History.

The grant will support a series of changes to the space—including improvements that will help researchers to seamlessly integrate digital tools into their work—and new resources for students, teachers, scholars and other patrons who come to the Center to conduct research. At the Center, documentary filmmakers shoot rare newspapers from 18th-century Austria; artisan bookbinders develop new uses of forgotten techniques; photographers learn from Roman Vishniac's original prints; and writers explore the unpublished works of Henry Roth. Visitors to the Center discover artifacts of individual experience—the lifeblood of the partners' collections—and page through original records to uncover the unpublished, raw material in the loose sheets of human history.

"As an institution that is committed to education, engagement and open access to information—and one that serves both local and global communities—the Center creates opportunities for diverse audiences not only to engage with history, but also to consider its relevance to the present. The Lillian Goldman Reference Services Division will be integralp to illuminating history for visitors to the Center. This support also reinvigorates Lillian Goldman's strong legacy as an ardent supporter of institutions dedicated to higher learning and scholarship. We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Amy Goldman Fowler, Vice Chairman of the Center's Board, for this significant grant," Glickman added.

Jan 2, 2013:

By Dave Itzkoff
This article originally appeared in the The New York Times

Years before Superman could be easily spotted in the sky among the birds and planes — or in motion pictures, or on billboards or lunchboxes or the many other pop-cultural artifacts he now occupies — his co-creator Joe Shuster met him in person on the street.

In 1945, some seven years after he had been regularly illustrating Superman adventures written by his partner, Jerry Siegel, Shuster encountered a young man who looked exactly like the Superman character as he imagined him. He asked the man, named Stanley Weiss, if he could draw him, resulting in some sketches that have gone largely unseen for nearly 70 years, as well as some insights into the origins of this long-lived American champion.

Shuster’s pencil sketches of the square-jawed Weiss, who strongly resembles a certain Kryptonian immigrant and his earthly alter ego, Clark Kent, will be shown publicly at the Center for Jewish History in Chelsea, at a Jan. 27 event celebrating the 75th anniversary of Superman.

The event, “Superman at 75: Celebrating America’s Most Enduring Hero,” will also feature a discussion with comic book writers like Denny O’Neil and Jim Shooter; Jenette Kahn, the former publisher of DC Comics; and Stanley Weiss’s son, David.

In response to e-mail questions, David Weiss wrote that his father had found Shuster’s drawings “amusing but not a big deal.”

Stanley Weiss was 24 at the time he met Shuster, either in New Jersey or at a resort in the Adirondacks called Green Mansions; he worked as an accountant and later helped run a family furniture and appliance business. Superman himself was appearing in comics and radio serials, but had not come into his full, ubiquitous bloom.

“I remember the sketches hanging on a wall in the house for a while, and I’m certain that was my mother’s doing,” said David Weiss, whose father died in 1978. “Then they were put away. It seemed a bigger deal to her, but that still doesn’t mean that either of them considered it a big deal. The Jewish and family culture I grew up in had a fundamental modesty.”

Larry Tye, the author of “Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero” and a participant in the Center for Jewish History event, said in a telephone interview that Siegel and Shuster, who were both the children of European Jewish immigrants, drew upon many sources when they created Superman in the 1930s. They looked at classical heroes like Samson and Hercules, pulp characters like Doc Savage and, of course, themselves.

“What Joe Shuster said was that he would look in a mirror, and when he was drawing Clark Kent and Superman, that was what he saw,” Mr. Tye said. “And if you looked at Joe Shuster’s picture, either he wasn’t a very good drawer, or he was having fun with us.”

Siegel “thought that he was Clark Kent,” Mr. Tye said, “to the point where he had been an aspiring young journalist, and he thought if you looked deeply enough in him, you would see a Superman.”

Mr. Tye said that Siegel and Shuster wanted their Man of Steel to represent them in at least one other crucial way.

“They were planting little hints as to his ethnic heritage and the fact that he was Jewish,” Mr. Tye said. For example, Superman’s arrival on Earth as an infant in a rocket ship parallels the biblical story of baby Moses being delivered to Pharaoh’s daughter in his papyrus basket. And his Kryptonian name, Kal-El, sounds like the Hebrew for voice or vessel of God.

“It was not just the creators and the publishers and all the people around them that were Jewish,” Mr. Tye said. “And I love the idea that the first guy that he comes across, who looks just like Superman, is Jewish as well.”

Dec 16, 2012:

By Susan Reimer-Torn
This article originally appeared in the The New York Jewish Week

Back in the days when Simon met Schuster (a by-product of the former’s misguided attempt to sell the latter a piano) and Bennett Cerf acquired Random House because his publisher predecessor needed to redeem his marital peccadilloes from the wrath of a father-in-law investor, book publishing was probably a whole lot more fun and certainly more free-wheeling than it is today. Offices were located in human-scale brownstones, lunches were long and lush and best of all, publishers could actually discover and sign on a writer because they admired the work without statistics regarding social media followers.

The recent panel, “Publishing: The Book Trade” presented by the Center for Jewish History and American Jewish Historical Society, assembled a few of the old time pivotal players for an engaging dialogue facilitated by Altie Karper, editorial director of Schocken Books. Jason Epstein and Jane Friedman, both boasting staggering credentials and a younger Jonathan Karp of Simon & Schuster, considered a major player on today’s scene, reminisced about the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s when writers like Steinbeck, O’ Neill, Malamud, Bellow or Wouk might drop by with a manuscript.

While these veterans spoke about their accomplishments with a kind of inconspicuous pride, another Jonathan Karp, the AJHS executive director, was deliberate about placing these personal memories in a more significant historical context.

In his introduction, Karp of AJHS emphasized that it was young, upstart Jews, like Richard L. Simon, Max Schuster, Bennett Cerf, Alfred Knopf and Robert Gottlieb who were responsible for revitalizing the publishing world. He says, “We know about the many important contributions Jews made as modern writers and artists, but it's time we paid more attention to the countless Jews who operated behind the scenes, the facilitators, impresarios, agents and entrepreneurs.”

Publishing had been the preserve of conservative WASP gentlemen, unwilling to take chances on the edgy or the groundbreaking. Well-educated young men, many of Jewish-German ancestry, used family money to infuse the industry with an effervescent cocktail of literary modernism. Karp emphasized that they “helped shift the arts from their dependency on patronage to more of an expression of market forces.”  Their legacy is already an important part of cultural history.

No discussion of publishing would be complete without a consideration of the dawning digital age. We once again have Jewish visionaries as initiators of a new era. Jane Friedman, the former CEO of Harper Collins, is now directing Open Road Integrated Media, a company that digitalizes the hundred-year-old classics. Karp of Simon & Schuster hails the advent of a “much more exciting and interesting industry.” Epstein, co-founder of The New York Review of Books and Library of America  not to mention the inventor of the trade paperback, endorses the ebook for its ability to “store and deliver material anywhere in the world at no cost.” “So”, he adds, with no discernable regret, “the 500 year old industry born with Gutenberg is obsolete.”

As to the concern that with self-publishing we will lose the important filter once provided by editors, Epstein replies, “The filter is human nature. People will not read the unreadable”. Embracing change, fearless vision rooted in discernment along with confidence in the market - that is after all what makes them culture brokers, once again at a crossroads, now as then leading the way.

Oct 5, 2012:

Harry Ettlinger, one of the last surviving Monuments Men who recovered stolen works of art and cultural treasures after World War II, will be honored when the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) hosts its 18th annual Emma Lazarus Statue of Liberty Award dinner on November 1, 2012, at the Center for Jewish History

This year’s event pays tribute to the Monuments Men of World War II, the 350 men and women who helped save the artistic and cultural legacy of Western Europe following the Nazis’ rampant pillaging of the Continent. In all, the Monuments Men, officers in the armed forces, oversaw the return of more than five million cultural items and their work has buoyed the continued restitution of stolen artwork ever since.

Harry Ettlinger, 86, one of six surviving Monuments Men, will accept the 2012 Emma Lazarus Statue of Liberty Award on behalf of all the men and women of this division. The award is bestowed annually to an individual or group that embodies the highest ideals of American Jewish life. Past recipients include Beverly Sills, Elie Wiesel, and former Secretary of State George Schultz.

AJHS will also posthumously bestow its annual Legacy Award to another member of the Monuments Men, Colonel Seymour Pomrenze, who supervised the restoration effort at the Offenbach Depot where the Germans stored more than three million Jewish works slated for destruction. As part of this work, he oversaw the return of thousands of items looted from the Strashun Library in Vilna, Lithuania, to the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, one of the Center’s five partner organizations.

Pomrenze went on to become one of the most important figures in the world of records management in the second half of the 20th century. His work with Jewish groups, including UJA-Federation of New York, the American Jewish Committee, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the Jewish Welfare Board, has made it possible to tell the incredible story of the development and success of the 20th century American Jewish community.

Pomrenze’s papers, which reside in the collections of AJHS at the Center for Jewish History, are now joined by the institutional papers of UJA-Federation of New York. Processing and preserving UJA-Federation of New York’s papers, a multi-year project now underway, underscores AJHS’s mission to ensure that a lasting record of American Jewish philanthropy and community is available to the public and scholars for generations to come. UJA-Federation of New York Executive Vice President & CEO John S. Ruskay will deliver the award to Pomrenze’s son, Jay.

“The transfer of the UJA-Federation papers to AJHS is very important for both institutions,” says Sidney Lapidus, AJHS chairman and a leading philanthropist. “Under the professional care of AJHS, the papers will be organized, cataloged, preserved, and digitized so that scholars, students and others will have access to the treasure trove of information about the most important Jewish community in the Diaspora in the 20th century.”

AJHS, another Center partner, is also home to the institutional records of American Jewish Congress, the American Association of Ethiopian Jews, the Baron de Hirsch Fund, and many organizations that were instrumental in the Soviet Jewry movement, among others.

The evening will also include remarks from Robert Edsel, author of The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, and David Eisenhower, grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who as general oversaw the work of the Monuments Men. A major motion picture about the Monuments Men, based on Edsel’s book, is expected to be produced and directed by George Clooney.

May 3, 2012:

Internationally renowned genealogist Stephen P. Morse will present a two-part talk on genealogy at the Center for Jewish History on May 14 at 4 p.m. The program launches the Center’s new Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute's public programming series.

Just six weeks after the 1940 census was released, Dr. Morse, the creator of the award-winning One-Step website for genealogy research, will present a detailed seminar on how to navigate the flood of new data: Getting Ready for the 1940 Census: Searching without a Name Index. Dr. Morse will also expand his talk to provide a unique glimpse into the significance of Jewish marriage documents and how ketubot provide information that can be useful to family historians: The Jewish Marriage Contract and What it Really Says.

In addition to his groundbreaking work in the field of genealogy, Dr. Morse is an electrical engineer, best known as the architect of the Intel 8086—the predecessor to today's Pentium processor—which sparked the PC revolution 30 years ago.

The program will begin promptly at 4 p.m. and will run until 6 p.m. The program is free of charge, but reservations must be made at online or by calling 212-868-4444.

Apr 30, 2012:

The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2012-2013 Fellowship Awards.

The Center’s thriving fellowship program, which will support 10 active fellows this academic year, is designed to help scholars conduct original research in the vast collections of the Center's five distinguished partners: the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Fellowship awards include Allan Amanik of NYU, Joshua Furman of the University of Maryland, and Amy Weiss of NYU, who have each been awarded the Dr. Sophie Bookhalter Graduate Fellowship in Jewish Culture. Anna Koch of NYU has been awarded the Cahnman Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Amy Smith of Yale University has been awarded the Lillian Goldman Graduate Fellowship. Brian Smollett of the CUNY Graduate Center has been awarded the Morris and Alma Schapiro Graduate Fellowship.

Kataryzna Person of Poland, Daniel Lee of the United Kingdom, and Anna Manchin of Hungary has each been awarded the Prins Foundation Early Career Fellowship for Emigrating Scholars.

And as announced in a previous statement, Adam Teller, Associate Professor of Judaic Studies and History at Brown University, has been awarded the Center’s Senior Scholar Fellowship, with funding provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Apr 18, 2012:

The Center for Jewish History, one of the world’s foremost Jewish research and cultural institutions, has announced a cooperative agreement between the Center and The Miriam Weiner Routes to Roots Foundation (RTRF).

The new collaboration brings together some of the world’s most comprehensive databases for researching Jewish genealogy. The Center will incorporate RTRF’s Eastern European Archival Database and Image Database into its online catalog, vastly expanding access to a wealth of genealogical resources relating to Jewish and civil records from Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine. Select archive data has also been added to the database from Russia and Romania. Coupled with the vast trove of the Center's partner collections, researchers will soon be able to gain enhanced free access to some of the most comprehensive family history research tools anywhere in the world.

As part of this new relationship, Ms. Weiner, a premier Jewish genealogist, will serve as senior advisor for genealogy services in the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute at the Center. Users will be able to access RTRF through www.cjh.org and at www.rtrfoundation.org.

"The Center is proud to work with Miriam Weiner and the Routes to Roots Foundation," says Michael S. Glickman, the Center's chief operating officer. "This initiative is at the core of our mission to ensure greater access to the materials of the Jewish people and to create a lasting legacy of our partners' holdings for scholars, students and the general public."

The Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, the largest Jewish family history research institute in the United States, provides an enormous wealth of resources six days a week for lay investigators and seasoned researchers. The five partners of the Center—American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research—hold collections that total more than 500,000 volumes and 100 million archival documents, including tens of thousands of textiles, ritual objects, recordings, films, photographs, and works of art. Taken as a whole, the collections represent the world’s largest repository of the modern Jewish experience.

The Routes to Roots Foundation was established in 1994 with the goal to survey, study, research, inventory and document Jewish material, archives and Judaica in Eastern European archives. RTRF has expanded its goals to include an extensive image collection, numerous articles by historians and archivists and updated archival data, all accessible on the RTRF website without cost to the user. Miriam Weiner is an author, lecturer and columnist. Weiner is a recognized expert in the field of genealogy and Holocaust research and she has been awarded the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Weiner’s two award-winning books: Jewish Roots in Poland and Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova remain authoritative in the field.

Mar 16, 2012:

by Chelsea Feuchs
This article originally appeared on the Jewish Voice and Herald website.

Brown University Associate Professor of Judaic Studies and History Adam Teller received the NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) Senior Scholar Fellowship from The Center for Jewish History for the upcoming academic year.

Even as he conducts his research in New York City, Teller will continue to lead a seminar each semester at Brown. For Teller, continuing to teach, even during his Fellowship year in New York, is logical and “part of an integrated way of being a Jewish professor.” This unconventional sabbatical will prove a benefit to students at the university, who will learn from his comprehensive and thoughtful approach to Jewish history and engaging teaching style.

The fellowship is made possible through a grant from the NEH to the Center for Jewish History (the Center), a Jewish research and cultural institution that serves more than 1 million people in more than 100 countries, with five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

The NEH fellowship was awarded him due to his innovative work on the Polish-Lithuanian Jewish refugee problem during the 17th century. Typically, scholars of Judaic studies specialize in particular regions, Teller said, yet he resists this tendency. Instead, he views his subject matter through a transnational lens. Jewish historiography traditionally focuses on destruction, but Teller shifts the focus from disaster to rebuilding, tracing refugee survival and resilience.

Raised in England, Teller made aliyah to Israel some 30 years ago, and immigrated to the United States in 2010.

The British-born Teller expressed appreciation that he was “recognized by my American peers.” On a personal note, he said that his wife Professor Rachel Rojanski and their daughters are proud of his work and the recognition it receives.

Author of two Hebrew-language monographs, Teller is also associate editor of Gal-Ed: on the History and Culture of Jewry,” and an editorial board member of “Polin: Studies in Polish Jewry.”

Mar 15, 2012:

An exhibition exploring the long-term and unique relationship between New York City and its Jewish communities opens today at the Center.

New York Places/Jewish Spaces: Life in the City, 1700-2012, takes a fresh look at the establishment and growth of Jewish life in New York City by exploring how Jews have engaged with a variety of public and private spaces over the past three centuries.

Whether the spaces, like synagogues, were meant to be permanently Jewish, or others, such as markets, stadiums, and squares, became Jewish only for a brief period of time, today there remain few statues or monuments to mark many of these efforts. This exhibition illuminates the lesser-known ways in which Jews became New Yorkers and made an indelible mark on the city’s history.

The show is divided into three time segments: Getting Established: 1700-1830; the Rise of Jewish New York: 1820-1930; and Golden Age, Decline, and Reinvention, 1930-2012.

"The relationship between New York and its Jewish communities is as well-documented a part of this city's past as any," says Michael Glickman, the Center’s chief operating officer. "This show combines original artifacts and documentation with interactive technology to illustrate the growth of New York's Jewish communities and how this development influenced the city as a whole."

New York Places/Jewish Spaces includes research by Annie Polland of the Tenement Museum and Daniel Soyer of the History Department at Fordham University.

The exhibition, which runs through August, is free of charge and open six days a week: Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm; Monday and Wednesday: 9:30am – 8 pm; Tuesday and Thursday: 9:30am - 5 pm; and Friday: 9:30am – 3 pm. The Center is closed on Saturdays.

For media inquiries, please contact our Press and Media Relations Department, via email or call 212.294.8307.

Feb 3, 2012:

The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce Adam Teller, Associate Professor of Judaic Studies and History at Brown University, as the recipient of the NEH Senior Scholar Fellowship for the 2012/2013 academic year.

The fellowship, made possible through a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities to the Center for Jewish History, will enable Dr. Teller to spend a year in residence at the Center to advance his work on the 17th century Polish-Lithuanian Jewish refugee crisis that followed the Chmielnicki uprising of 1648 and subsequent wars. Entitled, Making Connections: The Polish-Jewish Refugee Crisis and the Shape of the Jewish World in the Seventeenth Century, Dr. Teller’s work traces the experience of thousands of east European Jews, uprooted from their homes and sometimes even sold into slavery, as they spread across Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, trying to start a new life. While in residence at the Center, Dr. Teller will make use of a wealth of material found in the collections of YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Leo Baeck Institute and American Sephardi Federation. Dr. Teller’s research will also examine the ways in which various Jewish communities and institutions in different countries cooperated in order to help the refugees, thereby reconstructing the social, economic and personal connections which turned these disparate centers of Jewish life into a 17th century “Jewish world.”

Dr. Teller’s expertise is in the history of the Jews in Poland-Lithuania during the early modern period. His numerous studies deal with the economic, social, cultural and religious aspects of that history. His published work includes two Hebrew-language monographs: Living Together: The Jewish Quarter of Poznan in the Seventeenth Century (Jerusalem, 2003) and Money, Power, and Influence: The Jews on the Radziwill Estates in Eighteenth Century Lithuania (Jerusalem, 2005). The second of these is currently being translated into English. He is now completing a new study on the history of the communal rabbinate in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Adam Teller is associate editor of Gal-Ed: on the History and Culture of Polish Jewry, and a member of the editorial board of Polin: Studies in Polish Jewry.

Jan 19, 2012:

The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $229,600 Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources, through The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, for a two-year project, Illuminating Hidden Collections at the Center for Jewish History.

Three of the Center’s partners, American Jewish Historical Society, Leo Baeck Institute and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, are participating in the project, which focuses on collections that encompass stories of Jewish migration, establishment and assimilation over the last 150 years. It will also uncover the histories of Jewish political and cultural organizations in the U.S. and include dozens of collections that reveal stories of Jews leaving Germany for America and Israel prior to World War II.

"The Center is proud to be a recipient of this most prestigious and important grant,” says Michael S. Glickman, the Center’s chief operating officer. “This initiative is at the core of our mission to ensure greater access to the materials of the Jewish people and to create a lasting legacy of our partners' holdings for scholars, students and the general public."

The CLIR grant enables the Center and its partners to address almost half of the hidden collections in their possession, creating access and providing a unified gateway to diverse works that are currently inaccessible. Patrons will be able to use these new resources both in the Center’s Reading Room and through its Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC).

CLIR is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning.

For more information about the CLIR grant or the Center, please contact our Press and Media Relations Department, via email or call 212.294.8307.

Jan 12, 2012:

The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce a $2.5 million gift from The David Berg Foundation to establish The David Berg Rare Book Room. This contribution will enable the Center and its partners to realize their longstanding goal of creating a public space that showcases and preserves some of the most important works in Jewish history.

"We are incredibly grateful to The David Berg Foundation for its unwavering commitment to the Center for Jewish History," says Michael S. Glickman, chief operating officer of the Center. "It is only because of friends like this that the Center is able to ensure that Jewish history remains vibrant—as well as relevant—in today's world. This rare book room will be part of David Berg's legacy as an ardent supporter of the Jewish people and their history."

The room will provide the Center's partners — American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research — with a state-of-the-art facility in which to house some of their most important printed materials, including seminal first editions and a cross-section of rabbinical literature, Jewish philosophy and intellectual history that dates back hundreds of years.

Scheduled to open this fall, the public will be able to visit The David Berg Rare Book Room six days a week, reinforcing the Center's commitment to making information and history available to the thousands of people who visit each year. This glass-enclosed, high-security space—situated adjacent to the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall and the Collection Management & Conservation Wing—will use the latest technology to display and protect the works that have helped establish the Center as a preeminent home for Jewish scholarship.

"Our core mission is to preserve, protect and present the treasured collections of our partners," says Center Co-Chairman William A. Ackman. "This project elevates our ability to showcase important works and we are grateful to The David Berg Foundation and its trustees for this tremendous opportunity."

Nov 15, 2011:

by Alex Joffe
This article originally appeared on the Jewish Ideas Daily website.

Jews have long been the People of the Book.  But as computers replace books and possibly libraries, museums, and universities, will they soon be the People of the Byte?  If so, what will happen to their understanding of their history?  These were the questions raised by a recent two-day conference at the Center for Jewish History titled "From Access to Integration."  At the sessions, librarians, archivists, and scholars explored the cutting edge of the Jewish digital world.  They outlined the immense technical challenges involved in creating databases for scholarly and public use and described the digitization projects that are steadily surmounting these challenges.  They also addressed the puzzle of "integration," which may be harder to solve.

It is astonishing to see how far technology has come in making Jewish information available.  Tasks that are impossible for the human eye to perform—like reuniting the hundreds of thousands of dispersed fragments of the Cairo Genizah in New York, Cambridge, and elsewhere—are being done by computer algorithms.  The diversity of Jewish sound—hazzanut, Israeli folk songs, Borscht Belt comedy routines, Torah chanting from Lithuania to Morocco—can be preserved and disseminated to anyone in the world with a computer.  Jewish newspapers from Israel and Arab countries, Ottoman-era photographs of the Holy Land, and archives of Jewish communities living and dead, especially documentation of the vast life of European Jewry—all of these are or will soon be available.

Yet technology, which can make two- and even three-dimensional representations of the past available again, cannot make them alive.  How will these streams of data flow into the individual and collective processes of creating a historical memory with texture and feeling?  Will the human relationship to the material remains of the past be reduced to "output"?  This is the challenge of integration.  Conference participants discussed integration in the technical sense: cooperation among institutions on projects or initiatives such as finding ways to combine databases into larger, searchable wholes.  For these technologically skilled participants, the medium is—quite properly—the message.  But integration in the broader sense is not only, or chiefly, a matter for technicians.

Princeton historian Anthony Grafton, in the conference's keynote speech, took a decidedly mixed view of the prospects for integration in the fundamental sense.  He enthused about the potential of digital collections for scholars but sprinkled cold water on the proceedings by noting some key problems.  One of them was the 800-pound digital gorilla in the room—Google, whose Google Book collection is rapidly becoming one of the largest libraries in the world.  Google's work is frequently shoddy in execution, with everything from blurry fingers marring pages to bizarre and inexplicable restrictions on access to books published decades or even centuries ago.  Ironically, Google's book collection is difficult and sometimes impossible to search properly.

Grafton also noted the lack of reliable guides to the vast, shapeless digital sea.  Wikipedia, though improving, is notably deficient in less-traveled areas and can be downright misleading on politicized questions, not a few of which relate to the Jewish past.  Grafton recalled the great 19th-century Jewish bibliographer Moritz Steinschneider, whose ceaseless toils in the library created invaluable catalogues for future scholars.  But as Steinschneider put it, his audience consisted of "readers who know something."  Would future guides be written by and for scholars?  Students and laypeople?  Computers?

Grafton also noted the dangers of too much or too little specialization.  Jewish studies and Jewish learning, he said, have never been found exclusively in universities and libraries; they have pervaded the Jewish community as a whole, providing intellectual and, indeed, transcendental substance to Jewish communal life.  But with Jewish learning and Jewish community in deep flux, will the new digital ocean be so daunting that individuals who are searching will be deterred from diving in?  Conversely, when any student can access any Jewish idea, text, image, or sound, what will happen to Jewish teachers and schools?  How will they find such resources?  Will they even look for them?

There are other costs and benefits to be weighed as one form replaces another.  Digital remembrances have the advantage of infinite reproducibility and unerring accuracy—provided that the data were accurately entered in the first place.  But who will guarantee the authenticity of digital files?  And what about their survival?  Digital book-burning is, as yet, impossible; but, without readable file formats, some digital texts may be reduced to obscurity in just a few years.

Digitization also represents a profound phenomenological change.  The digital experience sacrifices the uniqueness of the artifact itself—the book, photograph, sound, building, landscape—for an idea, or, more properly, a representation.  The individual loses the sensory experience of the artifact in return for gaining access to vast new bodies of data not yet organized as knowledge.  For lovers of books, there is something immutably sad in the thought of the Jewish world's being reduced to the contents of a hard drive and projected in two cold dimensions on a screen.  Similarly, the fate of the library as a place for study, sharing, and contemplation is in doubt: Many universities are already shipping books to off-campus warehouses and converting their libraries into glorified coffee shops.  But this is more than a matter of nostalgia: Will the change increase users' alienation or enhance integration?  Especially for Jews, who hold books and ideas close to heart, these are not small issues.

And when everything is accessible and all boundaries are blurred, just what is Jewish material?  As sources, influences, and outcomes become searchable down to the level of a few words, brushstrokes, or notes, will Jewish history, literature, art, and music still appear to be things or categories in themselves, or will they seem necessarily embedded in other, larger contexts?  "Jewish studies" have long been at the leading edge of making connections and crossing boundaries.  Perhaps digital Judaica will expand this enterprise and make the Jewish experience timeless in new ways, but only if it can be integrated into our new Jewish digital communities and selves.

Alex Joffe is a research scholar with the Institute for Jewish and Community Research.

Nov 14, 2011:

by Sarah Kamaras
This article originally appeared on the JointMedia News Service website.

The libraries of the 21st century aren’t quite like the ones frequented by your bubbe and zaidy.

“A traditional library has natural selection. With digital material, selection is much harder,” said Oren Weinberg, Director General of the National Library of Israel, while discussing his personal challenge of moving information into the digital world during a two-day conference at the Center for Jewish History in New York City.

Stanley N. Katz, Director for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies at Princeton University, opened a series of interactive discussions and presentations on using digitization to integrate and distribute a wealth of Jewish resources at “From Access to Integration,” held Nov. 9-10.

“Technology in general has matured to a point where scholarship and technology can join hands in an unusually close participation,” Katz told a room full of professionals from universities, institutes and museums spanning the globe.

Weinberg and Deanna Marcum, Associate Librarian for the Library of Congress, discussed the struggle to select materials that will be useful on a public level, without ostracizing the needs of scholars and other niche audiences. Weinberg, whose National Library of Israel now operates independently, admitted that the library receives flack for veering from researchers needs.

Therefore, Weinberg works with universities to hone in on Israel’s general interests, but believes that the library’s expansion into the public realm is ultimately beneficial to all.

“Researchers have more opportunities for things they didn’t even know existed,” said Weinberg.

The discussion was followed by a host of demonstrations on how digitization is being implemented not only to house and integrate millions of documents, photographs and songs on the Jewish experience, but also to bring “born-digital” projects to life. Louis Kaplan, a co-applicant of Mapping Ararat, presented a virtual world based on Mordecai Manuel Noah’s vision of a Jewish homeland at Grand Island in the Niagara River.

Ararat, which is comprised of a cartographic installation and a website run by social media, is supplemented with a walking tour through Grand Island’s grounds. By downloading a program called Layar to an iPhone, users can see Ararat’s buildings and monuments virtually embedded in the landscape as they tour through the premises while also gaining access to additional articles and photographs on the site.

Kaplan emphasized how digital format projects like Ararat thrive on the continuance of resources’ digitization. He explained that only three primary source letters from the guide to the papers of Mordecai Noah have currently been found. Kaplan urged organizations to digitize their materials for open access on a global scale, to allow projects like Ararat to work with the raw materials they need.

The Center for Jewish History, whose partners include the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, is home to over 100 million Jewish artifacts. The center has already begun to tackle its own digitization projects through a thematic approach, partnering with the University of Frankfurt to digitize 1,000 volumes of the Wissenschaft collection.

Additionally, the center’s Holocaust Resource Initiative is currently processing 110 collections otherwise unknown to anyone but archivists and creating a record that allow the archives to be fully recognized through a search engine. The center’s current online library operates via a single-search online public access catalog across all formats. By logging on to search.cjh.org, users can gain access to archival and library materials, museum collections and digital materials by using a single keyword to search across various institutions.

Michael Glickman, Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Jewish History, explained in an interview with JointMedia News Service how the center’s online material has also boosted interest in its physical resources. Glickman said that when the center puts something of interest online, it almost always sees the number of physical researchers increase specific to that collection. In turn, that helps the center focus its energy on better understanding what the user is looking for.

“I think the goal for us is to further democratize access,” Glickman said. “Sitting on this wonderful repository we have an obligation to come together and think about how we can make the user experience that much more successful.”

Nov 9, 2011:

The Center for Jewish History launches a two-day conference this afternoon in which global leaders in the digital humanities will explore and discuss the intersection and future of scholarship and technology.

From Access to Integration: Digital Technologies and the Study of Jewish History welcomes leaders from the Library of Congress, Princeton University, NYU, the Smithsonian, the National Library of Israel and many other distinguished institutions, who will discuss how to develop institutional collaboration between archives, libraries and museums worldwide. In an age when people depend — and expect — instant access to information, how do you create an all-inclusive and dependable search?

Speakers include Deanna Marcum of the Library of Congress; Oren Weinberg of the National Library of Israel; Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett of NYU; Douglas Greenberg of Rutgers University; and Stanley N. Katz of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School. Anthony Grafton, professor of history at Princeton University and frequent New Yorker contributor, will be delivering the keynote address at 7:30 on Thursday evening.

"The Center for Jewish History takes great pride in presenting this extraordinary initiative," says Michael S. Glickman, the Center's chief operating officer. "As leaders of almost every Jewish archive, library and museum come together in New York City to explore the digital humanities, the Center is committed to building a thriving network of communication among professionals to ensure greater institutional collaboration as we collectively work to further democratize the primary documents of the Jewish people."

Together with its partners — American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research — the Center holds the world's largest archive of the modern Jewish experience. It is also at the forefront of employing technology to preserve the past. The Center, having created the world's most robust single-search online public access catalog, enables researchers and the general public to access over 100 million documents, 500,000 volumes and tens of thousands of pieces of art, artifacts and photographs through search.cjh.org.

Oct 26, 2011:

By Sam Roberts
This article originally appeared on the The New York Times website

When the Goddess of Liberty was given to the United States, its donor’s agenda was to burnish France’s republican roots after the oppressive reign of Napoleon III and to celebrate the two nations’ commitment to the principles of liberty.

The only immigrants mentioned at the dedication in 1886 were the “illustrious descendants of the French nobility” who fought on behalf of the United States against Britain during the American Revolution.

But it was the words of a fourth-generation American whose father was a wealthy sugar refiner and whose great-great-uncle welcomed George Washington to Newport, R.I., that almost single-handedly transformed the monumental statue in New York Harbor into the “Mother of Exiles” that would symbolically beckon generations of immigrants.

Emma Lazarus’s poem only belatedly became synonymous with the Statute of Liberty, whose 125th birthday as a gift from France will be celebrated on Friday by the National Park Service.

Lazarus’s “New Colossus,” with its memorable appeal to “give me your tired, your poor,” was commissioned for a fund-raising campaign by artists and writers to pay for the statue’s pedestal.

But while the poem was critically acclaimed — the poet James Russell Lowell wrote that he liked it “much better than I like the Statue itself” because it “gives its subject a raison d’être which it wanted before quite as much as it wants a pedestal” — it was not even mentioned at the dedication ceremony.

Finally in 1903, after relentless lobbying by a friend of Lazarus who was descended from Alexander Hamilton, himself an immigrant, it was “affixed to the pedestal as an ex post facto inscription,” the art historian Marvin Trachtenberg wrote.

“Gradually, thereafter, the awareness spread not only of the significance of the lines of the poem but also of the significance of the aspect of national tradition it expressed,” another historian, Oscar Handlin, wrote. “Liberty was not simply the bond between ancient allies; nor was it only the symbol of liberal ideas of justice and freedom; it was also the motive force that had peopled the wilderness and made the country that emerged what it was.”

Barry Moreno, a historian of the statue for the National Park Service, recalled that it “was never built for immigrants.”

“It was,” he recalled, “built to pay tribute to the United States of America, the Declaration of Independence, American democracy, and democracy throughout the world. It honored the end of slavery, honored the end of all sorts of tyranny and also friendship between France and America.”

Only later, he added, “letters were written home, word of mouth, taught people that you would see this wonderful goddess in New York Harbor when you arrived in America to welcome you.”

“And she became really famous among immigrants,” he recalled. “And it was really immigrants that lifted her up to a sort of a glory that was probably before America really fully embraced her.”

Lazarus, who popularized that “wonderful goddess,” accepted the commission only begrudgingly — few poets relish the idea of writing on demand. But she was stirred by a wave of pogroms against Jews in Russia and by her regular visits to poor immigrants housed in temporary shelters on Wards Island. She would make “The New Colossus” the first entry in a compendium of poems she anthologized shortly before her death from Hodgkin’s disease at 38 in 1887.

The poem went unmentioned in her obituary in The New York Times, but it appeared in a brief article in 1903 when the plaque was dedicated. (An exhibition on Lazarus, the “Poet of Exiles,” opens Wednesday at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan.A manuscript of the poem is at the Center for Jewish History.)

“Emma Lazarus was the first American to make any sense of this statue,’’ said Esther Schor, an English professor at Princeton and author of a biography titled “Emma Lazarus.”

“Conceived by the French statesman Édouard René de Laboulaye, the statue was to propound the values of the French Revolution, in a sort of end-run around the repressive Second Empire of Napoleon III,” Professor Schor said. “But Americans were so unmoved and uninterested that it was hard to raise money simply to build a pedestal to support it.”

For Lazarus, who wrote the sonnet in 1883 having seen only the torch when it was on display for a fund-raising drive in Madison Square Park, “it was a moment of moral and spiritual recovery, after her attempts to raise money to benefit the Russian-Jewish refugees of 1881-82 had largely fallen on deaf ears,” Professor Schor said.

Instead of retreating, she broadened her appeal to all immigrants, Professor Schor said. For her “the statue was a special kind of mother — a ‘mother of exiles’ — a mother whose mission is not to reproduce herself, but rather to adopt the abandoned, the orphaned, the persecuted,” she said.

“She’s tender and accepting,” Professor Schor said, “but also fiercely protective, and her iconoclastic message smashes the icons of enlightenment and imperialism.”

The sonnet would survive periodic efforts to excise her reference to “wretched refuse” and would become enshrined in the political lexicon in the 1930s as an anthem for Americans who, with war again threatening in Europe, lobbied to reverse anti-immigration quotas that had been imposed a decade earlier.

“The irony is that the statue goes on speaking, even when the tide turns against immigration — even against immigrants themselves, as they adjust to their American lives,’’ Professor Schor said. “You can’t think of the statue without hearing the words Emma Lazarus gave her.”

Oct 26, 2011:

The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce the expansion of its international fellowship program to include senior scholars, early career scholars and emerging artists and writers through a new five-year, $750,000 grant from The Vivian G. Prins Foundation.  The grant will support fellowships for those who seek permanent teaching and research positions in North America. The Center's Prins Program for Emigrating Scholars, Artists and Writers was established in 2010 with an initial grant of $225,000.

The program is designed to help those devoted to advanced study conduct original research in the vast collections of the Center's five distinguished partners: the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The collections include more than 500,000 volumes and 100 million archival documents. This award allows the Center to serve as the gateway for the best and brightest scholars and artists seeking to begin a new professional life in the U.S.

"The generosity of The Vivian G. Prins Foundation, which has now awarded the Center almost $1 million in fellowship grants, will enable the Center to continue serving as a professional resource for scholars from around the globe," says Michael S. Glickman, COO of the Center. "The Prins award raises the level of supported research to new heights and will go a long way toward supporting our scholarly initiatives."

As the Center enters its second decade, the institution has increased its efforts at fostering a community of scholars and ideas by attracting diverse thinkers from a multitude of disciplinary backgrounds. In addition to the Prins Program for Emigrating Scholars, Artists and Writers, the Center supports scholars at various levels, including the only National Endowment for the Humanities Senior Scholar Fellowship granted to a Jewish studies institution; graduate and undergraduate research fellowships; a Visiting Scholars Program; and the Steinberg Emerging Jewish Filmmaker Fellowship.

Sep 15, 2011:

The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce that its Academic Advisory Council has elected Steven J. Zipperstein (Stanford University) as its new chair and Derek Penslar (University of Toronto) as its new co-chair. With this change in leadership, the Center recognizes the enormous contributions of its outgoing chair, Elisheva Carlebach (Columbia University), and co-chair, Jeffrey Shandler (Rutgers University), who led the Council through an enormous period of academic growth.

The Center’s Academic Advisory Council advises the institution on how to advance scholarship, expand the reach of the partners' collections and impact the world of Jewish studies scholarship.

“Together, Professor Carlebach and Professor Shandler helped advance an emerging fellowship program, developing our Scholars Working Group and new opportunities for research,” says Michael S. Glickman, the Center’s chief operating officer. “Now, Professor Zipperstein and Professor Penslar will take up the Council’s crucial task of helping engage the public in the scholarly work happening at the Center.”

“As I see it, the Council provides the Center for Jewish History with a sounding board as well as a launching pad for ideas, short-term and long-term,” Professor Zipperstein explains. “Gathered on the Council is some of North America's best, most vivid intelligence in early modern and modern Jewish scholarship, all dedicated to the goal of making the Center as accessible and as intellectually rich a resource in Jewish culture as exists in this country.”

Professor Penslar adds, “The Center is one of the world's major resources for archival and library research in Jewish history. It is also no less important a venue for public events and educational activity. It is the Council's privilege to help steer the Center's course in both directions, enhancing its status as a vibrant, creative and unique institution.”

The Center is also pleased to welcome four new members of the Council: James Loeffler (University of Virginia), Tony Michels (University of Wisconsin), Francesca Trivellato (Yale University) and Jeffrey Veidlinger (Indiana University).

Sep 1, 2011:

Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786), considered the founder of modern Jewish philosophy, promoted co-existence between nations, religions, and races through tolerance and enlightenment, as he bridged a traditional Jewish world with a newer enlightened one. This fall, the Center for Jewish History and Leo Baeck Institute will examine the life and legacy of Moses Mendelssohn, a key figure in Jewish history, with a comprehensive ongoing exhibition, as well as a one-day in-depth symposium featuring international scholars.

At the end of the 18th century, a group of Berlin Jews sought to modernize traditional Judaism. Influenced by ideals of the German Enlightenment, the Maskilim (Hebrew for “enlighteners”) interpreted Judaism as a rational, tolerant, ethical religion. The towering figure revered by the Maskilim was Moses Mendelssohn, who was born in a rural German hamlet of Dessau. Mendelssohn received a traditional Jewish education focused exclusively on studying Jewish sacred texts. His mother tongue was Yiddish and he was taught no German or any other European language. At age fourteen, Mendelssohn followed his Rabbi to Berlin where he encountered a vibrant, cosmopolitan culture flourishing under the Enlightened monarch Friedrich the Great. He taught himself German, French, Latin, Greek and English, as well as philosophy, science and literature. He quickly rose to fame as a master stylist of German and as an internationally renowned German Enlightenment philosopher.

In his life and after his death Jews both hailed Mendelssohn as blazing the path to a modern Judaism and attacked him for leading Jews to abandon their national and religious identity. He was praised by Germans as embodying a tradition of German tolerance and cosmopolitanism and vilified by anti-Semitic German nationalists who saw him as introducing foreign elements into Germany, which corrupted German nationhood.

In 1769, Mendelssohn wrote, “It seems to me that whoever guides people to virtue in this life cannot be damned in the next,” shedding light on equality in the eyes of God on all religions, meaning Jews as well as Christians would be rewarded in heaven for their good deeds.

And in 1783, Mendelssohn included in his writings, “Hatred and vindictiveness, envy and cruelty are, at bottom, nothing but weakness and the effects of fear,” confirming his ideals of tolerance and diversity.

Almost 200 years later in 1979, the German Senate created the Mendelssohn Prize dedicated to the “promotion of toleration for those who think differently and between nations, races and religion” and in 1999 Angela Merkel, now Chancellor of Germany wrote a book celebrating his life.

As both a leading Enlightenment philosopher and a learned, observant Jew, Mendelssohn has come to symbolize many of the tensions within both modern Judaism and the Enlightenment itself. He has been hailed for blazing a path for modern Jews by showing the way to an intellectually open, tolerant vision of Judaism and has been criticized for leading Jews to national and religious apathy. It therefore seems fitting that the Center for Jewish History, a major repository of modern Jewish history, together with its partner Leo Baeck Institute has chosen to reconsider the life and legacy of Mendelssohn.

On September 12, 2011, the exhibition A Continuing Conversation: Moses Mendelssohn and the Legacy of the Enlightenment, co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish History and the Leo Baeck Institute opens through December 2011, and draws upon the enormous archive of Mendelssohn materials housed at Leo Baeck, with contributions from the YIVO Institute and the American Sephardi Federation. The exhibition includes personal items such as Mendelssohn’s letters and eyeglasses; representations of Mendelssohn in prints, paintings, busts, and coins; many first editions of his works, through which the story of his literary career is told; later editions and translations of his works into several languages through which his controversial legacy is explored; and representations of his children, descendants, and students, such as his daughter Brendel who became a Romantic writer and convert to Catholicism; his son Joseph who founded one of the major banks in Germany and was an important figure in the Jewish community throughout his life; his grandson Felix Mendelssohn-Batholdy who became the leading composer of his time; and his student Isaac Euchel who founded the Haskalah.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a symposium of the same title which will take place on Sunday, September 18 beginning at 12:30 p.m. A group of distinguished scholars from around the world will explore questions emerging from Mendelssohn’s legacy that are of contemporary interest, and discuss his significance for Judaism today and in the future. The event is presented by the Center for Jewish History and co-sponsored by the Leo Baeck Institute and New York University’s Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Three panel topics will be addressed, encouraging further dialogue: “Enlightenment and Secularism,” “Language, Culture and Nationalism,” and “Mendelssohn’s Significance for Jewish Thought and Life, Present and Future.”

Speakers and panelists include: Shmuel Feiner, Braun Professor of Modern Jewish History at Bar-Ilan University; Elliot Wolfson, Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, NYU; Lois Dubin, Professor of Religion, Smith College; Edward Breuer, Professor of Jewish History, Hebrew University in Jerusalem; Michah Gottlieb, Assistant Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, NYU; David Engel, Greenberg Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, NYU; Elias Sacks, Princeton University; Liliane Weissberg, Professor of German and Comparative Literature, University of Pennsylvania; Allan Arkush, Professor of History and Judaic Studies, Binghamton University; Jonathan Karp, Associate Professor of History, Binghamton University and Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History; Leora Batnitzky, Professor of Religion, Princeton University; Arnold Eisen, Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary; and David Sorkin, Distinguished Professor of modern Jewish history at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Through this reconsideration of Mendelssohn’s life, thought, and legacy, the Center/LBI project on Moses Mendelssohn continues the conversations he began, drawing new insights for contemporary thought and life.

Aug 30, 2011:

By Eric Herschtha
This article originally appeared on the The Jewish Week website

The effort to redefine an Enlightenment ‘assimilationist.’

Many Jews have heard of Moses Mendelssohn, the German Enlightenment thinker, but few have embraced him. For at least a century, he has been ridiculed in virtually every corner of Jewish life.

Orthodox Jews have portrayed him as the harbinger of assimilation. Reform Jews said he was too beholden to religious law. Zionists thought that if he had lived in the 20th century instead of the 18th, he’d see that creating a Jewish state was more important than defending the rights of Jews in a non-Jewish one.

“For a long time his reception has been mixed,” said Michah Gottlieb, a professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. “The reaction has as much to do with how he was being used as to what he actually said.”

But Gottlieb is trying to change that. He is one of several scholars who are refashioning Mendelssohn — the father of the Jewish Enlightenment, or Haskalah — for a new generation, arguing that few Jewish thinkers have tried harder to make their faith relevant in a modern, secular age — even if he sometimes failed.

The renewed interest comes at a time when religion has been increasingly attacked in the name of Enlightenment ideas, and the idea of multiculturalism has been bloodied in public discourse. As Jews find themselves increasingly fractured along ideological lines, too, scholars like Gottlieb insist Mendelssohn offers a much-needed riposte.

“Mendelssohn has something to say to Jews today as well as something about the broader debates about religion and politics,” said Gottlieb. “The very fact that Mendelssohn sees tolerance as a religious value and religion as not being coercive is very attractive today.”

The author of the recent book “Faith and Freedom: Moses Mendelssohn’s Theological-Political Thought” (Oxford University Press), Gottlieb has organized an exhibit about Mendelssohn that kicks off with a symposium of leading Mendelssohn scholars at the Center for Jewish History later this month. The goal is not only to revive Mendelssohn’s reputation among Jews, but among the general public as well.

Particularly regarding New Atheists like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, he says, Mendelssohn and his fellow German Enlightenment figures offer a powerful rebuke.

“There are people who assume that the Enlightenment is fundamentally in favor of secularism,” Gottlieb said, noting that Hitchens has added to that perception. “But several scholars have looked at Mendelssohn as a counter to this. He saw religious belief not just as working alongside the ideals of the Enlightenment but actually bolstering them.”

Of course, scholars themselves still debate what Mendelssohn meant, and why he still matters. Many of them will be at the Sept. 18 symposium, titled “A Continuing Conversation: Moses Mendelssohn and the Legacy of the Enlightenment,” to hash out the details.

One school of thought claims that Mendelssohn was essentially a closet assimilationist. By arguing that Judaism shared the same universal values as Christianity, and that Jewish beliefs fundamentally aligned with Enlightenment ideals like reason and tolerance, it maintains, Mendelssohn opened the door to a watered-down and indistinct faith.

But others argue that in Mendelssohn’s attempt, most famously, to translate the Hebrew Bible into German, he was simply trying to keep Judaism relevant. He may have attacked rabbinical authority, they argue, but he never denied the centrality of religious law, and he took issue with clerical power for an important reason: to help Jews integrate into modern society.

“I find myself somewhere in the middle,” said Shmuel Feiner, a leading scholar of the Jewish Enlightenment who teaches at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. He is also author of the recent biography, “Moses Mendelssohn,” part of Yale University Press’s Jewish Lives Series, and will be at the symposium. “The most important thing in his life was to fight against religious fanaticism and raise the flag of religious tolerance.”

Leora Batnitzky, a professor of modern Jewish thought at Princeton, was less charitable. “In the end,” she said, “I think that Mendelssohn makes Judaism something that can be dispensed with. I don’t think he meant to,” she added, “but that’s where his thoughts led.”

Mendelssohn’s earlier critics have used what happened to his children — four of six converted to Christianity — as evidence for the ultimate futility of his project. But Batnitzky takes a different line. In the failure of Jews to integrate into the German state, she sees evidence of a larger problem: how does one maintain a Jewish identity in a secular society?

“The fact that he doesn’t come up with a fully satisfying answer is evidence of how difficult the problem is,” she said.

In Mendelssohn’s time, European Jews were still political outsiders. Monarchs gave rabbis virtual autonomy to govern their communities in exchange for protection; otherwise Jews essentially had no rights.

Mendelssohn tried to bargain with the Prussian king, arguing that Jews would give up a degree of autonomy if they were granted full rights as observant Jews — something he insisted Jews remain. As an intellectual, however, he usually made his arguments in philosophical terms, not political ones.

“What Mendelssohn tried to do is show the compatibility of belief in Judaism with loyalty to secular culture,” said David Sorkin, a professor of modern Jewish history at the CUNY Graduate Center, who takes the view that Mendelssohn earnestly tried to make Judaism relevant in modern times. “He saw no contradiction between them” — meaning modern values and Jewish beliefs.

Mendelssohn came from a deeply religious family. He was born in Dessau, in 1729, to an impecunious Torah scribe and a mother who was the descendant of a prominent line of rabbis. A gifted Torah scholar, Mendelssohn followed his rabbi David Frankel to Berlin, where Frankel had been named the city’s chief rabbi. Mendelssohn was never ordained, but he remained a scrupulous student of Judaism his entire life.

But by the time he was in his 20s, he had befriended many of the German Enlightenment’s non-Jewish stars, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing chief among them. Through these circles — not through a formal university education, which, as a Jew, he was not entitled to, and never received — Mendelssohn was introduced to secular thinkers like Socrates and Spinoza, Locke and Leibniz.

By his 30s, Mendelssohn had become a key figure in the German Enlightenment himself. He won a prestigious essay contest put on by the Royal Academy of Science, beating out Kant, and later penned an international best seller, “Phaidon,” which updated Plato’s dialogue on Socrates.

“He made Greek ideas accessible to a German audience,” explained Liliane Weissberg, a professor of German and comparative literature at the University of Pennsylvania. She will be at the symposium, and is one of a growing number of scholars who are trying to make Mendelssohn a more prominent subject of scholarship on the German Enlightenment.

Mendelssohn, who died in 1786, is still mostly studied by scholars of Jewish history. But many insist that he was of crucial importance to the German Enlightenment as well — not only as a model of religious pluralism, but also for his role in popularizing Enlightenment ideals. His translation of Greek texts earned him the moniker “the German Socrates,” and Weissberg describes him as a new breed of 18th-century celebrity: a public intellectual.

Yet even as his renown grew among Germans and he attained legal privileges only given to prominent Jews, he remained a staunch defender of Judaism. At the peak of his powers, anti-Enlightenment clergymen and critics frequently attacked him, often on account of his faith. He never apologized, even suggesting that Judaism was more attune to modern society than Christianity.

To those who said an unyielding commitment to reason led only to atheism and nihilism, he countered that, on the contrary: it led to the recognition of a benevolent God upon which the entire moral universe depended. Human intellect was a gift from God, moreover, and the best way for man to verify moral truths was through serious philosophical study. By applying one’s intellect, you were not only employing God’s gift, but using it in the service of discerning his truths.

To those who argued that he reduced all religion, Judaism included, to universal moral codes, he said, not so: each faith offered a unique path to understanding God, a being that nonetheless embraced all humanity.

Judaism, he argued, was especially well suited to promote the Enlightenment: its emphasis on daily religious practices served as a constant reminder of the movement’s ideals. This was different from Christianity, he went on, which emphasized dogmatic belief alone.

“What distinguishes Judaism is not so much its beliefs but its practices,” said Jerome Copulsky, a professor of modern Jewish thought at Goucher College, summarizing Mendelssohn’s views. But he added that Mendelssohn’s importance is not in his specific arguments, many of which are simply not relevant today. What matters is the overall tenor of his work.

“He was not the greatest thinker of the Enlightenment, but he may have had one of the greatest temperaments. What Mendelssohn was against was religious fanaticism,” he said, adding, what “he was trying to do was find a way to be a Jew and be modern at the same time.”

Among scholars, there is a tendency to view Mendelssohn as a symbol of a modern, but essentially secular, Jewish identity. But few interviewed missed the irony in this: Mendelssohn was what we would consider today a Modern Orthodox Jew — traditionally observant, yet trying to partake fully in the secular world.

Arnold Eisen, chancellor of the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary and a scholar of modern Jewish thought who will appear at the symposium, commented on this point. He said those who regard Mendelssohn as a secularist symbol of how to maintain Jewish identity, however defined, in a modern world, would have to ignore much of his writing — the bulk of which tried to rationalize belief in God.

Eisen argued that in Mendelssohn’s mind, the modern world was all God’s creation, and “that is not something that today’s secularists are going to accept.”

Jonathan Karp, a professor Jewish history at SUNY-Binghamton who will be on Eisen’s panel, put it this way: “Modernity in the 18th century is different from what it is now.” And because of those differences, he went on, we should be skeptical of drawing too many parallels, especially between Mendelssohn’s idea of religious tolerance and what some see as a corollary: multiculturalism.

“What’s different is that in the 18th century there was a single standard for claiming equality” — everyone’s ability to reason, Karp said. But today, multiculturalism is not based on that belief. We simply regard all cultures as equal of respect, even if their core values are at odds with our own. “It’s too strong to say that he’s for multiculturalism, but he’s struggling to find a degree of tolerance and diversity.”

Gottlieb, the organizer of the exhibit and symposium, hopes the current debates about multicultarism will at least make Mendelssohn a case worth studying. “Today, there’s a tendency to see multiculturalism as leading only to the retreat into our own little communities. But Mendelssohn sees these communities as harmonizing and coalescing together.”

Ultimately, Mendelssohn forces us to ask the question: “How does one balance multiple identities?” Gottlieb said. “I think that’s an extremely important question in our current political and cultural environment, and I think it’s one Mendelssohn raises.”

Aug 18, 2011:

During World War II with the Nazi rise to power, more than 2,000 titles from the Wissenschaft des Judentums or Science of Judaism texts housed at the Frankfurt Library in Germany were either destroyed or dispersed. More than half of the lost titles, cataloged at Leo Baeck Institute (LBI) located at the Center for Jewish History in New York, will now be digitized to reconstruct the collection, thanks to a digital humanities grant awarded to the Center from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

"The Wissenschaft des Judentums volumes housed at LBI will fill in the missing gaps of Frankfurt's collection, thereby virtually recreating a pre-Holocaust Jewish library," says Carol Kahn Strauss, Executive Director of Leo Baeck Institute.

"This collection is considered the library of Jewish scholarship and through digitization will be reconstructed and accessible for future generations," says Michael S. Glickman, COO of the Center for Jewish History.

According to Jim Leach, Chairman of the NEH, "The NEH grants awarded will promote new areas of research and make the breadth of human experience more understandable and knowledge more accessible."

This initiative is jointly funded by the NEH and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation or DFG), the German government's funding mechanism for the humanities. The project will digitize 1,000 books from the Wissenschaft des Judentums (Science of Judaism) movement that are housed in the LBI collection at the Center and combine them with related volumes at Frankfurt University, whose extensive holdings amounted to the largest Judaica library in Europe before the Holocaust. This $300,000 project will begin in September and will take approximately 2 years to complete.

May 24, 2011:

BY DAN KLEIN
This article originally appeared on the JTA website

One night back in 1985, businessman Bruce Slovin was walking home from a corporate board meeting with a lawyer named Joe Greenberger when Greenberger asked him about his involvement in the Jewish world.

Slovin responded that he wasn’t at all active, so Greenberger invited him to attend the next board meeting of YIVO, the research institute in New York on East European Jewry and Yiddish.

Slovin, who had recently lost his grandfather and father, attended the meeting and found himself spellbound.

“There was sitting my grandfather and father, who had just died -- another Shlomo and a Yaakov,” he said, invoking his father and grandfather’s names.

“They were smoking with cigarettes like this” -- he said, making an overhand gesture with his own Parliament cigarette. “They would drink schnapps after they had the board meeting. They were great storytellers. My father and grandfather were alive again.”

The flash of nostalgia set Slovin, a Brooklyn native, on a course that led to his joining the board of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and ultimately becoming the founding chairman of the Center for Jewish History in New York.

The center is a partnership of five historical organizations: the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, the Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO. It features the largest repository of Jewish historical artifacts in the Diaspora, with an impressive building near New York's Union Square that contains 100 million artifacts and documents, and a library with half a million volumes.

More than 250 people gathered May 10 at a dinner to fete Slovin, 75, as he steps down as the center’s chairman.

The gala, held on the occasion of the center’s 10th anniversary, served as an opportunity to recognize the New Yorker’s lead role in the long, bumpy road to creating the center and putting it on sound financial footing.

An event that raised $1.2 million for the center also featured the unveiling of a stone plaque engraved with Slovin’s profile that will hang in its lobby.

“There would be no Center for Jewish History without Bruce Slovin,” Michael Glickman, the center’s chief operating officer, told JTA.

After attending that first board meeting in 1985, Slovin was shocked to discover that the documents in the YIVO archives were not well preserved.

“I saw these records degrading. There was no proper humidification, the warehouses were a mess,” he said. “We were broke all the time; that’s all we could afford.”

Slovin, then the president of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings and of the Revlon Group, was soon installed as YIVO chairman. He began to push the often-resistant board to sell the building and move to a lower-priced area.

Greenberger, however, was thinking bigger: He suggested bringing in other Jewish organizations.

The idea for the Center for Jewish History was born.

Between 1994 and 2000, when the center opened to the public, Slovin had raised $67 million using strategies that many at the gala joked were “unique.”

“He came to my office and asked me for money,” Simon Ziff, whose name now adorns the center’s Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogical Institute, told JTA at the gala. “I’m not a big giver, but Bruce is tireless.”

“I was astounded by the amount of time he put into this venture,” added Ted Mirvis, co-chair of the board of trustees for Yeshiva University Museum and secretary of the center’s board of directors, at the gala.

Slovin, who received a bachelor's degree in economics from Cornell University and a law degree from Harvard, had honed his ability to raise money as a child. He was so adept that eventually he was banned from a fundraising competition for planting trees in British Mandate Palestine because he won so often.

Despite his prowess, the center faced consistent financial difficulties. In 2007 there was controversy over a proposed takeover by New York University of the financially troubled center. More recently, the Forward reported that Slovin was asked to step down from the YIVO board amid a string of painful layoffs.

Slovin described the story as untrue and “dead wrong.”

The center also faced accusations of mismanagement and detractors who questioned its very raison d’etre. 

Among the critics was Jonathan Sarna, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and a prominent historian of American Judaism. Sarna repeatedly called for the center to be dissolved into its constituent parts.

But Sarna, among others, reconsidered his position with the announcement in January that the center had raised more than $30 million in 15 months from 22 donors -- allowing it to wipe out its debts for the first time.

In February, Sarna called the center one of the most important Jewish archives in the world.

“Now that it’s financially viable,” he said, “it’s perfectly clear that it has found a place.”

Slovin points to the academic’s endorsement as a benchmark for the center.

It is this relative peace from debtors and critics that has allowed “everyone to relax a little bit,” he said, and made him comfortable with stepping down as chairman.

The chair will pass to William Ackman and Joseph Steinberg, who together led the recent capital campaign and were its largest donors.

While he will remain on the center’s board and as YIVO’s chairman, Slovin plans to focus on his business, the real estate and financial holdings company 1 Eleven Associates, as well as bringing in more scholars to the center and writing its history.

“Bruce doesn’t claim to be a scholar,” Mirvis said, “but he understands the needs of scholars.”

Hearing this, Slovin smiles wryly.

“I’m just smart enough to understand the need to have a history,” he said. “As a people as valuable to human kind as the Jewish people are, it seemed dead wrong not to have as much of history as we can save -- and we have tons more work to do.” 

May 4, 2011:

The Center for Jewish History Board of Directors has unanimously elected William A. Ackman and Joseph S. Steinberg as Co-Chairmen of the Board and Amy P. Goldman as Vice Chairman. The new leadership begins its tenure at an exciting time in the Center’s history. Having successfully completed a one-year capital campaign that raised $30,000,000 to pay off its mortgage, the Center celebrated its 10th anniversary as a now debt-free institution. The Center is recognized as one of the foremost Jewish research and cultural institutions in the world, having served over 1 million people in more than 100 countries.

The Center for Jewish History Board of Directors formally recognized and honored Bruce Slovin, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, who envisioned and created the Center as a communal home to five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS); American Sephardi Federation (ASF); Leo Baeck Institute (LBI); Yeshiva University Museum (YUM); YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (YIVO). Mr. Slovin’s vision and dedication have molded the Center into a formidable institution: a place where the history of the Jewish people comes alive through scholarship and cultural programming, exhibitions and symposia, lectures and performances. On behalf of the tens of thousands of people who have participated in the creation of the Center over the past 10 years—as funders, researchers, scholars, lay leaders and members of the general public—we show our profound appreciation for Mr. Slovin’s passion, determination and invaluable leadership. The Center’s success and growth are a tribute to his legacy.

As it enters a new decade, the Center continues to provide access to its five partners’ collections, spanning over 600 years of Jewish history, through the centralized online public access catalog and serves as the preeminent repository of the modern Jewish experience.

Apr 1, 2011:

The Center for Jewish History, the nation’s leading repository of Jewish history and experience, announces two fellowship offerings made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Vivian G. Prins Foundation.

Jay R. Berkovitz, Professor of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was selected to receive the inaugural NEH Senior Scholar Fellowship at the Center for Jewish History for the 2011/2012 academic year, made possible through a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

According to Michael S. Glickman, Center for Jewish History, COO, "This inaugural NEH fellowship will go a long way toward supporting our mission and expanding our profile in the academic community. The selection of Jay Berkovitz through this award puts a capstone on the Center's work, raising the level of supported scholarship to new heights, and positioning the Center as a unique research institution in the scholarly world."

Mr. Berkovitz's expertise is in Jewish history and law, and he specializes in early modern Jewry with an emphasis on Jewish jurisprudence, ritual, and communal governance. His recent publications include Rites and Passages: The Beginnings of Modern Jewish Culture in France, 1650-1860 (2004); Tradition and Revolution in Early Modern France [Hebrew](2007); and a forthcoming book on seventeenth-century rabbinic authority Ya'ir Hayyim Bacharach. He is Co-editor of Jewish History.

He will spend a year in residence at the Center, where he will investigate Jewish life in the 18th century from a thoroughly new perspective. His research project, "Protocols of Justice: Family, Community and Law in Early Modern France," is based on the records of the Metz rabbinic court during the years 1771-89. The Metz court register has never before undergone scholarly examination. Brimming with details of inheritance disputes, commercial transactions, the changing status of women, and recourse to French courts, the 1200 cases that came before the rabbinic tribunal challenge the idea of an insular Jewish legal system. The project will explore how members of this vibrant community navigated the powerful winds of change in the two decades preceding the French Revolution.

The Center also named two recipients of the Prins Fellowship, designed for foreign scholars at the beginning of their careers seeking permanent teaching and research positions in North America. They are: Jolante Mickute of Lithuania who will expand upon her doctoral dissertation "Modern, Jewish, and Female: Politics of Culture, Ethnicity, and Sexuality in Poland and Lithuania, 1918-1939," a political, cultural, and sexual history of Jewish women nationalists in interwar Eastern Europe; and Jan Lánícek of the Czech Republic, a part-time Lecturer at the University of Southampton and University of Portsmouth in England, who will research the question of minorities in inter-war Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland, analyzing Jewish/non-Jewish relations in order to better understand the changes in East-Central European policies towards the Jews.

"The Center for Jewish History actively works to foster and advance scholarship, to expand the reach of the rich collections of its partners and to impact the wide world of Jewish studies scholarship. Working with an elite group of academic advisors, the Center continues to expand its offerings to further engage the public in its work," continues Mr. Glickman.

Mar 8, 2011:

By SAM DOLNICK
This article originally appeared in the New York Times Online Edition

In 1932, as the Nazis rose to power in Germany, a Jewish librarian in Frankfurt published a catalog of 15,000 books he had painstakingly collected for decades.

It listed the key texts of a groundbreaking field called the Science of Judaism, in which scholars analyzed the religion’s philosophy and culture as they would study those of ancient Greece or Rome. The school of thought became the foundation for modern Jewish studies around the world.

In the tumult of war, great chunks of the collection vanished. Now, librarians an ocean away have determined that most of the missing titles have been sitting for years on the crowded shelves of the Leo Baeck Institute, a Manhattan center dedicated to preserving German Jewish culture.

The story of how the hundreds of tattered, cloth-bound books with esoteric German titles ended up in New York includes impossible escapes, careful scholarship and some very heavy suitcases. And while the exact trails of many of the volumes remain murky, they wind through book-lined apartments on the Upper West Side, across a 97-year-old woman’s cluttered coffee table and into a library’s cavernous stacks.

For Jewish scholars, the collection of Science of Judaism texts (in German, Wissenschaft des Judentums) is a touchstone marking the emergence of Jewish tradition as a philosophy and culture worthy of academic study.

"We're all heirs to the legacy of Wissenschaft," said Jonathan D. Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University.

The University Library Frankfurt still houses the bulk of the collection, but experts there have determined over several decades that they were missing some 2,000 books listed in the 1932 catalog. In the last two years, a team led by Renate Evers, head librarian at the Leo Baeck Institute, found that her shelves had more than 1,000 of the lost titles.

While scholars say the books in New York are probably not the same copies as those lost from the Frankfurt library, their rediscovery offers the chance to rebuild what one professor called "a legendary collection." Frankfurt librarians are putting the collection online, while the Center for Jewish History, the institute's parent organization, is seeking a grant to do the same.

"This is very exciting," said Rachel Heuberger, head of the library's Judaica division. "You can reconstruct a collection that otherwise never would have come to life again."

Scholars say the books were most likely brought to New York from Europe by private collectors and antiquities dealers. In the past 50 years, donors, nearly all of them German Jews who immigrated and prospered here, gave them to the Leo Baeck Institute.

The donors, photographed in their cinched ties and sober suits, represent a generation of scholarly New York immigrants that is nearly gone. They escaped the Nazis, built new lives and created a sophisticated community that centered on books, culture and learning. Their ranks included the political philosopher Hannah Arendt and Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Many came to this country hauling suitcases filled with books, and as they settled here, they created academic journals and scholarly institutes. They debated politics during formal dinners in Washington Heights parlors. They took typewriters along on vacation so they could keep working.

Herbert A. Strauss, who came to New York with his wife in 1946, owned one of the lost books, an 1843 volume by Ludwig Philippson. Where he got it, his widow, Lotte, has no idea. A historian and a professor, he was always coming home to their Upper Manhattan apartment with his arms full of new tomes.

"He was not only married to me," Mrs. Strauss said. "He was also married to his desk."

When he died in 2005, she donated 4,500 of his books to the Leo Baeck Institute.

The couple had met in Germany, and escaped together to Switzerland just steps ahead of the Gestapo. They recounted their ordeals in separate memoirs published in 1999.

Mrs. Strauss, 97, a great-grandmother, recalled meeting her husband. "I was fascinated by him," she said. "He was good-looking and he had new ideas."

On a recent afternoon in her sun-drenched apartment, Mrs. Strauss pulled out her husband's brittle papers. There were Nazi-era ration cards decorated with swastikas - red for bread, blue for meat. There was a lifeguard certificate from Berlin that showed a young man, sleeves rolled up past his elbows, smiling at something off-camera.

Did he carry books with him when he came to New York?

Mrs. Strauss laughed. "We came here poor as church mice," she said. "You went as you were; you didn't carry a thing." She was eight months pregnant and had one dress to her name. Mr. Strauss built his library, and their life, in New York.

Ludwig Schwarzschild, a dermatologist, brought his library with him when he came to the United States in 1934. Although his practice north of Frankfurt was shuttered by the authorities, he, his wife and their two young children were able to take most of their possessions out of Germany, said their daughter, Lore Singerman, of Annapolis, Md.

Mrs. Singerman, 78, remembered a Manhattan childhood of heavy European furniture and crowded bookcases. Reading was highly prized - prayer books, The Saturday Evening Post, National Geographic.

Her father owned one of the lost Wissenschaft volumes, an 1888 edition of a Hermann Cohen book. His family donated it to the institute in 1970, the year he died. Mrs. Singerman does not know where her father got the book, but said, "If it was in German, he probably brought it with him - he didn't buy German books here."

Fred W. Lessing, another German Jewish donor, built such a vast book collection at his home in Scarsdale, N.Y., that he ordered catalog cards from the Library of Congress to keep track of it all. He was chief executive of a Yonkers metal company, but his passion was his library and discussions with professors and writers.

Mr. Lessing scoured auction catalogs for treasures, with a special focus on the history of the Enlightenment. His children knew enough not to touch his "good books," said his daughter Joan Lessing. "His library was part of our lives," she said. "Books were in every room."

Mr. Lessing gave the institute an early-20th-century edition of a volume by Adolf Eckstein, but his daughter did not know where he had gotten it.

Even the Frankfurt librarian who cataloged the entire collection, Aron Freimann, came to New York. After arriving in 1939, he went on to work at the New York Public Library.

Today, his granddaughter, Ruth Dresner, lives in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. She keeps her grandfather's catalog on her shelf - she calls it his "magnum opus" - and plans to leave it to her children.

"I'm 80 years old, and I'm very devoted and dedicated to perpetuating tradition," she said. "I am very proud."

Feb 24, 2011:

DIVERSE, RARELY SEEN, ONE OF A KIND, HISTORIC IMPORTANT TREASURES ILLUMINATE ASPECTS OF MODERN JEWISH HISTORY

It’s been ten years since the Center for Jewish History opened its doors in New York City as the largest repository of Jewish history and experience, outside of the State of Israel. By bringing together five distinct and independent Jewish institutions under one roof, the Center was created to preserve, protect and present the treasured collections of its partner institutions totaling more than 500,000 books and 100 million documents that include pieces of art, textiles, ritual objects, as well as music, films and photographs. In honor of the Center’s 10th Anniversary year, an exhibition entitled Zero to 10 provides the public with a first-look at the treasures housed at the Center from each of its five partners: the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, the Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Among some of the treasures on display include:

• Thomas Jefferson’s 1818 letter denouncing anti-Semitism and invoking America as a bastion of religious freedom and tolerance.
• Emma Lazarus’ handwritten draft of her iconic 1883 poem, “The New Colossus,” inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.
• Torah scroll belonging to the Baal Shem Tov (1700-1760), founder of Hassidism, featuring lines written in his own hand.
• Dutch Masters in the Rose Room by Larry Rivers (1997), born Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg, a playful oil and canvas work based on a conflation of the iconic Dutch Masters cigar box and a Rembrandt group portrait, among other popular and art historical motifs.
• The Trial of the Jews of Trent, 1478-1479, ink, gouache and gold on paper. Written for the first Duke of Wurtemberg, Eberhardt I and bearing his arms, this is the only known German copy of the records of the Trials of the Jews of Trent, accused of the ritual murder of a young Christian boy named Simon in 1475.
• A Torah Crown from Austro-Hungary, ca. 1886-1922. Made of silver, repoussé, chased and parcel gilt, this elegant, elaborately gilded Crown is a beautiful example of Central-Eastern European Judaica craftsmanship of the late 19th and early 20th century, which survived the Shoah.
• Letter signed by Lord Rothschild, Samuel Montagu, David Alexander, and Claude Montefiore - leaders of the Anglo-Jewish Association and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. They organized the Russo-Jewish Committee in London and wrote this letter to assist the victims of the 1905 pogroms in Russia.
• Gazette of the United States - In 1790, the Gazette, a New York newspaper, reproduced the first correspondence between the newly elected president, George Washington, and Levi Shaftall, leader of the Hebrew Congregation of Savannah, Georgia.
• Ceremonial Bindalli Dress - Gallipoli, 19th Century - This dress was worn by Buka Yohai during her ceremonial walk to the mikvah (ritual bath) before her wedding ceremony, and was also worn by both her mother and grandmother for the same purpose before their weddings. This particular example is unique in its depiction of grape clusters and sheaves of wheat to symbolize fertility.
• Portrait of Michael Gratz by Thomas Sulley, ca. 1805-1808 - Michael Gratz (1740 - 1811) emigrated from Germany to America in 1758. He and his brother Barnard went into business together, speculating in the West, purchasing furs in the Ohio River Valley, and dealing in kosher meat in Curacao. The brothers were central to the founding of Louisville, KY. Michael married Miriam Simon of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in June of 1769. They had twelve children, among them Rebecca Gratz who was one of the 19th century’s most important American Jewish philanthropists. The artist, Thomas Sully, was a leading portraitist of the day. He painted the likenesses of many prominent Americans, including Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Patrick Henry.
• Postcard from Henrietta Szold, founder of Hadassah – This postcard was composed by Ms. Szold and sent from Jerusalem to her cousin, Melvin Krulewitch, during her first visit to Palestine in 1909.
• De Universa Mulierum Medicina (Textbook of Women's Medicine) - Written in 1609 by Roderigo de Castro, who had fled from the Lisbon in the wake of the late 16th century escalation of the Inquisition, this volume is considered a pioneering work of modern gynecology and obstetrics.

Visually arresting and conceptually sweeping, Zero to 10 has a three-fold mission: to enable the viewer a better appreciation of how crucial decades and past centuries impacted Jewish life, to understand how multiple changing forces shaped Jewish history, and to explore the continuing heritage of Jewish belief and experience.

In his introduction to Zero to 10, Steven J. Zipperstein, the Daniel E. Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History at Stanford University and member of the Center’s Academic Advisory Council, writes, "No culture saves everything. Time passes, timber burns, stone is eroded, documents are misplaced, and memories become distorted and rendered unidentifiable. All the more so for a people without a central political or religious authority; for a peripatetic people, like the Jews, without vaults that held treasures for millennia or longstanding archives. Who was there to gather the remnants of the past, to determine what must not be lost?"

"This process of gathering the shards of the past began late for Jews. It started mostly sporadically, as often as not, on the initiative of one or another individual, with documents ferreted out of synagogue attics or the bookshelves of ancient buildings and saved, perhaps, in a drawer or two of someone’s house, eventually with collections becoming so voluminous that they required a room or two, and then institutional backing for their care."

Each work from the striking array of art, artifacts, manuscripts, ritual objects and textiles illuminates an aspect of Jewish history and experience across a sweep of continents. "This exhibition," Zipperstein continues, "shows, side by side, the widest array of the collections housed at the Center for Jewish History from written texts, to art, to ritual objects and even personal ephemera from ages gone by. This is history, our history, arrayed over space and time, and presented as a triumphant exploration of the first ten years of the Center for Jewish History."

Zero to 10 is unlike any other exhibition as Gabriel Goldstein, Exhibition Curator and Associate Director for Exhibitions and Programs at Yeshiva University Museum explains, “This past decade has brought about great changes in human experience, with unprecedented technological innovation, alongside economic, religious, political and environmental upheaval. Against the backdrop of this revolution, the institutions at the Center for Jewish History have been able to provide access to their collections in ways that were almost unimaginable only a decade ago. Zero to 10 provides a window into the fascinating holdings of the partner institutions, and allows us to examine primary evidence, the building blocks of our understanding of the past."

"In its first decade, the Center for Jewish History has become a destination for visitors from around the world and one of the world's most important venues for research, academic conferences, exhibitions, and cultural events," says Michael S. Glickman, CJH Chief Operating Officer. "Our goal for the future is to continue to expand the Center’s resources and reach, making it a focal point and a magnet for research, education, discussion, and artistic creation that informs and inspires the public in all aspects of the Jewish experience and identity."

Feb 7, 2011:

The Center for Jewish History, the nation's leading repository of Jewish history and experience, names its candidates for its inaugural Joseph S. Steinberg Emerging Jewish Filmmaker Fellowships for the 2011 academic year. The candidates include: Rebecca Kahn Bloch and Emily Kennedy of Oberlin College for their joint project entitled: Radical Judaism in a Radical Campus: The Emergence of a New Jewish Community at Oberlin College, exploring the history of Jewish activity on American college campuses. This project will make extensive use of the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) collection covering Jewish Student Organizations on American campuses from 1907 through 2006. Marianna Yaroslavka of University of Southern California is selected for her project entitled: Survival in Eastern Siberia: The Other Jewish Side, exploring a little-known area of Siberia, where a once thriving Yiddish community now struggles with its re-birth and survival. This project will make extensive use of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and AJHS collections, housed at the Center.

"This initiative supports the use of our partners' collections through film and most importantly helps students with the costs associated with researching their work. The goal of these documentaries is to shed light on aspects of Jewish life that might otherwise be forgotten," says Michael S. Glickman, Center for Jewish History COO. "We are grateful to the Steinberg family for their vision in supporting filmmakers who are working within the vast archival collections at the Center."

n addition to the research conducted at the Center, the fellowship recipients will present their finished works in a public forum. Fellows are required to conduct on-site research for their respective filmmaking projects at the Center. Each award carries a financial stipend of $2500. Applications for the 2012 academic year will be available in May 2011.

For further information regarding the Center for Jewish History and how to apply, click here.

Dec 1, 2005: FACT OR FICTION? Ashkenazi Genes Produce Higher Intelligence. A lecture by renowned psychologist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, December 1, 2005, 7 p.m. Moderated by Noah Feldman, Professor of Law, New York University School of Law A recently widely publicized study claims that Ashkenazi Jews have been biologically selected for high intelligence and tend to suffer genetic diseases as a by-product. Dr. Pinker will discuss this claim in the context of current debates on nature, nurture, intelligence and race. For more information, visit, the YIVO website.

Nov 6, 2005: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 15 West 16th Street • New York, N.Y. 10011-6301 • 212 246 6080 tel • 212 292 1892 fax • www.yivo.org YIVO SPONSORS HISTORIC MULTIDISCIPLINARY CONFERENCE ON JEWS & MEDICINE Panel of Medical Experts Includes Nobel Laureates October, 2005 - New York - The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research will sponsor a historic conference, “Jews and Medicine – In the Footsteps of Maimonides: The Jewish Doctor as Healer, Scientist and Intellectual”, in association with The New York Academy of Medicine. The groundbreaking November 6 conference, will explore the distinctive history of Jews in medicine and their roles and responsibilities today. Nationally-recognized experts in medicine and related fields will participate, including two Nobel laureates: Eric Kandel, M.D., a biologist at New York’s Columbia University, and Sidney Altman, Ph.D., a professor of biology at Yale. Members of the general public and health professionals are invited to hear topics ranging from medical ethics and the role of Jewish women in American Medicine, to the attraction of the medical field for Jews, and issues related to the boycott of Israeli academicians and physicians at international meetings. An exhibit, which opens concurrent with the conference and closes next February, will focus on the subject with artifacts and documents from YIVO’s extensive archives. Dr. Sherwin Nuland, a Yale professor, member of YIVO’s Board of Overseers, and an award-winning author of several publications, including How We Die (Vintage,1994), is the person who provided the inspiration for the conference. Acting as the conference convener Dr. Nuland will speak on “The Tradition of the Jewish Doctor: Its Origin and Continuity.” As a regular contributor to The New Republic, Dr. Nuland stated in a recent article that the legendary relationship between the Jew and the art of healing dates back to Maimonides’ idea that the purpose of keeping the body healthy is to enable the unhindered pursuit of knowledge of God, and of the perfect morality for which God is the model…“Viewed in the perspective of millennia of history…of a society that has valued learning more… almost as much as it values life – and indeed, perceives learning as the high road to life and therefore to God -- is it any wonder,” he asks, “ that such a society would hold the practice of healing to be the greatest good, and therefore to hold those who practice it in greatest esteem?” Nuland’s new biography on Moses Maimonides is slated for publication this month. “The conference, “ noted Dr. Carl Rheins, YIVO Executive Director, “is a return to our roots in Vilna, where YIVO served as a place for rigorous, intellectual discourse on subjects of contemporary interest in Jewish life, thought and letters.” He goes on to say that “…since contemporary Jewish life for us is the American Jewish landscape, YIVO is proud to continue the tradition of exploring a subject having deep historic roots as well as present-day importance for the American Jewish community”. Several of the nation’s most outstanding experts in medicine and related fields will address such issues as: Jews as Scientists, The Jewish Healer: Clinical Physician and Teacher, Jewish Women and Medicine, Medical Ethics from a Jewish Perspective, the Jewish Relationship to Psychoanalysis, and Counteracting the Boycott of Israeli Academics: Preserving Academic Freedom. In addition to Dr. Nuland, speakers include: Sidney Altman, Ph.D., Yale University and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Barbara E. Bierer, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Ezekiel Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., National Institutes of Health Jerome E. Groopman, M.D., Harvard University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Contributor to the New Yorker Eric R. Kandel, M.D., Columbia University, Nobel Laureate in Medicine Jonathan David Lear, Ph.D., University of Chicago Presbyterian Hospital Andrew R. Marks, M.D., Columbia University Regina Morantz-Sanchez, PhD., University of Michigan The conference takes place on Sunday, November 6, at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street – New York City). Made possible through the generous support of The Gruss Lipper Family Foundation, The David Berg Foundation, the New York State Assembly and individual donors, the conference is open to the general public, medical and healthcare professionals. An exhibit, which will run concurrent with the conference and closes next February, will focus on the subject with artifacts, photographs and documents. Pre-registration is required. Hours: 9 AM to 6 PM. For more information or online registration, visit www.yivo.org or contact the Center box office: tel. 917.606.8200 Ext.7. Mastercard/Visa/American Express/ Discover Cards accepted. Tkts. $75 Reg. /$15 Students/Interns/Residents. Founded in Vilna, Poland, in 1925 and based in Manhattan since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is the preeminent institution for the study of East European Jewish history and culture; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. YIVO’s library has more than 360,000 volumes and its archives hold 23 million items. # # #

Oct 30, 2005: ELIAS CANETTI A SPANISH POET OF GERMAN LANGUAGE A Celebration of the Nobel Laureate On His Centennial Anniversary presented at the Center for Jewish History Behind the accessible smoothness of his autobiography, there is a reserve which, twisting and taking on disguise, conceals an unsuspected otherness, an ungraspable and unconceivable identity. (…) Both of them are teaching us, day in and day out, how to unmask the mad delusion of power and of death, and both remind us of a statement in “The Human Province:" “Everyone is the center of the world. Everyone.” Claudio Magris, author of the “Danube,” winner of the 2001 Erasmus Prize October 10, 2005, New York City -- On Sunday, October 30, 2005, the American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, and Centro Primo Levi at the Center for Jewish History will present day-long festivities to mark the centennial year of writer, intellectual, and Nobel Laureate, Elias Canetti. With special events dedicated in several European cities to honor Canetti’s 100th anniversary this past year, the Center for Jewish History represents the only venue in the US to pay homage to one of the great revolutionary thinkers of the 20th century. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16 Street, New York City. Elias Canetti’s considerable reputation, and one that is especially revered by his peers, is based largely on his articulation – outside of ephemeral ideologies and short-lived battles – of the way in which totalitarian rulers come to power through the mythical culture of historical heroes. Through films, readings, and talks by preeminent scholars at the Center, audiences will be given a rare opportunity to participate in a dialogue exploring the link between Canetti’s Sephardic roots and his Mittlel European identity that formed the basis for his ideas. Of all his contemporaries, Canetti is the one who by the very nature of his persona and his writings, most drastically defies general expectation and eludes specific explanation. The internationally acclaimed Italian author, Claudio Magris, will lead the talks in exploring the man and his work. Speakers from the academic community will examine Canetti’s life-long reticence to be public, his eclectic; quasi-Renaissance interest for the human experience as a whole; his annoyance at ethnic labels; the almost disorienting absence in his writing of any obvious rhetoric and any ready-made morale; the unemotional way in which he analyzes the ability of humans to commit horrors; all of which contributed to alienating Canetti from the wider readership he so richly deserved. Yet, writers and intellectuals with an international perspective, e.g. the late Susan Sontag or Salman Rushdie have been able to treasure these traits and have written beautifully of the importance of Canetti’s thought, placing his work into an immediate relation to American culture. Following is the program schedule: Sunday, October 30, 2005 BRUNCH TIME FILM SCREENING 12 noon - ELIAS CANETTI by Thomas Honickel, Germany, 2005 (60 min., German w/English subtitles. U.S. premiere). TALKS AND DEBATES 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Gloria Ascher, Tufts University Michael Taussig, Columbia University Dagmar Barnouw, University of Southern California Robert Elbaz, University of Haifa READINGS, LECTURE, AND PUBLIC DIALOGUE 7:30 pm - An evening salon on Elias Canetti with Claudio Magris and other guests. Introduced and moderated by Liliane Weissberg, University of Pennsylvania. For reservations, please call the Center for Jewish History Box Office at 917-606-8200. Film & talks: $20 and $10 students /faculty, and members of LBI and ASF. Evening lecture: $20 and $10 students/faculty, and members of LBI and ASF. The Date Palm Café will remain open all day. All-day Pass: $35 (includes 10% discount at the bookstore and café). This event is presented by the Primo Levi Center, the Leo Baeck Institute, and the American Sephardi Federation and is made possible through the generous contributions of The Cahnman Foundation, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the New York Council for the Humanities, a State affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The following organizations have contributed to the outreach for this symposium: Center for the Humanities at CUNY Graduate Center, Institute for the Humanities at New York University, the Goethe Institute New York, the Deutsches Haus at NYU, and the National Book Foundation. The Canetti Centennial Celebration is being presented as part of the Gisella Levi Cahnman Open Seminar Series at the Center for Jewish History, which brings together international scholars and public audiences. It is made possible through the support of the Cahnman Foundation, the Italian Cultural Institute and the New York Council for the Humanities, a State affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For further information and a complete press packet, including biographical information on Elias Canetti, Cluadio Magris and speakers, visit www.cjh.org. You may also contact Natalia Indrimi, Program Curator for the Center for Jewish History at 212-294-8314, nindrimi@cjh.org. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON ELIAS CANETTI AND HIS WORK Novelist, essayist, sociologist, and playwright, Elias Canetti, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1981. Canetti was born in Roustschouk, a small port in Bulgaria on the river Danube, into a well-to-do Jewish family of Sephardic descent. His parents Jacques Canetti and Mathilde Canetti run an amateur theater. One of his brothers became a famed producer who launched among others, Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg, and Boris Vian. At age six, his family moved to Manchester, England. After the death of his father, his mother took the family to Vienna. From 1916 to 1921 Canetti studied in Zürich, and produced his first literary work. During a visit to Berlin in 1928 he met Bertolt Brecht, Isaak Babel, and George Grosz, and started to plan a series of novels on the subject of human madness. He graduated in 1929 with a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Vienna, where he became exposed to the salon of Karl Kraus and met his lifelong companion Venethiana Taubner-Calderon. In 1938 he fled to Paris and a year later to England, where he lived for the rest of his life. Canetti has defined himself by defining his languages: “A Spanish poet of German language;” “The only literary person in whom the languages of the two great expulsions are found in close proximity." The dialogue between his Sephardic roots and his Mittel-European identity is essential to his self-perception, and at the same time is what makes his experience completely foreign to many, Jews and non-Jews. His place in the history of ideas is twice removed from the current “center:” The entire historical memory he represents is rooted in the exile from Spain and the successful resettlement all across Europe and the Ottoman Empire of a highly sophisticated, integrated, and multifaceted strand of the people of the book. Canetti’s mental map lies on the European-Ottoman axle, which, by the end of World War I, had been supplanted by the Soviet-American axle. Secondly, even in the face of what he defines as “Hitler’s most monstrous undertaking,” Canetti chooses to continue his battle against “the culture of the survivor,” which his people, the Jews of Spain, had always, even as conversos, refused to accept as a possible way of life. To understand Canetti, his fierce rejection of death, and the adoring exploration of life in all its forms, colors, inventive as well as destructive manifestations, his non-normative, ever-open approach to the queries of the mind, we must understand the Sephardic perspective on history and the way in which Inquisition changed the face of Europe. Furthermore, from the Sephardic tradition of sages, healers, thinkers, and practitioners of all trades of life, Canetti draws a form of humility that has long been won over by the “culture of the survivor.” It’s a humility that at the same time regards one’ self as a respected given, valuable part of the creation, but not as a primary object of one’s own inquiry. A humility thanks to which one’s ego does not need to be harnessed, because it is simply understood as one of the many points of view co-existing in the universe. It is precisely in this perspective that his three autobiographical works can be better understood, not as a way to conceal his “true” (and possibly mystifying) self, as most critics lament, but as a way to use facts from one’s relatively (un)important life, to disclose a broader human reality. This background is equally relevant to fully appreciate Canetti’s masterpiece, Auto-da-Fé. Auto-da-fé is a puzzling work. It is a modern epic on the folly brought about by the separation of the book from the world. Unlike Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, however, Auto-da-Fé does not entrust to the book per se any saving power. While composing some of the most heartbreaking paragraphs on book burning, Canetti clearly sees that the book is an instrument, a means of expression and communication, but is not the primary source of life. Nor can be called upon as a justification for isolation or death. For Canetti the ultimate responsibility to communicate and renew life rests with no other but man. THE SPEAKERS Gloria Joyce Ascher was born in the Bronx, New York of parents from Izmir, Turkey. Descended from the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, she grew up in the Sephardic (Judeo-Spanish) tradition. She attended the Bronx High School of Science, Hunter College (B.A., summa cum laude), the University of Bonn, Germany (Fulbright Grant), and Yale University (M.A., Ph.D., Germanic Languages and Literatures). She is the co-director of the Program in Judaic Studies at Tufts University. Her Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) Language and Culture course is the only one offered by a US college. Gloria Ascher also teaches German and Scandinavian literature. She is a writer and composer. Her poems are included in the trilingual (Judeo-Spanish, German, and Turkish) anthology of Sephardic poetry published in Austria in 2002 as part of the series “Lyrik der Wenigerheiten” (poetry of minority peoples). Ascher’s translation of Matilde Koén-Sarano’s two-volume Ladino grammar text (2002, 2003) is the only Ladino grammar available in English. Dagmar Barnouw is a professor of German and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California. She has taught at Brown University, University of Texas and as a guest professor at numerous German universities, notably a semester at Rostock University. Her research and teaching has been interdisciplinary, extending into the fields of historiography, anthropology, sociology, political science, the history and theory of documentary photography, and more recently also clinical and cognitive psychology. She is the author of 11 books, including studies of Eduard Moerikes poetry, the cultural politics of Thomas Mann, of Elias Canetti's poetic anthropology and sociology of death (1979 and 1996), on utopian discourse from Thomas More to feminist science fiction (1985); her books published in the US include Weimar Intellectuals and the Threat of Modernity (1988); Visible Spaces: Hannah Arendt and the German-Jewish Experience (1990); Critical Realism: History, Photography, and the Work of Siegfried Kracauer (1994); Germany 1945 Views of War and Violence (1997); Naipaul’s Strangers (2003). Her current book project is The Uses of Remorse: Memory and Politics in Postwar Germany which begins with a critical comparative discussion of fundamentalisms in political Zionism and Islam. Born in Morocco under French colonization, Robert Elbaz is professor and chairman of French studies at the University of Haifa. He received his PhD. in comparative literature from McGill University. A literary critic and a fascinating reader of Maghrebian, Mediterranean, and Sephardic literature of the 20th century, Elbaz wrote on extensively on authors such as Tahar Ben-Jelloun, Albert Memmi, Mouloud Feraoun, Rachid Mimouni, Albert Cohen, Elias Canetti. Robart Elbaz’ interests span from semiotics to 19th century political theory and many of his studies wrestle with the notion of marginality in the narrative of the contemporary global world. The shifting of cultural paradigms and power centers from Europe and the former Ottoman Empire to the United States and former Soviet Union provides the backdrop for some of his work on the theory of autobiography and the changing nature of the self. His new book, Literature and Society in Elias Canetti will be published in January. An internationally acclaimed writer, scholar and public figure, Claudio Magris began his literary career in 1963 when, at the age of 24, he published his first book, Il mito absburgo nella letteratura austriaca moderna (The Hapsburg Myth in Modern Austrian Literature). One of the last commentators of Central European intellectual history. Magris has significantly contributed to contextualize for a broad readership the works of such writers as Arthur Schnitzler, Hugo von Hofmansthal, Karl Kraus, Franz Kafka, Elias Canetti, and Joseph Roth. Their books, collectively and individually, document the dissolution of the Hapsburg Empire and reveal the existential predicament of individuals faced with the cultural crisis of a once monolithic social order. Magris's most critically acclaimed works are Danube, published in Italy in 1986 and in the United States in 1989, and Microcosms, which was published in Italy in 1997 where it won the Strega Prize, Italy's top literary award; it was published in English by Harvill Press. Michael Taussig is a professor of anthropology at Columbia University and is considered one of the most eminent cultural anthropologists and public intellectuals working in the United States today. With an international reputation for scholarly work that crosses disciplinary boundaries, addresses contemporary issues and is innovatively engaged with the process of writing and performance, Professor Taussig speaks to and writes for a broad audience within and outside the academy. An Australian by birth and originally trained in medicine at the University of Sydney, Professor Taussig's internationally renowned major works have been stimulated by continuing fieldwork in South America, principally Colombia, over more than thirty years. His writing has addressed areas of theoretical interest in the social sciences and humanities apart from anthropology, including geography, history, political science, cultural studies, post-colonial studies, international studies and creative writing. Taussig has talked about Elias Canetti in relation to ethnological concepts expressed in Crowds and Power. Liliane Weissberg is professor of Germanic languages and literatures at University of Pennsylvania. She is an extensively published scholar and frequent lecturer both in the U.S. and abroad. After completing her M.A. at the Freie Universität Berlin, she earned her A.M. and Ph.D. in comparative literature from Harvard. She arrived at Penn from Johns Hopkins University in 1989 and was named the Joseph B. Glossberg Term Professor in the Humanities (Almanac October 21, 2003). She has had visiting appointments at universities throughout Germany. Before her current term as graduate chair of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Liliane Weissberg served for seven years as chair of the Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory. She teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses and is a member of the Center for Folklore and Ethnography, the graduate group in art history, the Jewish Studies Program, and the Women's Studies Program. Her commitment to teaching was recognized in 2003 with a Lindback Award (Almanac April 22, 2003). ###

Oct 24, 2005: Album by Scottish Photographer James Graham Among Earliest Photographic Records of the Holy Land On View at Israel Museum JERUSALEM, October 24, 2005 – The Israel Museum announced today the gift of a uniquely personal album by Scottish photographer James Graham, featuring early photographs of Jerusalem, taken between 1853 and 1857. A joint gift to the American Friends of the Israel Museum and the Center for Jewish History, the album was donated by Katja B. Goldman and Michael W. Sonnenfeldt, as inspired by James Garfinkel and in honor of the Center’s former Executive Director Peter A. Geffen. This exceptional album includes eighty-seven photographs accompanied by explanations, notes, and passages from the Bible and New Testament, handwritten by the photographer. The album is on public view for the first time at the Israel Museum through December 7, 2005, as part of the exhibition “Camera Sacra: Capturing the Soul of Nature,” one of a series of exhibitions on the theme of “Beauty and Sanctity” in celebration of the Museum’s 40th Anniversary. “It seems natural for this remarkable album, which so vividly captures Jerusalem as it was a hundred and fifty years ago, to become part of the photography collection of the Israel Museum,” said James S. Snyder, Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of the Israel Museum. “This is one of the earliest photographic records of the Holy Land and is the oldest intact photograph album of Jerusalem in the Museum’s collection. It is a gift of patrimonial importance for Israel, as well as a significant addition to the Museum’s holdings of vintage Near Eastern photography. It also holds truly special importance for students and scholars and for the broader public’s interest both in the medium of photography and in the history of the Holy Land.” “In giving this unique and treasured album to the Israel Museum and the Center for Jewish History, Katja and Michael have created an active bridge between Israel and North America,” said Bruce Slovin, Chairman of the Center for Jewish History. “The establishment of this collaboration is itself historic and promotes an important relationship between these and other American and Israeli institutions. Their generosity enables audiences in both New York and Jerusalem to enjoy the beauty, innocence, and technical virtuosity of Graham’s photographs.” “James Graham was one of the very few European photographers to have visited Palestine and the Near East in the early 1850s, during the critical formative years of photography,” said Nissan N. Perez, Horace and Grace Goldsmith Senior Curator of Photography at the Israel Museum. “Graham’s compilation of detailed texts and striking photographs provides a rare and intimate view of Jerusalem and a masterful example of this developing art form in one of its earliest stages.” During his stay in Palestine from 1853 through 1857, Graham produced extensive documentation of his journeys throughout the area, from Syria and Lebanon in the north to Egypt in the south. The photographer was influenced in his work by pre-Raphaelite painters William Holman Hunt and Thomas Seddon, who were also visiting the Near East at the time and who accompanied Graham on his travels. Graham’s documentation album, dedicated to his sister, is among the most important photographic incunabula, as it was compiled by one of the first photographers residing in Jerusalem. Graham had a deep knowledge of the city and the country and was able to give a special vitality to the views he recorded in the album, which included cityscapes, architectural details, and panoramic vistas. In addition to his unique photographic vision, Graham’s work is also among the finest examples of print quality from the early years of the photographic medium. As such, it holds great museological as well as historical importance both for the art history of its time, as well as for the history of photography. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem The Israel Museum is the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel and is ranked among the leading art and archaeology museums in the world. Founded in 1965, the Museum houses encyclopedic collections ranging from prehistory through contemporary art, including the world’s most extensive holdings of Biblical and Holy Land archaeology, among them the Dead Sea Scrolls. In just forty years, the Museum has built a far-ranging collection of nearly 500,000 objects through an unparalleled legacy of gifts and support from its circle of patrons worldwide. It has established itself as an internationally valued institution and a singularly rich cultural resource for Israel, the Middle East, and the world. About The Center For Jewish History, New York In 2000, the Center For Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea District, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the center, the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the state of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit ahandelman@resnicowschroeder.com jsorce@resnicowschroeder.com shlomitdi@imj.org.il

Sep 27, 2005: The Ketubot of Mogador A lecture and presentation on the tradition of illuminated marriage contracts, also known as Ketubot, from Morocco. Tuesday, September 27, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House at the Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 Admission: $25.00 for general admission/$20.00 for ASF/ISEF members Box Office: 917-606-8200 New York, NY – September 16, 2005 – On Tuesday, September 27th, 2005 at 7:00 p.m., the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House in collaboration with the International Sephardic Educational Foundation will present a lecture on one of the most popular customs of the Sephardi Jews, the decoration of marriage contracts (ketubot). Guest speakers, David Bensoussan and Vivian Mann will discuss the practice, design and evolution of these richly decorated contracts which often reflect the unique traditions of their city of origin. A Moroccan cocktail reception will follow featuring the music of Cantor Marc Hazan who will be accompanied by Judeo-Arab music expert Yoel Ben-Simhon of the Sultana Ensemble. Hazan will also be singing an excerpt from a Ketuba. In addition, the recently published book A Jewish Wedding in Mogador by speaker David Bensoussan will be available for purchase and personalization by the author. A viewing of exhibited images from his work will be held from 6:30 to 7:00 pm. Admission includes the chance to win two round-trip tickets to Morocco courtesy of Royal Air Maroc which is an event sponsor. Reservations for this lively event are required as space is limited. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about a custom that characterizes Sephardi communities all over the world, and about ketubot from Morocco that range in period styles from simple to figurative and reflect the socio-economic status of the patrons who commissioned them. David Bensoussan is co-author, with Asher Knafo, of A Jewish Wedding in Mogador, a book of illustrated Jewish marriage contracts and author of a number of literary works including a Bible commentary and a historical novel, King Salomon Rosette. He is President of the Unified Sephardic Community of Quebec and a recipient of many awards, including a fellowship of the Matsumae International Foundation in Japan. He holds a PhD from McGill University in Electrical Engineering. Vivian Mann is Morris and Eva Feld Chair of Judaica at The Jewish Museum and Adviser to the Master’s Program in Jewish Art and Material Culture at the Graduate School of the Jewish Theological Seminary. She has created numerous exhibitions and their catalogues, most recently Morocco: Jews & Art in a Muslim Land. In 2004, her Art & Ceremony in Jewish Life was published by Pindar Press. Mann’s many articles and lectures cover a broad range of topics in medieval art and in the history of Jewish Art. Marc Hazan is the Hazan at the Manhattan Sephardic Congregation in New York City. He was born in Fez, Morocco where he was exposed to different styles of music such as Arabic, Andalousi, French, Spanish and Israeli. He began his musical career at the age of seventeen at the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue in London, England. Yoel Ben-Simhon is an Israeli born composer of Moroccan parentage who plays the oud, piano and frame-drums. Ben-Simhon, who holds an M.A. in music composition, has devoted himself to exploring the subject of Jewish music in Morocco and how it contributes to the heritage of Jewish communities in the countries of origin and in Israel. He has studied with internationally acclaimed mentors Paul Moravec and Simon Shaheen and founded in 1988 the "Sultana Ensemble," which is comprised of musicians and a dancer from Arab, American and Israeli descent. About the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House The American Sephardi Federation founded in 1973 to support, revitalize and strengthen American Sephardic communities, recently joined forces with Sephardic House, to create one united Sephardic organization whose mission is to promote and preserve the spiritual, historical, cultural and social traditions of all Sephardic communities and ensure their place as an integral part of Jewish heritage. Its activities include maintaining the only public Sephardic Library& Archives and permanent Sephardic exhibition gallery in the U.S., rich educational and cultural public programs, publishing informative books on Sephardic history and culture, and The Sephardi Report, the International Sephardic Film Festival, and the Broome and Allen Scholarship Fund for Sephardic studies and scholars. The ASF website www.americansephardifederation.org or www.asfonline.org, includes access to the ASF library online catalogue database of over 4000 books and periodicals, and an online bookstore featuring topical and historical books, videos and DVD’s of Sephardic interest. About the International Sephardic Educational Foundation Founded in 1977, the ISEF Foundation seeks to bridge the socio-economic gap in Israel through education. By providing equal access to education for all bright minds, ISEF helps ensure Israel’s long term security and prosperity. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions-the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a gift shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Café. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Sep 15, 2005: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 15 West 16th St. New York, N.Y. 10011 Tel. 212 246 6080 PRESS NEWS "Celebrating YIVO at 80" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ‘YIVO at 80’ Exhibit Highlights Institute’s Library & Archives From a floral-embossed, leather-bound 18th century Talmudic tractate to a 1950s advertisement for Jenny Grossinger’s Jewish rye bread, East European Jewish life and its influence on American culture will go on display April 6 at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan. The “YIVO at 80: A Brief Encounter with Archives” exhibit showcases the vast holdings of the archives and library of the YIVO Institute for Research, which is housed in the Center. “The exhibit represents the spiritual, artistic, political, economic, tragic, comic and mundane aspects of East European and American Jewish life,” explained YIVO Executive Director Dr. Carl J. Rheins. One of the rarest items in the exhibit is the 1566 book Hatsa’ah ‘al odot ha-get (An Account of the Bill of Divorce Given by Samuel Vintoroso), published in Venice. It relates the story of Tamar, daughter of Dr. Joseph Tamari of Venice, who was jilted by her betrothed. Tamar’s father asked the city’s rabbinate to excommunicate the bridegroom unless he went through with the nuptials. The hundreds of other items on display include: • letters to Jewish leaders from Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover. • pennant from the 1936 Convention of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union • 19th-century photo of Warsaw’s chief cantor Moishe Koussevitzky, singing while. standing on a railroad track. • photo of Jewish immigrants waving American flags as they gathered on the steps of the Hebrew Immigrant Society office on East Broadway in 1916. “This is not a cohesive story of Jewish life,” said Krysia Fisher, the exhibit’s curator and archivist of YIVO’s iconographic collections. “Rather, we are making the public aware of the breadth and depth of YIVO’s holdings, and of the priceless resource these materials represent to the Jewish people.” A 128-page color catalog of the exhibit is available at the Center for Jewish History Bookstore (917) 606-8220. It may be viewed online on the YIVO website at www.yivo.org. The exhibit will be in the Batkin Mezzanine and Constantiner Galleries, located in the Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th Street, New York City. (Subway: F, V to 14th St.; L to 6th Ave). Hours: Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission. For information, please call: (212) 246 6080. YIVO’s library has more than 360,000 volumes and its archives hold 23 million items. Each year, those holdings are accessed by thousands of writers, researchers, students, filmmakers, genealogists, musicians and members of the general public at the YIVO reading room or via e-mail, fax, telephone or the YIVO website. Founded in Vilna, Poland, in 1925 and based in Manhattan since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is the preeminent institution for the study of East European Jewish history and culture; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish experience. # # #

Sep 15, 2005: GREETINGS FROM HOME: 350 YEARS OF AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE Telling the Story of the First Jews to Arrive in North America Presented by the American Jewish Historical Society New York, NY – May 3, 2005 -- ‘Greetings from Home’: 350 Years of American Jewish Life, on view at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street) from May 17 to September 15, tells the story of American Jewry’s extraordinary evolution over 350 years starting with the arrival in 1654 of 23 Jewish settlers from Recife, Brazil, to their new ‘home’, New Amsterdam, New York. This landmark exhibit, organized and presented by the American Jewish Historical Society in cooperation with the Yeshiva University Museum and the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House, will feature over 200 objects, documents and artifacts from the collections of its sponsors, many rarely on display. The exhibit is one of the official activities associated with the congressionally mandated Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. The members of the Commission are the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, the American Jewish Historical Society, and the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives Dr. Steven H. Jaffe, American historian and curator of ‘Greetings from Home’, in describing the exhibit said, “ ‘Greetings from ‘Home’ tells stories about American Jews thematically through biographical profiles of noteworthy individuals, a selection of American Haggadahs and sections devoted to Jewish food ways in America, religious denominations and American Jewish wedding rituals. The exhibition also provides a chronological framework from the 1654 arrival in Dutch New Amsterdam of the 23 Jews fleeing Portuguese rule in Brazil into the early years of the current century. “ Greetings from Home: 350 Years of American Jewish History opens with some of the earliest surviving documents and objects illuminating American Jewish beginnings. In its initial section, the exhibit looks at Jewish communities in New York, Newport, Savannah, Charleston and Philadelphia. The exhibit continues presenting documents, artifacts and objects from the Revolutionary War, the period leading up to and including the Civil War, the period of mass Jewish migration to America, the period leading up to and including the Second World War and the founding of the State of Israel and the modern era of American Judaism. Among the more than 200 objects, documents and artifacts to be exhibited are the following: • Model of the Touro Synagogue in Newport from 1763. • A Prayer book produced by Isaac Pinto, 1776 • Torah scroll used during the Revolutionary War • 18th century Seixas Family circumcision set • 18th century Gomez Family silver Etrog holder • Constitution of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, 1836 • Handbill – Choice Groceries for Passover, 1848 • A Confederate $2 bill with a portrait of Judah Benjamin • Advertising poster, Feustmann & Kaufmann dry goods, 1860 • The first Jewish cookbook published in the United States, 1871 • Survivors Haggadah, 1946 “Home” has come to mean belonging to American society on an equal basis with other citizens, a status Jews have rarely attained in other societies. It has also meant creating homegrown versions of Judaism and Jewish culture. American Jews encouraged family and friends to immigrate to America and provided material support to Jews who chose to remain abroad. This exhibition explores the continual process of innovation, dialogue and migration that enabled Jews to make their homes in America and remain connected to their fellow Jews overseas. Dr. Hasia R. Diner, the Paul and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History and Director of the Goldstein-Goren Center for American Jewish History at NYU writes in the exhibit catalogue, “Starting in the middle of the seventeenth century, Jews planted themselves in America. Over the course of 350 years, North America became the largest “home” they had ever inhabited in the Diaspora. In the United States, Jews achieved a level of comfort, acceptance and integration that they in their long history living elsewhere never experienced. The idea of “home” provides a lens through which to view 350 years of American Jewish communal life and its relationship to the rest of world Jewry. By learning to live “at home” in this nation, American Jewry came to envision a world in which all Jews could enjoy both full rights and physical security. As Jews felt more ‘at home’ in America, the more they acted to make a safe and secure ‘home’ for all the world’s Jews here, in Israel, or in any place of a Jew’s choosing.” Dr. Michael Feldberg, AJHS Director of Research, writes “Today, Jews are among the most respected and successful minorities (in America). In fact, some observers worry that Jews will disappear through intermarriage and assimilation – loved into extinction, rather than murdered by anti-Semites. How did such a revolution take place? What is it about the United States that makes it possible for a people historically reviled in many other societies to rise to the highest levels in the nation? Is there something unique about the Jewish experience in America or can any ethnic or religious group copy their example? And how did successful Jewish settlement in America effect the rest of world Jewry?” Greetings from Home: 350 Years of American Jewish Life, asks these large questions using documents, objects and artifacts from the extensive collections and archives of the sponsoring agency, the American Jewish Historical Society in cooperation with the Yeshiva University Museum and the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House, as well as a number of other important archives and institutions. AJHS plans a wide variety of public programs in conjunction with the exhibit. These will include gallery talks, lectures, book talks, films and more. For more information, please contact Mark Seal at 212-294-6160, ext. 6118, or by email at mseal@ajhs.cjh.org or by visiting www.ajhs.org. Visitor Information Address: 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 Hours: Monday, 11:00AM – 7:00PM Tuesday-Thursday 11:00AM - 5:00PM Friday 11:00AM – 3:00PM Sunday 11:00AM – 5:00PM For guided tours, please call 212-294-8330, ext 8805 About American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892, American Jewish Historical Society holdings include 20 million documents, 50,000 books and thousands of paintings and memorabilia that bear witness to the remarkable contributions of the American Jewish community to life in the Americas from the 16th century to the present. Among the treasures of this heritage are the first American book published in Hebrew, the handwritten original of Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus, which graces the Statue of Liberty, the famed Levy-Franks Colonial family portraits, records of the nation’s Jewish communal organizations and important collections in the fields of education, philanthropy, science, sports, business, and the arts. About Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Sep 7, 2005: Center for Jewish History
Kovno Room
15 West 16 Street
Box Office 917-606-8200
Admission: $10 Participants: Joanne Greenberg, author of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden; Prof. Gail Hornstein, Professor of Psychology at Mount Holyoke CollegeModerator: Peter Stastny, psychiatrist and author Madness is not a particularly Jewish phenomenon. Aside from a few treatises on despair and suicide by Maimonides and Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav, little has been said from Jewish sources about the meaning and treatment of major mental illness. Freud too stayed away from the more challenging forms of disturbance, following his initial rather unhappy foray into these realms. Therefore, it is a preciously rare confluence of Jewish and psychoanalytic sources that is embodied by Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, a psychologist of Orthodox German-Jewish extraction, who undertook possibly the most well-known treatment of a psychotic woman in our days. I Never Promised you a Rose Garden was the popular account written by Fromm-Reichmann’s former patient Joanne Greenberg, who spent years in hospitals for “severe schizophrenia,” and who introduced the possibility of complete recovery to a wide readership. When Gail Hornstein, a Professor of Psychology at Mount Holyoke College undertook to write a much belated biography of Fromm-Reichmann, her book To Redeem one Person is to Redeem the World, connected the idea of individual healing to the Kabbalistic concept of “Tikkun” - the notion that broken vessels can be mended, on a cosmological and personal level. Fromm-Reichmann may not have seen her intense devotion to individuals fragmented and overwhelmed by psychotic experiences as a reflection of her Orthodox beliefs. And yet, it is tempting to wonder, whether the parallelism alluded to by Hornstein between spiritual and personal Tikkun, has merit in today’s world, where there is no longer a premium on a deep understanding of individuals who leave rationality behind.

Aug 28, 2005: Printing the Talmud: From Bomberg to Schottenstein From the Sixth Century to the Present Early Manuscripts & Printed Books displayed with Historic Mosaic Floor from Ancient Israeli Synagogue Video Installation Illustrates the contemporary worldwide fascination with the ancient discipline of Talmud Study Opens Tuesday, April 12 Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History Admission: $6.00/$4.00 for students and seniors Hours- Sunday -Thursday: 11:00 am-5:00 pm New York, NY – March 18, 2005 – A major exhibition at the Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History, Printing the Talmud: From Bomberg to Schottenstein, will open on Tuesday, April 12, 2005, documenting the evolution of the 2,000 year-old Talmud from the sixth century to the computer age of the twenty-first century. The Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, New York 10011. Offering a rare glimpse into and a fascinating exploration of the Talmud (the Hebrew for “study” or “learning”), Printing the Talmud will illustrate how technological advances – the invention of the printing press and the impact of computer technology in the past decade – have transformed the ancient discipline of Talmud study into an accessible pursuit. Following Johann Gutenberg’s printing of the first edition of the “Bible,” many non-Jewish as well as Jewish printers moved quickly to print books on Judaism. A centerpiece of the exhibition will be a rare, six volume complete edition of the Bomberg Talmud from 16th century Venice, surviving in its original binding for over four centuries. All 73 volumes of the recently completed Schottenstein Talmud will also be on display. Printing the Talmud: From Bomberg to Schottenstein will display other outstanding examples of early manuscripts and printed books on loan from world famous collections (a list of significant objects from the exhibition is attached). Other highlights of the exhibition and programming include: • An ancient synagogue mosaic floor, 11’ x 14’, from a sixth century synagogue in the Beth Shean valley in Israel, is making its maiden voyage outside of Israel to the United States for this exhibition. The Rehov Mosaic Floor contains a 29-line inscription about Jewish agriculture laws in the Talmud; it is the earliest surviving rabbinic text, and was considered a directive to Jewish farmers in the congregation. • Sixty-one paintings illustrating Talmudic issues, by Eliyahu Sidi of Ein Karem, Israel, will appeal to younger audiences with enchanting folk-like images. • The Infinite Sea, a 12-minute video installation capturing the excitement and energy of Talmud study with live footage from five continents, including countries from Iran to Peru and from Moscow to Glasgow. In planning the exhibition, a central goal of the curators was to offer visitors an opportunity to examine the history of Judeo-Christian relations, censorship and intellectual property issues, and how the Talmud influenced hundreds of years of international Jewish cooperation and communication. For further information contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. Information may also be obtained from Yeshiva University Museum’s website, www.yumuseum.org. About Yeshiva University Museum Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions-the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a gift shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Café. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Aug 23, 2005: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE REDISCOVERING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF SALONIKA: PERSPECTIVES AND INSIGHTS GLEANED FROM THE YIVO ARCHIVES A PRESENTATION BY DEVIN NAAR, HISTORIAN AND LEADING AUTHORITY ON LADINO AND TWENTIETH CENTURY JEWISH HISTORY IN SALONIKA, GREECE Sponsored by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the American Sephardi Federation August 23, 2005 @ 7:00 pm New York, NY -- August 4, 2005 - The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House are co-sponsors of, Rediscovering the Jewish Community of Salonika: Perspectives and Insights Gleaned from the YIVO Archives, a lecture which will be presented by Devin Naar, Project Historian of the Salonika Jewish Community Archives Project at YIVO. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 at 7:00 pm, in the Kovno Room at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011. Free Admission; reservations required. Mr. Naar is a Doctoral Candidate at Stanford University Graduate Program in Jewish History. He is the recipient of a 2005 Fulbright Fellowship for the study of Greek Jewry. One of the few scholars who have mastered solitreo, the handwritten version of Ladino, Mr. Naar, , has specialized in the Jewish history of Salonika in the 20th century with emphasis on the effects of the Great Fire of 1917, which left about 50,000 Salonika Jews homeless. Naar’s great grandfather was a rabbi in Salonika. The ancestral Jewish community of Salonika, which had a population of close to 60,000 on the eve of World War II, was destroyed during the Nazi occupation and 95% of the Jews of Salonika were killed in Auschwitz in 1943. The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is the recipient of grants from the Maurice Amado Foundation and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for cataloging, microfilming, and the digitization of the Salonika Jewish Communal Archive housed at YIVO. The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House, which specializes in the history of Sephardic Jewry, has provided its intellectual support and bibliographic resources for the project. An Academic Advisory Committee, consisting of leading scholars of Sephardic and Greek Jewry, has been formed to provide guidance to project staff. About the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania), and headquartered in New York since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the history and culture of Ashkenazi Jewry and its continuing influence in the Americas. As the only pre-Holocaust scholarly institution to successfully transfer its mission to the United States, today YIVO is the preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 360,000 volumes in 12 major languages; the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. YIVO offers a series of public programs, exhibitions, research opportunities, graduate fellowships, publications, conferences, and Yiddish language classes. About American Sephardi Federation With Sephardic House The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is a national organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardic community and promoting its history, cultural and social traditions. Since its arrival at the Center, ASF’s archival holdings and library have been enriched with valuable records of personal and community history. Sephardic House celebrates the uniqueness of the Sephardic culture through its annual International Film Festival, publications and exhibition. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Aug 19, 2005: The Center for Jewish History (CJH) fellowships, that represent each of the five constituents (American Jewish Historical Society; American Sephardi Federation; Leo Baeck Institute; Yeshiva University Museum; YIVO Institute for Jewish Research), are intended for academic candidates as well as museum, curatorial, and library science candidates. The awards support original research in the field of Jewish Studies, as it pertains to one or more of the constituent organizations’ missions, in which preference may be given to those candidates who will draw on the resources of more than one collection. Each fellowship carries a stipend of a minimum of $10,000 for a period of one academic year. It is expected that applicants will have completed all requirements for the doctoral degree save the dissertation (a.b.d.). It is required that each fellow chosen for the award, • Conduct research or cultivate curatorial skills using the Center archival and library resources for the duration of the stipend; • Participate in a Center for Jewish History Seminar and deliver a minimum of one lecture (during or beyond the grant period) based on research at the Center and the collections used; or participate in exhibition planning (for curatorial fellows only). Eligibility: Open to qualified doctoral candidates in accredited institutions. Requirements for Application: • Curriculum Vitae, including contact information, education, publications, scholarly and/or museum activities, teaching experience, and any other relevant work experience; • Area of interest and knowledge of relevant languages stated in a cover letter, and how they relate to one or more of the constituent organizations’ missions; • Official graduate school transcript; • Specific research/curatorial proposal of no more than three pages, including aims for research during the period of the fellowship, whether there are plans for publication, and how the resources of one or more of the partner organizations will contribute to the work; • Three letters of recommendation, including from the students’ academic advisors, which address the significance of the candidate’s work for the field as well as the candidate’s ability to fulfill the proposed work. The schedule for application and award is as follows: • Applications are to be mailed to the attention of Diane Spielmann, Director of Public Services at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011; (e-mail contact: Dspielmann@cjh.org) • Receipt of application is due by February 1, 2006; • Committee to review applications by March 15, 2006; • Announcement of grant recipients by no later than April 1, 2006; • Commencement of grant period, August 15 – September 15, 2006; • Conclusion of grant period, June 30, 2007.

Aug 17, 2005: Admission: $10.00/$5.00 for students and seniors Box Office: 917-606-8200 Jewish Meets Jazz with Eastern European Inspiration Marc Bernstein’s "Kibrick” Concert and Lecture Part of “Talk and Play” Series at the Center for Jewish History Wednesday August 17, 7:30 PM New York, NY -- August 4, 2005 - Marc Bernstein and his group will be performing new compositions inspired by Jewish culture/music from Eastern Europe and the Bernstein’s (nee Kibrick) own history as immigrants during the start of the turbulent 20th century. This concert is part of the “Talk and Play” series which was created in the summer of 2004 by Paul Weinstein. The group’s newest recording – Marc Bernstein 4 “Kibrick” – was released in January 2005 in Copenhagen, Denmark and Marc Bernstein has performed the music all over Europe. The concert at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), New York City will be the first performance of this music in the United States. Some of the finest jazz musicians in New York City will join Marc Bernstein, saxophones including Mike McGuirk, bass; Bill Campbell, drums and Pete Rende, piano. Marc Bernstein was born in Brooklyn and lived in and around New York City until he moved to Denmark in 1995 to lead the jazz department at The Danish Conservatory of Music and Communication. Marc has recorded and performed with jazz greats such as Tom Harrell, Billy Hart, Billy Cobham, Chico Hamilton, Jimmy Cobb, Bob Mintzer and Hal Galper. Visit www.marc-bernstein.com for more information. For further information and a schedule, contact Eric Katzman, Public Relations Department, 212-294-8352 or ekatzman@cjh.org. This concert is In conjunction with the exhibition “Greetings from Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America” presented by the American Jewish Historical Society in cooperation with Yeshiva University Museum and the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House and the film ”Willie the Lion”, part of the Editing America film series at the Center on Monday, August 22 at 7:00 pm. Admission to the film is $10.00/$5.00 for The son of a Jewish cantor and an African-American organist, Willie “the Lion” Smith, a cantor himself, is considered, along with Fats Waller, one of the greatest pianists of his era. Conversation and stride piano performance hosted by Paul Weinstein with Marc Fields, and pianist Terry Waldo. “On “Kibrick”, Bernstein deploys the special Slavic footprints he has in his past and combines them with jazz to create an inspired global cocktail. His gorgeous tone and playful open grooves are presented energetically, expressively and poetically… “ Information-Copenhagen “Extremely elegant saxophone playing and an absolutely brilliant recording…” Helsingin Sanomat-Helsinki “Interesting, exciting and serious music performed with precision, energy and humor…” Dagbladid Visir-Reykjavik About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Jun 28, 2005: JOIN US TO EXPERIENCE THE RICHNESS OF 5,765 YEARS OF JEWISH HISTORY AND CULTURE Four Landmark Exhibitions on View For the First Time in American History in One of the Largest Facilities Dedicated to Showcasing 350 Years of American Jewish Life On View Summer 2005 New York, NY – May 3, 2005 -- The partner institutions that comprise the Center for Jewish History, located at 15 West 16th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), New York City, will sponsor four extraordinary exhibitions that tell the story of Jews in America from the first settlement of 23 Jews in New Amsterdam in1654 to what is now one of the most active, vibrant, and influential communities in America. Concurrent with the exhibitions will be films, concerts, and lectures. Greetings from Home: 350 Years of American Jewish Life Through September 15 This landmark exhibit will feature over 200 objects, documents and artifacts from the collections of its sponsors, many rarely items rarely on display. This exhibit is one of the official activities associated with the congressionally mandated Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. Greetings from Home tells the story of American Jewry’s extraordinary evolution over 350 years from its beginning as a community of 23 Jewish refugees arriving in New Amsterdam in 1654. The exhibit will explore the continually evolving forms of American Judaism and Jewish culture and their impact on American Society and the Jewish communities throughout the world. Highlights of the exhibit include: • A Torah scroll used during the Revolutionary War • A Confederate $2 bill with a portrait of Judah Benjamin • The first Jewish cookbook published in the United States Presented by the American Jewish Historical Society in cooperation with the Yeshiva University Museum and the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House YIVO at 80: Triumphs and Treasures Through September 15 On view from the vast holdings of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research archives and Library, the exhibit represents the spiritual, artistic, political, tragic, comic and mundane aspects of Eastern European and American Jewish life. Photographs and manuscripts as well as correspondence on display. Highlights of the exhibit include: • letters to Jewish leaders from Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover • pennant from the 1936 convention of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union • 19th century photo of Warsaw’s chief cantor Moshe Koussevitzky • 1916 photo of Jewish immigrants on the steps of the HIAS office in NYC • 1566 book published in Venice chronicling the divorce proceedings of Tamar Tamari. Presented by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Starting Over: The Immigrant Experience of German Jews in America Through November 15 The exhibit which marks the 50th anniversary of the Leo Baeck Institute in America, chronicles the German-Jewish immigrant experience in America from 1830-1945. Presented in four parts, the exhibit will begin with a survey of l9th century decrees and quotas that prompted thousands of Jews to leave Germany and come to America. It will then look at the experience of 19th century émigrés and their impact on both American society and Jewish Life. The exhibit will next explore the wave of immigrants in the 1930’s fleeing the horror of Nazi Germany and their impact on American life, science culture and politics. The last section will chronicle the history of the Leo Baeck Institute. Presented by the Leo Baeck Institute A wide variety of public programs are planned in conjunction with these exhibits. These will include gallery talks, lectures, book talks, films and more. Do not miss this unique and wonderful opportunity to experience and relive Jewish history. Admission is free. The Center for Jewish History also features a Glatt Kosher café and a shop filled with books, Judaica, posters and much more. Groups are welcome. Visitor Information: Address: 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 Hours: Monday – Thursday, 11:00AM - 7:00PM Friday 11:00AM - 3:00PM Sunday 11:00AM - 5:00PM For guided tours, please call 212-294-8330, ext 8805. About American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892, American Jewish Historical Society holdings include 20 million documents, 50,000 books and thousands of paintings and memorabilia that bear witness to the remarkable contributions of the American Jewish community to life in the Americas from the 16th century to the present. Among the treasures of this heritage are the first American book published in Hebrew, the handwritten original of Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus, which graces the Statue of Liberty, the famed Levy-Franks Colonial family portraits, records of the nation’s Jewish communal organizations and important collections in the fields of education, philanthropy, science, sports, business, and the arts. About American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is a national organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardic community and promoting its history, cultural and social traditions. Since its arrival at the Center, ASF’s archival holdings and library have been enriched with valuable records of personal and community history. Sephardic House celebrates the uniqueness of the Sephardic culture through its annual International Film Festival, publications and exhibition. About Leo Baeck Institute The Leo Baeck Institute is the single most important source for documenting the vibrant life of German-speaking Jewry spanning several hundred years—from the period preceding the Holocaust, during National socialism, and continuing on into the present. The LBI library and archives offer rare collections of periodicals from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as private letters, public documents, and thousands of memoirs dating back centuries. The collection also houses historical family and community records of towns and villages and an archive of photographs. LBI’s holdings offer unusual insights into the social, cultural and intellectual life of ordinary citizens, Nobel prize winners, and artists from every field. About Yeshiva University Museum Founded in 1973, the Yeshiva University Museum is recognized as an international museum known for its innovative interdisciplinary exhibitions on Jewish life past and present, and its creative interpretations of Jewish history and culture for audiences of all ages. YUM’s vast collections represent over 2,000 years of Jewish history from the Bronze Age to the present, ranging from ceremonial clothing and domestic and synagogue textiles to silver Judaica, ethnographic artifacts, synagogue architecture, books and manuscripts, and paintings and graphics, including major works from the early Zionist era. About YIVO Institute for Jewish Research The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research was founded in 1925 in Vilna, Lithuania, for the scholarly study, through research and teaching, and documentation, of the Jews of East Europe and, since the relocation in New York in 1940, of their descendants in America and elsewhere. Its work reflects a commitment to the continuing meaningfulness of the East European Jewish experience, and to its expression in Yiddish. YIVO's collections include millions of archival records, 350,000 volumes, and 200,000 historic photographs. Through its research programs, graduate training in East European Jewish specializations, publications, conferences, Yiddish language courses, and public programs, YIVO advances knowledge of the East European foundations of contemporary Jewish life while addressing, without partisanship, issues of broad contemporary Jewish interest. About Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Jun 19, 2005: YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM PRESENTS MANHATTAN MINCHA MAP BY JAIME PERMUTH JANUARY 30 – JUNE 19, 2005 AND HAVING TROUBLE TO PRAY BY MOICO YAKER FEBRUARY 6 – MAY 1, 2005 New York, NY—April 27, 2005 – The difficulty experienced by many while praying is the subject of two new exhibitions opening at the Yeshiva University Museum, 15 West 16th Street, at the Center for Jewish History, both featuring artists from Latin America. Moico Yaker, a Peruvian born artist, deals with the subject in drawings and paintings that visually convey the theme he calls “Having Trouble to Pray”, February 6 – May 1, 2005. In “Manhattan Mincha Map” January 30 – June 19, 2005, Jaime Permuth, a documentary photographer from Guatemala, tackles the subject of prayer from another perspective: he followed the “Manhattan Mincha Map” a geographic listing of the locations in downtown New York where Jewish men congregate to recite the afternoon prayer. While Yaker’s work illustrates his personal struggle to express meaning through formalized ritual, Permuth has documented the often ingenious solutions to praying with a minyan (a quorum of ten) during the course of a busy workday. ABOUT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum’s changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children’s workshop center, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Café. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. ###

May 24, 2005: MY VERSION OF THE FACTS A Reading and Panel Discussion of Carla Pekelis’ Book About the Account of Life of Jews in Italy During World War I and II Admission: Free, reservations required Box office: 917-606-8200 New York, NY – May 3, 2005 -- On Tuesday, May 24th, 2005, at 8:00 pm, the Centro Primo Levi for Italian Jewish Studies at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street(between 5th and 6th Avenues) and New York University Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò will present the English translation of Carla Pekelis’ memoir, My Version of the Facts, (Northwestern University Press, 2005). The book relives the experiences of an Italian Jewish Woman’s experiences during World War I and II. The panel discussion following the reading include: Judy Serafini-Sauli, Professor of Italian, Sarah Lawrence College; Fabio Girelli-Carasi, Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures, CUNY Brooklyn College; Simona McCray-Peterson and Coco Dalton, daughters of Carla Pekelis and a speaker on the importance of the work of Alexander Pekelis (TBA). In My Version of the Facts, Carla Coen Pekelis immerses us in her childhood in Italy before the Great War and through the rise of Fascism, and then plunges us into a series of cataclysmic and heart-rending events. As a young married woman from an assimilated Jewish family, she sees her idyllic life shattered as Mussolini’s 1938 racial laws ultimately forced her and her family out of her homeland. Pekelis, her husband, three young daughters, and two grandmothers begin a headlong flight across a Europe on the brink of World War II. Their harrowing two-year quest for refuge through France, Spain, and Portugal, and eventual immigration to the U.S. in 1941 is described with graphic intensity. But this is much more than a World War II story. It is many stories – “the result of patient and intelligent layering of many texts into one coherent narrative.” Above all, it is the story of a woman’s search into the validity of memory. Born in Rome in 1907, Carla Pekelis brings her compassionate but rigorously honest perspective to a subject that has already proved fascinating to American audiences. What’s more, the literary style of this work is astonishing. Long vanished places and events are vividly evoked without a drop of sentimentality; heartless bureaucrats are rendered with scathing irony; and not a single character appears on stage that is not depicted with wry humor and an unsparing eye for human foibles. (Her unsparing descriptions of the people she meets add a touch of black comedy to the story of World War II.) The book is also the story of a man and a woman from different worlds. Carla was beautiful, tall, slim - the intelligent, talented, favorite of a large, comfortable upper- middle-class family. Though her grandfather had been born in the ghetto of Ancona, his sons were sons of the new Italy. They became admirals, generals, and professionals—in just one generation. Though vaguely conscious of her Jewishness as she grew up, Carla has a full-blown Jewish identity thrust upon her only with Mussolini’s racial laws. Her husband, Alexander Pekelis, however, grew up knowing what it was to be a Jew. Alone at 17, in 1920, he fled his native Russia, a country whose anti-Semitism is well documented. Drawn to Italy by the promise of its reputation for equality of opportunity, he became a lawyer and prospered there. Brash, charismatic, and brilliant, his electrifying figure is an important catalyst of Carla’s narrative. In the United States, Carla became the founder of the department of Italian Studies at Sarah Lawrence College and Alexander graduate faculty at the New School and legal advisor of the American Jewish Congress. After a six-month wait in Lisbon filled with events that put the young couple’s commitment to identity and ideals to unexpected tests, the family finally obtains visas for the U.S., just under the wire, in 1941. Ironically, it is a TWA plane crash, in 1946 right after the war that takes Alexander’s life at age 44. Stunned by his untimely death, Carla returns to visit post-war Italy with all the nostalgia of a repatriate. There, however, she becomes the outsider yet again. And perhaps it is those very experiences on the outside that enable her to draw the reader into her Italy and her version of the facts. About the Centro Primo Levi for Italian Jewish Studies The Centro Primo Levi for Italian Jewish Studies joined the Center for Jewish History in June 2003. An offspring of the Genoa-based organization of the same name, the center is dedicated to creating a growing, dynamic and contemporary context for Italian-Jewish studies in North America. The organization operates in close collaboration with the Italian Association for Jewish Studies offering seminars and lectures, and providing a U.S. based interface and access point for the Jewish archives and libraries in Italy. About Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

May 17, 2005: GREETINGS FROM HOME: 350 YEARS OF AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE Telling the Story of the First Jews to Arrive in North America Presented by the American Jewish Historical Society New York, NY – March 29, 2005 -- Greetings from Home: 350 Years of American Jewish Life, on view at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street from May 17 to September 15, tells the story of American Jewry’s extraordinary evolution over 350 years from its beginning as a community of 23 Jewish refugees arriving in New Amsterdam in 1654. This landmark exhibit, organized and presented by the American Jewish Historical Society in cooperation with the Yeshiva University Museum and the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House, will feature over 200 objects, documents and artifacts from the collections of its sponsors, many rarely seen in public. This exhibit is one of the official activities associated with the congressionally mandated Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. The members of the Commission are the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, the American Jewish Historical Society, and the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives For 350 years, Jews have made a home in America. From a tiny community of twenty-three refugees, American Jewry now numbers several million individuals spread from coast to coast. American Jews’ continually evolving culture has been shaped by American society as well as successive waves of Jewish immigration. Every generation of American Jews successfully embraced both its Jewish heritage and American home. Inspired by the American ideal of liberty, Jews invented new expressions of Judaism and Jewish culture. In their synagogues, their businesses, and their communities, in the military, in sports, in the university, in politics and civic life Jewish Americans made themselves “at home.” Home has come to mean belonging to American society on an equal basis with all other citizens, a status Jews have rarely attained elsewhere. In every era of their history, American Jews looked outward to the wider world, participating in an ongoing global exchange with other Jewish communities. From the very beginning, American Jewry stretched the bonds of family, friendship, religion, commerce, philanthropy, communal association, and political activism beyond America’s borders. A reciprocal flow of information, ideas, cultural forms, goods and individuals between the United States and abroad animated American Jewish life, helping to shape their constantly evolving American home. American Jews’ on-going engagement abroad powerfully influenced international Jewish life. Shaped by American conditions, the forms and modes of Jewish life that emerged in the United States became widely known among other Jewish communities. As models of modernity, they were emulated, modified, and at times resisted. However, American Jews exported more than their new lifestyles and religious, communal, and political arrangements. They also encouraged family and friends to immigrate to America and provided material support to Jews abroad. Through this continual process of innovation, dialogue, and migration American Jewry developed unique ways of Jewish identification that both suited their American home and impacted Jewish communities around the world. Greetings from Home: 350 Years of American Jewish Life, will explore these themes and ideas using documents, objects and artifacts from the extensive collections and archives of the sponsoring agency, the American Jewish Historical Society in cooperation with the Yeshiva University Museum and the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House, as well as a number of other important archives and institutions. AJHS plans a wide variety of public programs in conjunction with the exhibit. These will include gallery talks, lectures, book talks, films and more. Among the more than 200 items to be exhibited, are the following: A Torah scroll used during the Revolutionary War A Confederate $2 bill with a portrait of Judah Benjamin The first Jewish cookbook published in the United States About American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892, AJHS holdings include 20 million documents, 50,000 books and thousands of paintings and memorabilia that bear witness to the remarkable contributions of the American Jewish community to life in the Americas from the 16th century to the present. Among the treasures of this heritage are the first American book published in Hebrew, the handwritten original of Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus, which graces the Statue of Liberty, the famed Levy-Franks Colonial family portraits, records of the nation’s Jewish communal organizations and important collections in the fields of education, philanthropy, science, sports, business, and the arts. About Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

May 12, 2005: THE SCHOCKEN BOOK OF MODERN SEPHARDIC LITERATURE BOOK SIGNING AND DISCUSSION Thursday May 12, 2005 at 7:00pm American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 Admission: $10.00/$5.00 for American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House members. Box Office: 917-606-8200 New York, NY – April 6, 2005 – The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, will present a book signing and lively discussion of The Schocken Book of Modern Sephardic Literature with its editor Ilan Stavans and contributing author André Aciman on Thursday, May 12, 2005 at 7:00 pm. Books are available at the event for purchase and signing. Reservations are suggested. The Schocken Book of Modern Sephardic Literature, edited and with an introduction by Ilan Stavans, is an extraordinary, never-before collected anthology of fiction, memoir, essay, and poetry from 28 writers in 18 countries spanning a period of more than 150 years. The various works deal with issues that resonate any contemporary multicultural society: the status of minorities within the larger society, the opposing forces of religion and secularism, the tension between a civil, democratic tradition and the anti-Semitism ready to undermine it, and the opposing forces of religion and secularism. The expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 led to a growth in number of rich, thriving Sephardic sub-cultures in the Diaspora of the Balkans, North Africa, Asia Minor, Europe, South America and eventually North America. The works in this anthology celebrate the diverse literary and artistic forms that grew out of the melding of Sephardim’s Judeo-Spanish legacy with the cultures of their host countries, a process that continues today. While this melding of influences resulted in rich and varied stories and opportunities, the process has not been without its difficulties, and the pieces collected here resonate with the opportunities and challenges experienced by the Sephardic Jews in their travels. In addition to the excerpt The Last Seder, by André Aciman, this collection includes works from American poet Emma Lazarus; Bulgarian Nobel laureate Elias Canetti; Italians Natalia Ginsburg and Primo Levi; memoirists Victor Perera from Guatemala and Gini Alhadeff from Egypt; Israelis A.B. Yehoshua and Yehudi Burla; Danilo Kiš from Yugoslavia, and many more. Ilan Stavans, is the Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College. A descendant of Eastern European Jews who settled in Mexico, Stavans has been called by the New York Times “the czar of Latino culture in the United States,” while The Forward portrays him as “a virtuoso critic with an exuberant, encyclopedic, restless mind.” His best-selling books include The Hispanic Condition (1995), On Borrowed Words (2001), and Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language (2003), and he is the editor of The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories (1998), The Poetry of Pablo Neruda (2003), and the 3-volume set of Isaac Bashevis Singer: Collected Stories (2004). Stavans is the recipient of numerous awards, among them a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Latino Literature Prize. André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt into a Sephardic family that arrived there from Italy, via Turkey. Aciman and his family left Egypt in 1965 as anti-Semitic harassment intensified after the Israeli-Arab conflicts of 1948 and 1956. Traveling to Rome, then Paris, before finally settling in New York, the predominant themes in Aciman’s work are exile and displacement. He is the author of Out of Egypt: A Memoir (1994), and editor of Letters of Transit: Reflections on Exile, Identity, Language and Loss (2002), as well as the acclaimed Proust Project (2004). Aciman lives in New York City, and teaches at the CUNY Graduate Center. About the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is a national organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardic community and promoting its history, cultural and social traditions. Since its arrival at the Center, ASF’s archival holdings and library have been enriched with valuable records of personal and community history. Sephardic House celebrates the uniqueness of the Sephardic culture through its annual International Film Festival, publications and exhibition. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions-the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a gift shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Café. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

May 3, 2005: New York, NY—The Center for Jewish History is proud to launch www.jewsinamerica.org, the most comprehensive web resource related to the history of the American Jewish experience starting in 1654 with the arrival of 23 Sephardi Jews from Recife, Brazil to New Amsterdam up to and including the present day. The architect of Jews In America: Our Story, Peter A. Geffen, Executive Director of the Center for Jewish History noted, “The American Jewish story is complex and turbulent containing painful struggle together with great achievement in pursuit of “the American Dream.” The website allows Americans to share this historic saga through the most fascinating and vivid primary sources…documents, photographs, films, sound recordings, books and artifacts on a sight that will regularly expand to retain its timeliness and comprehensiveness.” • www.jewsinamerica.org offers stunning images from drawn from the collections of the five Center partners: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Together, the collections at the Center for Jewish History comprise the largest archive of Diaspora Jewish History in the world and are studied and utilized daily by scholars from around the world. • By bringing www.jewsinamerica.org to the web, the Center for Jewish History has made the depth and richness of the American Jewish experience easily accessible to young people, Jews and non-Jews alike. With a click of the mouse, documents and artifacts rarely displayed in public can be viewed for both personal enjoyment and educational enrichment. • www.jewsinamerica.org provides a dynamic timeline of all 350 years of the American Jewish experience and conveys the contributions of accomplished Jewish Americans as well as the daily life of everyman/woman. • www.jewsinamerica.org incorporates multi-media formats providing dynamic video mini-documentaries about American Jews involved in pivotal events on fascinating topics, making history come alive. • www.jewsinamerica.org allows the user to view all images in large full screen format, thereby providing classroom oriented opportunities for study of documents, photographs and artifacts. • www.jewsinamerica.org sets a context for exploration through short historical essays on the major events of each major time period including topics such as "Politics," "Daily Life," and "Arts and Entertainment," as well as basic bibliographies, (all reviewed by scholars in the field). • www.jewsinamerica.org allows you to actually “turn the page” of historic books and manuscripts using cutting edge technology. • www.jewsinamerica.org enables dynamic links to other web sites thereby providing a key portal to the study of both American and American Jewish history. Funded with a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the development of www.jewsinamerica.org continues the Center for Jewish History’s long-range plan to create the most sophisticated internet-based resource center for Jewish history and culture in the world. The launch of www.jewsinamerica.org anticipates the opening on May 17, 2005, of a major exhibition, “Greetings from Home: 350 years of American Jewish Life”, sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society and Yeshiva University Museum in cooperation with the American Sephardi Federation at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Developed as part of the Congressional Commission for the Celebration of 350 years of American Jewish Life, the exhibition incorporates materials from the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the American Jewish Archives and will be the largest exhibition on the American Jewish Experience ever mounted. About Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org.

Apr 30, 2005: EXHIBIT TRACES HISTORY OF HADASSAH MEDICAL ORGANIZATION At Center for Jewish History, January 19-April 30, 2005 (New York, NY -- January 03, 2005) -- The story of how the work of two nurses, sent to Jerusalem in 1913, grew into one of the largest healthcare networks in the Middle East is the subject of “A Lifeline for Israel: The Hadassah Medical Organization, 1913-1967,” an archival exhibit that opens on January 19 at the American Jewish Historical Society, founding partner of the Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th Street in Manhattan. Through artifacts, historical photos and text, the exhibit traces the course of a medical organization that was begun by American Jewish volunteer women, who founded what later became known as Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. In its earliest days, the organization provided nutrition and outstanding nursing care to the poverty-stricken inhabitants of Jerusalem. Between the world wars when Israel absorbed an influx of highly skilled, European trained doctors, Hadassah shifted its focus to physician- and science-based medicine. Today, the Hadassah Medical Organization, which has never abandoned its devotion to nursing care and sponsors a state-of-the-art nursing school, is one of the leading scientific research centers in the world. “The history of the development of the Hadassah Medical Organization is essentially the history of the growth of the medical infrastructure of the State of Israel,” said June Walker, National President of Hadassah and herself a medical professional. “Hadassah’s commitment from its very start to the health and welfare of all the residents of Israel is something that each of our 300,000 members takes pride in. This exhibit throws light on that history.” The ingathering of Jewish refugees from Arab lands after the founding of the Israel makes one of the more poignant episodes in the medical organization’s development. Hadassah stepped in to help the fledgling government by providing medical care in a few key transit camps, like Rosh Ha’Ayin, where thousands of Jewish refugees from Yemen made their home. Desperate for additional nursing staff beyond those being trained in its own nursing school in Jerusalem, Hadassah placed ads in Jewish newspapers in the U.S. looking for American nurses willing to spend at least six months working in the immigrant camp. One such volunteer was Florence Kaplan Nathanson, then of Brooklyn, NY, who recalled that the desert land around Rosh Ha’Ayin flooded in the winter and became unbearably hot and dry in the summer. “The hamsin – the dry winds – would blow the top layer of sand, which got into everything including the babies’ noses and mouths. We used wet sheets and cheesecloth to cover the beds…and were warned not to drink too much water which could cause water intoxication.” The exhibit was curated by Barry Kessler with the help of Susan Woodland, the Hadassah archivist and Helene Karpa, chair of the Hadassah Exhibits Department. It was made possible by generous grants from the Smart Family Foundation and Hadassah, with the cooperation of the American Jewish Historical Society. “A Lifeline for Israel: The Hadassah Medical Organization, 1913-1967” is on display in the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall of the Center for Jewish History from January 19 to April 30, 2005. -#- Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is the largest women’s, largest Jewish and largest Zionist organization in the U.S., and supports the Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel. HMO is the most advanced medical and research center in the Middle East: Nearly one million patients from all over the world are treated each year at the two hospitals, a community health center, and more than 100 outpatient clinics. In the U.S., Hadassah programs also include health education and services, social action and advocacy, Jewish education, conservation, and forging partnerships with Israel. For more information on Hadassah, please visit www.hadassah.org

Apr 18, 2005: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 15 West 16th Street New York, N.Y. 10011 PARTISAN FIGHTER TO ADDRESS DVD Launch of “PARTISANS OF VILNA” On April 18, when the landmark 1986 film PARTISANS OF VILNA is re-released on DVD, one of the Jewish partisan fighters will attend the launch. Eta Wrobel, now of Fort Lee, New Jersey, who during World War II fought as a partisan in the woods near Lukov, Poland, promises to acquaint the audience with issues she still faces as a former Jewish resistance fighter. The evening is hosted by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. “I will tell them that, for me, the war is not over,” said Wrobel, poet, activist for tolerance and president of the YIVO International Women’s Division. “Every day that I live and that my children live is evidence that the Nazis didn’t win. Just by surviving, I’m still fighting the war.” Co-written by director Josh Waletsky (Image Before My Eyes) and award-winning producer Aviva Kempner (The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg), PARTISANS OF VILNA skillfully blends songs, maps, newsreels and archival footage with interviews of over forty Holocaust survivors to produce an eye-opening account of the courageous Jewish resistance in Vilna during World War II. The 40 interviews were recorded in Hebrew, Yiddish and English with the former partisans in Israel, New York City, Montreal and Vilna. The film opens with Abba Kovner, a poet who headed the resistance in the Vilna ghetto, testifying at the 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. Kovner reads from the manifesto he co-wrote addressed to Jewish ghetto youth a generation earlier: “We are being led like lambs to the slaughter. We must fight the Nazis with all available means!” Waletsky explained, “Kovner’s riveting testimony and the interviews with others in the film will help this generation grapple with the Holocaust. It is crucial that today’s young people hear the voices of young Jews who ...were able to take up the moral challenge of providing an answer to annihilation.” PARTISANS OF VILNA recounts the heroism of the partisans who blew up trains and communication lines and attacked German convoys and warehouses. More than a record of great historical importance, PARTISANS OF VILNA is an intensely riveting story that grapples with partisans' moral dilemmas, such as the one that led them to surrender their commander, Itsik Wittenberg, to the Nazis. Winner of numerous awards, PARTISANS OF VILNA was shown at the Berlin, Haifa, London, Toronto, and Troia Film Festivals. PBS aired it on "Point of View (P.O.V.)" and it has been shown on European and Israeli television. The score of PARTISANS OF VILNA in 1990 became the only Yiddish recording ever nominated for a Grammy Award. Among its songs is "The Partisan Hymn," written by poet Hirsh Glick who died in a labor camp. Its verses include: Don't give up, even though things look bleak. There is a blue future beyond the gray. This song is written in blood, not pencil lead. "This documentary is not light fare," Waletzky admits. "For me, it brings back a flood of powerful memories of the interviews I conducted 30 years ago with these extraordinary people, many of whom are no longer alive to tell their stories. This is why I am so happy that Eta Wrobel, who remains active in Jewish causes and in remembrance, will participate." PARTISANS OF VILNA will be screened on Monday, April 18, at 7 PM, followed by a discussion with Waletzky, Wrobel and Kempner. The film is part of the "Triumph of the Human Spirit" film series, celebrating YIVO's 80th anniversary celebration. Other series films include: "PASSPORT TO LIFE (April 12), WATERMARKS (May 5) and HILL 24 DOESN'T ANSWER (May 11). All showings start at 7 PM. at the Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street, Manhattan. Founded in Vilna, Poland, in 1925 and based in Manhattan since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is the preeminent institution for the study of East European Jewish history and culture; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish experience. The YIVO Library and Archives hold 23 million items. Each year, thousands of writers, researchers, students, filmmakers, genealogists, musicians and members of the general public access them in the YIVO reading room or via e-mail, fax, telephone or the YIVO website at www.yivo.org. ###

Apr 14, 2005: THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY ANNOUNCES PRESERVATION WORKSHOPS Limited Space Available! DATES: Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 9:00 am for Synagogues and other Jewish institutions Sunday, April 17, 2005 at 9:30 am for the general public For groups: Instructions on the “how to” in preserving, maintaining, and storing techniques, including how to develop recovery plans in cases of disasters stemming from the environment, water damage and fire. The workshop will assist those with budgets of $1,000 or less. (Open to groups of 25 and under). For individuals: Basic Instructions in housing, maintaining, and storing photographs, documents and other family memorabilia. (15 seats available). WORKSHOP SCHEDULES: April 14 9:00 am-12:00 pm: Lecture followed by a Q & A. 1:00 pm-4:00 pm: Solutions to preservation issues that a small institution may arise in preserving a group’s collections. April 17 9:00 am-12:00 pm: Lecture followed by a Q & A. 1:00 pm-4:00 pm: Hands-on session with materials supplied by the participants. COST: $100.00 for general public/$75.00 for synagogues, schools, & other small Jewish institutions). CONTACT: Stanley Bergman, Director, Digitization and Preservation, (212) 294-6136 or e-mail, sbergman@cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History Preservation Department The Preservation Department at the Center for Jewish History is inspired by the incredibly rich and colorful library, archives and visual collections of the Center’s partner organizations which depict the flourishing life, history, heritage and culture in Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora. Preservation, including microfilming and digitization, is dedicated to address the voluminous and diversified preservation needs of the treasures of the five partners of the Center for Jewish History. Services include: mending, repairing and encapsulation of items damaged in handling; conservations of special collections which consist of rare books, unique documents, posters and photographs; improvement of housing and accessibility to special collections; mounting and matting of the materials used in the exhibits of the five partners and the reformatting, microfilming and digitization of brittle collections. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Apr 13, 2005: Admission: $20, $15 for students, seniors, Leo Baeck Institute members Box Office: 917-606-8200 FOLIA, BIFOLIA, AND RADICAL MUSIC The avant-premiere of Richard Teitelbaums’s Z’VI an opera based on the renowned 17th century self-proclaimed Messiah, Shabbatai Z’vi “…Krakauer and Jacob Ben-Zion Mendelson…engaged in a heartwarming duet of Sufi music with Omar Faruk Tekbilek, which transcended acoustics… creating [a] visceral effect of barriers being broken.” from a performance in-progress at the Sosnoff Theater at Bard College 2003 Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, April 28, 2003 Wednesday, April 13, 2005 at 8 pm Presented by the Leo Baeck Institute at the Center for Jewish History in collaboration with the American Society for Jewish Music New York, New York – March 29, 2005 – On Wednesday, April 13, 2005, the Leo Baeck Institute and the Center for Jewish History will present the premiere of Richard Teitelbaum’s most recent electroacoustic opera, Z’vi, which was selected as a showcase performance at the Venice Biennial in 2003 for its innovation in new musical ideas. Mr. Teitelbaum is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship for the creation of Zv’i, and based his research on records, documents, found in the archives of the Leo Baeck Institute and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Zv’i is scheduled to be completed by 2006. WHO WAS SHABBATAI Z’VI? Sabbatai Sevi was born 1626 in Izmir, located in present day Turkey. Shabbatai quickly became a renowned young rabbi and kabbalist, but he was radically heterodox and his religious transgressions and his mystical, antinomian philosophy earned him excommunication and banishment. After years of wandering, Z’vi reappeared in Izmir where, in 1665, he pronounced himself the Messiah. With the aid of his brilliant young proselytizer and spoke-man, Nathan of Gaza, the news spread rapidly among the Jewish world. When, at the height of his popularity, Z’vi sailed to Istanbul with the intention of taking over the Ottoman Empire, he was arrested and finally induced to convert to Islam. His new, syncretic religious philosophy embodied elements of Judaism, Islam, and Sufism. Contemporary pictures depict him holding the Torah under one arm and the Koran under the other. Though many of his followers eventually abandoned him in shock at his apostasy, groups of Sabbatians (called Donmeh) can be found in Istanbul and surrounding areas to this day. THE PERFORMANCE The avant-premiere of Z’vi represents a new stage of Teitelbaum’s celebrated career that is considered, "The most creative improvising synthesizer soloist in contemporary music.” – The New York Times The presentation features a prestigious cast that was instrumental to the development of the opera: Richard Teitelbaum, keyboards; Adrienne Cooper and Cantor Jacob Ben Zion Mendelson, vocals; David Krakauer, clarinet and bass clarinet; Omar Faruk Tekbilek, ney, percussion, zurna, and vocal and Zafer Tawil, percussion. It will be followed by a conversation with the composers and Dr. Avraham Elqayam, expert of Jewish mysticism and Sufism at Bar Ilan University. Scholars and writers who collaborated with Teitelbaum will participate. The group of advisors includes scholars, artists, and writers from the U.S., Israel, Turkey and Europe, with an expertise on the cultures of the Middle East and the lands of the former Ottoman Empire. The conversation with the composer and the historian will articulate some of the differences and possibly surprising similarities in the research and interpretative patterns. HISTORY AS ART at the Center for Jewish History When composer Richard Teitelbaum, a pioneer of electronic music, known for his exploration of Eastern music, and a student of Luigi Nono, came to the Center for Jewish History to research documents from Gershom Scholem and S. Ansh, he certainly did not expect that the Center, home to the most prestigious Jewish archives in America, would offer him the basis to develop his new and most daring opera: Z’vi. Artists who are considered on the fringe --- filmmaker Alan Berliner for one, have mined the historical treasures at the Center, the contents of which span from the 1500’s to the 1940’s. Yet, no one before Teitelbaum had actually found one central location where history and contemporary ideas could be brought together from both the secular and the orthodox Jewish worlds. ABOUT THE COMPOSER Richard Teitelbaum is a pioneer of electronic music and avant-garde jazz. He is the founder, with Frederic Rzewski and Alvin Curran, of Musica Elettronica Viva. In 1970 he founded the World Band with Indian, Armenian, Korean, Japanese and American musicians striving for a sonorous synthesis among styles and cultures. A graduate of Harverford College with a Masters from Yale, where he studied with Allen Forte and Mel Powell, Teitelbaum continued his studies in Italy with Luigi Nono and Goffredo Petrassi. He won the Ars Electronica Prize (1986) awarded by the Austrian TV network for his interactive computer music, Concerto Grosso, played by Anthony Braxton and George Lewis and the composer. His music has been performed at the Kennedy Center, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Centre Pompidou, the Concertgebouw, the Abiko International festival in Japan, and the Almeida Theater in London. He has received commissions from the Westdeutsche Rundfunk in Cologne, the Hessischer Rundfunk of Frankfurt, Radio Bremen, the New York State Council on the Arts, The Meet the Composer/Reader’s Digest, and from the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University. He has been the director of the Electronic Music Studios in Chicago and is currently co-director of the music department of Bard’s Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts. THE CAST JACOB BEN-ZION MENDELSON, tenor, possesses an almost messianic zeal to restore the cantorial art to its past glory. The most sought-after teacher in the hazzanut world today, he has taught a generation of cantors at Hebrew Union College, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the Academy of Jewish Religion. He has also performed in concert halls and on opera stages around the world, including as the leading tenor in Jenufa, Madame Butterfly, and Carmen with the Juilliard Opera Center. His latest recording is a two-part CD titled The Birthday of the World: Music and Traditions of the High Holy Days, sung with three other cantors and the Western Wind and Chorus. The hazzan of Temple Israel Center in White Plains, New York, he serves as the president of the Cantors Assembly of America in May. DAVID KRAKAUER, clarinet and bass clarinet, is one of the world’s leading klezmer exponents and, at the same time, a major voice in classical music. Besides touring with his Klezmer Madness! group, he is a guest soloist with ensembles such as the Kronos Quartet, Tokyo String Quartet, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. A graduate of the Juilliard School and the Paris Conservatory, he won the Naumburg Chamber Music Award in 1984. He is a member of the clarinet and chamber music faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, the Mannes College of Music, and Queens College. In Fall 2005, he will join the faculty of Bard College’s new conservatory of music. OMAR FARUK TEKBILEK, ney, zurna, percussion, is one of the finest Middle Eastern musicians living in the United States today. A former child prodigy, he is a virtuoso on the ney bamboo flute; the double-reed zurna, with its buzzing, oboe-like tone; the long-necked stringed baglama lute; and the percussive dumbek. He has toured extensively in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, and has collaborated with a wide spectrum of musicians, including Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ofra Haza, Simon Shaheen, Glen Velez, Bill Laswell, Don Cherry, and Karl Berger. He has released more than a dozen CDs in the United States and worked on numerous film and television scores. His latest CD, Dance Into Eternity: Selected Pieces 1987-1998, is on the Celestial Harmonies label. ADRIENNE COOPER, one of the most influential performers of Yiddish vocal music today, appears on concert, theater, and club stages around the world. Her singing has been featured on film, radio, television and some twenty recordings including Partisans of Vilna, the only Yiddish recording ever nominated for a Grammy. She has mentored and inspired a generation of singers and bands in the burgeoning klezmer revival scene. Ms. Cooper has performed and recorded with, among others, The Klezmatics, Hasidic New Wave, The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, Kapelye, and Frank London's Shekhine Big Band. For two decades, Ms. Cooper has initiated groundbreaking musical, theatrical and educational projects. As Assistant Director of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, she co-founded the Yiddish Folk Arts Program, popularly known as KlezKamp. Ms. Cooper co-wrote and starred in The Memoirs of Gluckl of Hameln, presented to acclaim in New York at the legendary La Mama Annex. ZAFER TAWIL, (To be confirmed) percussion and oud, is a transcultural musician who grew up in Jerusalem and studied Arabic music at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Since moving to New York three years ago, he has played Middle Eastern music, including traditional Arabic music with the virtuoso oud and violin player Simon Shaheen and classical Egyptian music with the singer Josef Kassab. He has also collaborated with musicians and performed music from a variety of other cultures, including African and Afro-Cuban. His downtown avant-garde collaborator is the composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Bard graduate Elliot Sharp. He appeared on television playing with the pop musician Sting during the 2001 Grammy Awards ceremony. About Leo Baeck Institute The LEO BAECK INSTITUTE is the single most important source for documenting the vibrant life of German-speaking Jewry spanning several hundred years—from the period preceding the Holocaust, during National socialism, and continuing on into the present. The LBI library and archives offer rare collections of periodicals from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as private letters, public documents, and thousands of memoirs dating back centuries. The collection also houses historical family and community records of towns and villages and an archive of photographs. LBI’s holdings offer unusual insights into the social, cultural and intellectual life of ordinary citizens, Nobel Prize winners, and artists from every field. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Apr 12, 2005: Printing the Talmud: From Bomberg to Schottenstein At the Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History April 12, 2005-August 28, 2005 Rare and Early Manuscripts & Printed Books Displayed With Historic 6th Century Mosaic Floor from Ancient Israeli Synagogue On view for the first time in the U.S. New York, New York, February 25, 2005 – A major exhibition at the Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History, Printing the Talmud: From Bomberg to Schottenstein will open on April 12, 2005 and will feature outstanding examples of early Talmud manuscripts and printed books. The centerpiece of the exhibition will feature a complete set of the famed 16th century Venetian Bomberg Talmud, the edition which established the page layout of the Talmud to our day. The Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, New York 10011. The Printing of the Talmud will offer a fascinating exploration and rare glimpse into the world of Talmud (the Hebrew for ‘study” or “learning”), and will illustrate how technological advances – the invention of the printing press over 500 years ago and the impact of the computer in recent decades -- have transformed the ancient discipline of Talmud study into an accessible pursuit. Special education activities for children and their families – interactive, interpretive, and educational, will be offered to engage viewers in both the Talmud’s history and ways in which to explore the information via internet technology. A unique component will be an 11’ by 14’ mosaic floor from the 6th century ancient synagogue at Rehov in the Beth Shean Valley, which has never before left Israel. It is the oldest extant copy of a rabbinic text, and the only example of such text to survive from the time when the Talmud was compiled and redacted. Accompanying Printing of the Talmud, will be a video installation of live footage from over 35 Jewish communities around the world to illustrate how the Talmud today is studied in diverse languages by young and old, male and female, demonstrating the contemporary fascination with the most widely studied text in the Jewish world. Admission to this exhibit is $6.00/$4.00 for seniors and students and free for Yeshiva University Museum members. A list of items and images will be available after March 1. For further information, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. About Yeshiva University Museum Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions-the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Café. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Apr 8, 2005: Saying “Potato” in Thirteen Ways Yiddish-English Botanical Dictionary Explains Jewish Relationship to Plant Names April 7 (New York) -- Known among East European Jews as mame-loshn, or “mother tongue,” Yiddish will once again appeal to the palate when spice bottles start sporting the names of their contents in Yiddish. The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in Manhattan is giving away Yiddish spice bottle labels to the purchasers of its new Yiddish-English-Latin botanical dictionary, which will be released in March. So, in hundreds of spice cabinets, lober-bletlekh and tsimering will be replacing the more conventional monikers “bay leaves” and “cinnamon.” Meticulously researched by Yiddish linguist Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter, Plant Names in Yiddish is not only a study in botany, but also a window into the development of the Yiddish language and of the people who spoke it. The work draws on literary, scientific, linguistic, dialectal and religious sources to assemble a wealth of plant names, reflecting the richness of Jewish regional diversity prior to the Holocaust. For instance, the book lists 13 ways to say “potato” in Yiddish, including búlbe, bilve and kartófle. Schaechter also explores Yiddish terms for willow beginning with: sháyne-boym, noted in the writings of Mendele Moykher-Sforim and A. Golomb, derived from hoysháyne, hesháyne, sháyne—“willow twigs used ritually on the holiday of Sukkot.” In the dictionary Schaechter also provides insights into the ritual uses of plants, with a discourse on the species that are acceptable for use on the Passover seder plate. “This dictionary brings users a deeper understanding of the historical Jewish relationship to the world of plants,” explained Dr. Paul Glasser, Associate Dean of YIVO’s Max Weinreich Center for Advanced Jewish Studies, who helped edit the book. “This is vital to understanding Jewish contributions to science, medicine, linguistics and the culinary arts.” Plant Names in Yiddish will be available at the Jewish Book Center of the Workmen’s Circle, 45 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016, (212) 889-2558, ext. 285, or at the Center for Jewish History Bookstore, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 (917) 606-8220. Founded in Vilna, Poland, in 1925 and based in Manhattan since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is the preeminent institution for the study of East European Jewish history and culture; Yiddish language, literature, and folklore; and the American Jewish experience. Its library holds more than 360,000 volumes and its archives contain more than 23 million items. Each year thousands of writers, researchers, students, filmmakers, genealogists, musicians and members of the general public access YIVO’s collections at the YIVO reading room; or via email, fax, telephone; or by visiting the YIVO website at www.yivo.org. # # #

Apr 6, 2005: BLOOD LIBEL: THE DAMASCUS AFFAIR OF 1840 AUTHOR RONALD FLORENCE TO SPEAK ABOUT HIS BOOK AT THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY Presented by the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House “Blood Libel: The Damascus Affair of 1840 reads like a first-rate murder mystery thriller. But…tragically, today the same horrible accusations—long thought to be buried—are once again being voiced. All this makes Blood Libel a book of contemporary significance.” —Deborah Lipstadt, Author, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory New York, NY – March 14, 2005 -- On Wednesday, April 6, 2005, at 7:00 PM, author Ronald Florence will speak about his controversial new book Blood Libel: The Damascus Affair of 1840 and the state of the Jewish community of Damascus today. The lecture will take place at the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York (between 5th and 6th Avenues.) Blood Libel: The Damascus Affair of 1840 explores the events following the disappearance of a Capuchin monk and his servant in Damascus in February, 1840. Rumors of guilt point to the local Jewish community, a tiny minority in the city. Within weeks the rumors turn to accusations of ritual murder—the infamous blood libel. Torture, coerced confessions, manufactured evidence, and the fury of the crowds are enough to convict the accused Jews. By the time the rest of the world learns of the events in Damascus, the entire leadership of the Damascus Jewish community is awaiting execution. Blood Libel is a story of unexpected history—nothing in Damascus happened as might have been anticipated. As news of the accusations against the Jewish minority spread, diplomacy and confused loyalties made for strange bedfellows. Misperceptions, mutual fears, and isolation fueled the passions in Damascus. The affair became a cause célèbre in Europe and the Americas. When the priorities of diplomacy intervened, a rescue mission forgot the real victims in Damascus, and the fabric of a society that had once stretched to tolerate minorities finally burst in an outrage of fears turned to fury. The legacies of that torn fabric are the divisions of the Middle East today and the continuing myths that feed and sustain the fervor of anti-Semitism. Admission is $5.00/free for American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House members and can be purchased by calling the box office at (917) 606-8200. For more information, visit www.cjh.org. Ronald Florence is the author of eight books, both fiction and historical. Gypsy Man is about the fate of the gypsies in the Holocaust. The Perfect Machine, a definitive story of the building of the Hale telescope on Mount Palomar, is being adapted as a television documentary for The American Experience. About the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is a national Jewish organization dedicated to ensuring that the history, legacies and traditions of the great Sephardic communities throughout the world be recorded, remembered and celebrated as an integral part of Jewish heritage through lectures, exhibitions, publications, The Sephardi Report and a dedicated Sephardic library and archives. Visit www.asfonline.org for more information about the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs, visit www.cjh.org. ###

Apr 5, 2005: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 15 West 16th St. New York, N.Y. 10011 Tel (212) 246 6080 YIVO BENEFIT DINNER & CARNEGIE HALL CONCERT WILL BRING OUT THE STARS The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York, the world’s preeminent resource center for the study of East European Jewry and their descendants, is celebrating its 80th anniversary year in grand style. The ‘YIVO at 80’ celebration includes a variety of cultural events. A spectacular Annual Benefit Dinner, will kick off the celebrations on Tuesday, April 5, at 6 PM., at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St., New York City). The dinner will feature New York University Law School Professor Noah Feldman, a noted expert on constitutional law and Senior Advisor to the Iraqi Provisional Government, and a special performance of “Between Two Worlds” by Tony Award nominee, actress/singer Eleanor Reissa. The celebration continues on Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 7:30 PM at Carnegie Hall, with the premiere performance of the original work, “The Thomashefkskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater.” This unique benefit event will be hosted by Michael Tilson Thomas, renowned composer/conductor, and Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. Tilson Thomas will pay tribute to his famous grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, who were legendary pioneers of the early Yiddish Theater. For reservations to the YIVO Annual Benefit Dinner and gala concert premiere, please call (212) 294 6137 or email yivoevents@yivo.cjh.org. For more information on the YIVO Spring Events Calendar, please visit our web site: www.yivo.org. # # #

Mar 29, 2005: Presented by the Leo Baeck Institute at the Center for Jewish History “Kinderszenen: Scenes from a Childhood” Part I of a Seven Part Performance Cycle Based on the critically acclaimed memoir, Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski, by Robin Hirsch “…brilliantly portrayed” Richard Bernstein, The New York Times Two performances only! Tuesday, March 29, 2005 and Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at 7:30 pm Admission: $15.00/$10.00 for seniors, students and Leo Baeck Institute members New York, NY – February 16, 2005 – Robin Hirsch, the highly acclaimed actor, writer, and director of Mosaic: Fragments of Jewish Life, brings the first part of his stunning seven part performance cycle to the Leo Baeck Institute at the Center for Jewish History for two performances: Tuesday, March 29 and Wednesday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. , 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Based on Mr. Hirsch’s memoir, Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski, (“one of the best books written on the long arm of the Holocaust” – Jewish Week) Mosaic: Fragments of a Jewish Life is a theatrical interpretation of Hirsch’s coming of age in London as the son of German Jews exiled to Great Britain. His strong sense of dislocation and feelings of alienation provide the impetus for a deep psychological need to free himself from his parents’ tragic past. “Kinderszenen: Scenes from a Childhood,” the first segment, features Robin Hirsch in a mesmerizing solo performance, filled with humor, insight, anger, and reflection. He re-creates “fragments” of life which were once whole, but which were decimated, deracinated, and scattered across the earth without warning and without reason. Robin Hirsch, an Oxford, Fulbright, and English-Speaking Union Scholar, has been the recipient of numerous awards both for his writing and for his performances. Hirsch is also the founder and artistic director of New Works Project, an experimental theater company in New York City. As a co-owner of the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village, he has presented works by many artists -- from theater to jazz, from poetry to performance art. Hirsch’s translations, criticism, memoirs, poems and theater reviews have been published in Modern International Drama, Forward, The Village Voice, Western Humanities Review, The New York Jewish Review, The New York Times, El Urogallo, and Jewish Quarterly. He has taught literature and theater in universities and he is a longstanding member of the Writers Room in New York City. A press kit, including images and a complete biography of Robin Hirsch is available on www.cjh.org/press_kits/. For additional information, or, to schedule an interview with Mr. Hirsch, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. About Leo Baeck Institute The LEO BAECK INSTITUTE is the single most important source for documenting the vibrant life of German-speaking Jewry spanning several hundred years—from the period preceding the Holocaust, during National socialism, and continuing on into the present. The LBI library and archives offer rare collections of periodicals from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as private letters, public documents, and thousands of memoirs dating back centuries. The collection also houses historical family and community records of towns and villages and an archive of photographs. LBI’s holdings offer unusual insights into the social, cultural and intellectual life of ordinary citizens, Nobel Prize winners, and artists from every field. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Mar 17, 2005: UNDERSTANDING THE DIVIDE BETWEEN JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY: WHAT HAPPENED CENTURIES AGO? WHY DOES IT MATTER NOW? A Symposium with Leading Academics and Theologians: Dr. Bruce Chilton, Susannah Heschel, Dr. Jacob Neusner and Reverend Donald Senior Presented by the Leo Baeck Institute at the Center for Jewish History, Fordham University Center on Religion and Culture in association with The Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding On March 17, at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, at 6:30 p.m. a distinguished group of academic and theologians will examine the history of Judeo-Christian relations. What was the source of conflict which dates back to the first century; what is its meaning at the start of the twenty-first century? What has been the impact over two millenniums? Exploring various familial metaphors to characterize the relationship of Jews and Christians such as mother and daughter faiths, contentious siblings, or that of a divorced couple, the panel will discuss how the differences of both religions have shaped current controversies and divisions– inter-faith marriage, or, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In appreciating how our religions have shaped us, can we remake the paradigm of Jewish-Christian relations today? These issues and questions will be examined and debated. DATE AND TIME: Thursday, March 17, 2005 at 6:30 pm ADMISSION: Free. Reservations required. Limited seating available. LOCATION: Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street BOX OFFICE: (917) 606-8200 GUEST SPEAKERS: Dr. Bruce D. Chilton is a Professor of Religion, Bard College. Dr. Jacob Neusner is a Research Professor of Theology, Bard College. Reverend Donald Senior is President, Catholic Theological Union. MODERATOR: Susannah Heschel is the Chair of the Jewish Studies Program, Dartmouth College. SPONSORS: The Leo Baeck Institute at the Center for Jewish History and the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture in association with the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding. ###

Mar 13, 2005: Admission: $15, $10 for students, seniors, YIVO and CBST members Box Office: 917-606-8200 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “Two people came to speak to me in 1977 of a writer named Clarice Lispector. I had never heard of her, Editions de Femmes was preparing a book of hers. I glanced at some fragments of text. I was dazzled… And then as I went on in the text I discovered an immense writer, the equivalent for me of Kafka, with something more: this was a woman, writing as a woman. I discovered Kafka and it was a woman. “ Hélène Cixous, From the Scene of Unconscious to the Scene of History, 1989 as quoted by Susan Rubin Suleiman, Harvard University Clarice Lispector The Cultural Politics of Dislocation Clarice Lispector and Ways of Being Jewish in Brazil Lecture by Nelson Vieira, Brown University Reading and Literary Commentary With Gregory Rabassa, Queens College, City University of New York, translator of Lispector’s novels The Apple in the Dark and FamilyTies Sunday, March 13, 2005 at 5:00 pm New York, New York – January 26, 2005 – On Sunday, March 13, 2005, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in collaboration with Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, and the Consulate General of Brazil, will present a lecture, dramatic reading, and discussion on the brilliant Brazilian novelist and short story writer, Clarice Lispector (1920-1977). The event is coordinated with the appearance of the Brazilian Jewish writer Moacyr Scliar with Marcos Aguinis at Americas Society’s on March 9, 2005. Hailed as one of Brazil’s most influential woman writer – - “the Kafka of Latin America,”-- her mastery of the surreal and the mystical were unparalleled, reflecting Lispector’s fascination with the creative process of writing rather than the actual act of storytelling. The presentation of Clarice Lispector at the Center of Jewish history is part of the Center for Jewish History’s cultural mission to bring influential, but not well-known foreign-born Jewish writers to the attention of a wider American public. All Lispector’s work is published in the US by New Directions. The Center is located at 15 West 16th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. Ms. Lipsector, an avid reader of both Brazilian and European writers, developed an obsessive questioning of human relationships and constraints from an early age. Her major influences were the French existentialist philosophers Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Born in the Ukraine to Russian-Jews, Ms. Lispector immigrated to Brazil with her parents as a young child. In is presentation “Ways of Being Jewish in Brasil,” Nelson H. Vieira, a Professor of Brazilian-Jewish Literature at Brown University, will discuss the Jewish references in Ms. Lispector’s work, her place in Brazilian society in the dual role of “outsider/insider,” and the cultural politics of dislocation. Gregory Rabassa, one of the most respected translators of Latin American Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Queens College, CUNY, will read passages from his and other translations of Lispector’s novels and offer a commentary to Lispector’s extraordinarily innovative language. Author of 20 works of fiction, several of her most highly regarded translated works include, Family Ties which is revered in feminist circles for its pursuit of female self-awareness; The Passion According to G.H.; a novel with the feel of a collection of short stories where each sentence begins with a theme; and her last book before her untimely death at the age of 52 from cancer, Hour of the Star, a deeply personal work in which, through a simple plot of life, marginality and death of a girl from the North East of Brazil (“for whom sadness was a luxury”) Lispector constructs what has been described as a masterpiece of “Hebraic hermeneutic.” Like Sartre, Ms. Lispector explores the tortured ambiguity of our existence; the privilege and the curse of being human and of confronting our absolute freedoms and the condition that coincides fully with the definition and examples offered by Camus in “The Myth of Sisyphus.” For further information contact, Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org, or Natalia Indrimi, Program Curator at 212-2948314, nindrimi@cjh.org Nelson Vieira is native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Nelson Vieira studied in Brazil and Portugal and obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His teaching and research focus on Brazilian literature of late 19th and the 20th centuries, cultural studies and national identity. He is the co-founder and US editor of Brasil/Brazil: A Journal of Brazilian Literature, Professor Vieira is also on the Editorial Board of the Latin American Literary Review. A member of several professional and scholarly organizations, Professor Vieira was President of the Northeastern Association of Brazilianists (1985-87) and is currently President of the Latin American Jewish Studies Association (LAJSA), Advisory Board Member of the Center for Interdisciplinary Contemporary Studies (CIEC) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and departmental Graduate Advisor. Recent publications include Jewish Voices in Brazilian Literature: A Prophetic Discourse of Alterity; Construindo a Imagem do Judeu: Algumas Abordagens Teóricas (ed); and Bruxaria and Espiritismo: Popular Culture and Popular Religion in Contemporary Brazilian Fiction. Gregory Rabassa is one of the most prominent translators of Latin American literature into English. Born in Yonkers, New York, in 1922, Rabassa obtained his degree from Columbia University and, since 1968, has held a position as professor of Romance Languages and Comparative Literature at Queens College, City University of New York. Gregory Rabassa has been translating ever since the publication of Hopscotch. Among his most recognized translations are One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Márquez; Paradiso, by José Lezama Lima; and The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, by Joachim Maria Machado de Assis. Other authors whose works Rabassa has translated are Miguel Ángel Asturias, Manuel Mujica Láinez, Clarice Lispector, Mario Vargas Llosa, Demetrio Aguilera-Malta, Dalton Trevisan, Jorge Amado, José Donoso, Luisa Valenzuela, Luis Rafael Sánchez, and Osman Lins. About the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research was founded in 1925 in Vilna, Lithuania, for the scholarly study, through research and teaching, and documentation, of the Jews of East Europe and, since the relocation in New York in 1940, of their descendants in America and elsewhere. Its work reflects a commitment to the continuing meaningfulness of the East European Jewish experience, and to its expression in Yiddish. YIVO's collections include millions of archival records, 350,000 volumes, and 200,000 historic photographs. Through its research programs, graduate training in East European Jewish specializations, publications, conferences, Yiddish language courses, and public programs, YIVO advances knowledge of the East European foundations of contemporary Jewish life while addressing, without partisanship, issues of broad contemporary Jewish interest. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. Congregation Beth Simchat Torah This program is part of the rich cultural and scholarly offering of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah and of its efforts to foster awareness of the diversity of world Jewry. CBSTs membership has grown to over 800 households, representing singles and couples of every sexual orientation, young and old, with and without children, from all walks of life, from every variety of Judaism—Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Orthodox—and from the most secular to the most observant. To meet the needs of this extraordinarily diverse congregation, we provide a broad spectrum of ritual observance and liturgy, ranging from very traditional to liberal to highly innovative. In order to be as inclusive as possible, CBST is not affiliated with any Jewish movement or denomination. ###

Mar 2, 2005: Two New Exhibitions by Latin American Artists “Having Trouble to Pray: Drawings by Moico Yaker” on view through May 1, 2005 and “Manhattan Mincha Map: Photographs by Jaime Permuth” through June 19, 2005 Provide forums for exploring the nature of prayer through the visual arts and how identity is expressed in Latin American art Panelists include: Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Erica Schacter Schwartz,Ilan Stavans and Julián Zugazagoitia, among others Presented by Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History Editor’s Note: A viewing of Having Trouble to Pray: Drawings by Moico Yaker and Manhattan Mincha Map: Photographs by Jaime Permuth will take place at 6:00 pm prior to both panel discussions. Both evenings are free with *Yeshiva University Museum admission. *$6.00/$4.00 for seniors and students. Date and Time: Thursday, March 2, 2005 at 7:00 pm Event: “Having Trouble to Pray” Panelists are: Alan Brill, Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish History, Yeshiva University; Jaime Permuth; Erica Schacter Schwartz, Writer, The Jewish Week and author of the recently published essay “Struggling with Prayer”; Rabbi Avi Weiss, Senior Rabbi, at Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and Dean of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and Moico Yaker. Date and Time: Thursday, March 23, 2005 at 7:00 pm Event: “Latin American Art and Identity”: Latin American Art and Identity, will address the Latin American/Jewish Diaspora’s rich amalgam of diversity and multiculturalism, which arises from the intersection of indigenous and colonial cultures. This multi-layered, many-faceted culture is vibrant with meaning for diverse New York audiences. Julián Zugazagoitia, Director, El Museo del Barrio, moderates. Panelists are: Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Congregation B'nai Jeshurun; Julia P. Herzberg, art historian and independent curator Ilan Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture, Amherst College. Location: Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011 Box Office: (917) 606-8200 These exhibitions and panels relate directly to Yeshiva University Museum’s mission and experience as a teaching museum committed to creating and conducting exhibition-based programs that expand cross-cultural understanding, and also to encouraging and exhibiting the work of contemporary artists seeking new ways to express themselves as Jews. About Yeshiva University Museum Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000,Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Café. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions-the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Feb 6, 2005: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA PREVIEW Friday, February 4 10:30 a.m. – 12 noon Yeshiva University Museum Presents “Having Trouble to Pray” by Moico Yaker On view February 6 - May 1, 2005 An existential crisis assumes fantastical dimensions in “Having Trouble to Pray,” Moico Yaker’s lush, lyrical and sometimes whimsical series chronicling his attempts to “draw” the prayer he is unable to physically perform. The flora and fauna of Yaker’s native Peru take center stage and tefillin take on a life of their own in the artist’s strange and beautiful imagery. The prayer-challenged protagonist attempts to fulfill his obligation even as he is tied with his own straps to a banana tree, carried away by butterflies, and balances on the nose of a seal, along with other misadventures. In other works in the show, kabalistic imagery materializes in the rain forest and rabbis emerge from hiding places in the jungle. The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue with essays by Yaker, Yeshiva University Museum director Sylvia Herskowitz, Yeshiva University Museum curator of contemporary exhibitions Reba Wulkan, and essayist and novelist Jonathan Rosen. Yaker, who grew up in the Peruvian highlands of Arequipa, lives and works in Lima and New York. He was the subject of a retrospective at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in Monterrey, Mexico, in 1996. He has appeared in the Havana Biennial, Cuba (1991), the Sao Paolo Biennial, Brazil (1998), and many other solo and group shows internationally. His most recent exhibition, “Nuevos Puestos,” at the Forum Gallery in Lima, was praised by Luis Lama in the Peruvian newsmagazine Caretas being “baroque and sensual…the most significant reflection on art and history that we have seen, in plastic terms, so far this century.” Paintings from this show, along with other recent work, are on view during the month of February at Yaker’s studio at 526 West 26th Street in New York. Information is available at moicoyaker.com or by calling 917-428-3653. “Having Trouble to Pray” is accompanied by Jaime Permuth's “Manhattan Mincha Map,” an exhibition that tackles the subject of prayer from another perspective. Permuth, a photographer from Guatemala, followed the “Manhattan Mincha Map,” a geographic listing of the locations in downtown New York where Jewish men congregate to recite the afternoon prayer. His images documenting his journey are on view at Yeshiva University Museum from January 30 -June 19, 2005. Both exhibits provide the impetus for two panel discussions to be held in the Leo & Julia Forchheimer Auditorium at the Center for Jewish History. The first, “Having Trouble to Pray,” Wednesday, March 2, 2005 at 7:00 p.m., presents two prominent scholars, Professor Alan Brill, Yeshiva University, and Rabbi Avi Weiss, senior rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and dean of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, who will offer intellectual and spiritual insights into the subject of prayer, while writer Erica Schacter Schwartz will elaborate on “Struggling with Prayer,” her recent article in The Jewish Week. Both artists, Yaker and Permuth, will explain what led them to their creative explorations in the realm of prayer. The second panel, “Latin American Art and Identity,” Wednesday, March 23 at 7 p.m., will be moderated by Julian Zugazagoitia, director, El Museo del Barrio, with participants Ilan Stavans, Lewis-Sebring Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture, Amherst College; Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Congregation B'nai Jeshurun; and Julia P. Herzberg, art historian and independent curator. For further information, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org, or visit www.moicoyaker.com/. JPEG images are available upon request. About Yeshiva University Museum Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000,Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Café. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. ###

Jan 29, 2005: Exhibit Celebrates the Centennial of Isaac Bashevis Singer and I.B. Singer in Film “The Family Singer” at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research November 15, 2004 – January 30, 2005 at the Center for Jewish History New York, NY – January 25, 2005 — 2004 is the centennial year of the master storyteller, Isaac Bashevis Singer, who, in 1978 became the seventh American and the first Yiddish writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. An exhibit honoring one of the most influential Jewish-American writers: “The Family Singer,” will be on view at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street. THE FAMILY SINGER November 15, 2004 to January 30, 2005 A small and rare exhibit drawn from the YIVO archival collection will explore the stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s brother Israel Joshua as well as that of his sister Esther Kreitman, the first of the Singer children to show literary talent. Esther was not encouraged to pursue formal studies, was self-taught and attended free evening classes in Warsaw. At age forty-five, Esther became a prominent literary figure by publishing her first book, Der Sheydim Tants (The Devils’ Dance). Her works were recently re-issued by the Feminist Press. Israel Joshua Singer, who sponsored his brother’s immigration to America, was one of the early members of the Kijev Yiddish literary group. I.J. achieved remarkable recognition through two of his novels: The Brothers Ashkenazi and Yoshe Kalb Photographs and personal documents will be on view, from the archives of YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. ABOUT THE YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute and headquartered in New York since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (www.yivo.org) is devoted to the history, society, and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry, and the influence of that culture as it has developed in the Americas. As the only pre-Holocaust scholarly institution to transfer its mission to the United States, today YIVO is the preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 350,000 volumes; the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. A founding partner of the Center for Jewish History, YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, adult education and Yiddish language classes, scholarly publications, research opportunities and fellowships. WHERE: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research at the Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY www.yivoinstitute.org, (212) 246-6080 ADMISSION: Free for YIVO Institute for Jewish Research exhibit YIVO HOURS: Monday-Thursday, 9 AM – 5 PM Friday, 9 AM – 2 PM Sunday, 11 AM – 5 PM Closed Saturday ###

Jan 27, 2005: Admission: Free, reservations required Seating is limited. Box Office: 917-606-8200 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GIORNO DELLA MEMORIA On the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz MEMORIA Witnesses of the Italian Shoah Remember A documentary film directed by Ruggero Gabbai and written by historians Marcello Pezzetti and Liana Picciotto Fargion Presented by the Centro Culturale Primo Levi, Consulate General of Italy and New York University Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimü New York, NY— January 11, 2005 – A special screening of Memoria will be shown at the Center for Jewish History on Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 6:30 p.m., the day of the remembrance in Italy of the victims of Shoah. Presented in sponsorship with the Centro Culturale Primo Levi, the Consulate General of Italy, and New York University Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimü, Memoria, is a moving and profound remembrance by survivors of the Italian Shoah who have acted as witnesses for the “Archivo della Memoria,” (archive of memory), a sound and film archive established in 1993 by individuals to record, preserve, and restore the stories of Italian Jews who survived in the Holocaust. Filmed in Italy at locations were Jews were detained or deported, survivors return to sites were they were interrogated, imprisoned, or witnessed the harrowing deaths of loved ones or helpless victims -- from the railroad station in Milan, to the camps of Fossoli to the prisons of Genoa, each survivor tells their story, their tragedy, their experience, for future generations who will never become acquainted with the witnesses of the Holocaust. Liliana Picciotto Fargion, a historian at the Milan Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea who co-authored the script commented, “The film is almost science fiction, created out of fragmentary memories of victims, it will soon be the only evidence of their memories. Many of them, especially Roman Jews, wanted their whole family to accompany them. It happened that we would have an appointment with someone and thirty people would arrive, sons, daughters, cousins, even small, screaming grandchildren.” With witnesses of the Holocaust growing fewer and fewer in number and an increase of historical revisionism which downplays the Nazi’s Final Solution, the remarkable accuracy and sensibility the historians created in Memoria, makes this documentary an invaluable historical testament of the Holocaust. Memoria, was written by Marcello Pezzetti and Liliana Picciotto Fargion and produced in collaboration with Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea’, Milan, Italy. The film is in Italian with English subtitles. Post screening comments will be made by Andrea Fiano, US reporter for Milano Finanza and son of one of the survivors. Ruggero Gabbai, director, was born in 1964 in Antwerp, Belgium and grew up in Milan, Italy. He graduated from Columbia University in New York with an M.F.A. in film/ directing. He made the documentary The King of Crown Heights about Rebbe Lubavitch and was a student and an assistant of directors such as Milos Forman, Emir Kusturica, Paul Morrisey and Paul Schrader. Film Abstract: The stories and eyewitness accounts retold in Memoria are drawn from the ‘Archivo della Memoria’ (Archive of Memory), established in 1993, and made possible by private financial sponsors, the President of the Advisory Council of Ministers of the Lombardy region and the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs. One of the only ninety survivors of the Holocaust and the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps, Elisa Springer has acted as a witness for the Archive della Memoria. From the Jewish quarter in Rome, the railway station in Milan, the prisons of Genoa, Florence and Trieste, the camps of Fossoli and San Sabba, Italian survivors returned to Auschwitz in 1996 to tell the story of their persecution and deportation. Of the 8,500 Jews deported to Auschwitz from Italy and Greece, only 800 survived. With outstanding accuracy and sensibility, historians Marcello Pezzetti and Liliana Picciotto Fargion with director Ruggero Gabbai have created an invaluable historical document. It is noted that the accounts are deemed credible because the witnesses were interviewed by the accredited historians who performed extensive research about the Holocaust and are familiar with the individual accounts of each person. For further information contact, Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. About the Centro Culturale Primo Levi The Centro Culturale Primo Levi joined the Center for Jewish History in June 2003. The Centro Culturale is an offspring of the Genoa-based organization of the same name and is dedicated to creating a growing, dynamic and contemporary context for Italian-Jewish studies in North America. The organization functions as a department of Italian studies at the Center and provides a U.S. based interface and access point for the archives and libraries of all the Italian-Jewish communities, including the Central Library of the Jewish Communities of Italy, and the network of the Italian Association for Jewish Studies. About Center for Jewish History In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Sharing a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, the five partner institutions in coming together, have created a meeting place where intellectual inquiries are exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, art, artifact, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Jan 23, 2005: New York, NY -- Oct 13, 2004 -- As Stern College for Women celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the Yeshiva University Museum (YUM) is marking the school’s milestone with an exhibit that highlights its growth and achievements. “Five Decades. One Dream,” the history of YU’s undergraduate women’s college through photos and artifacts, opens October 21 and will run at YUM until January 23, 2005. “The exhibit celebrates the history of Stern as an incubator for scholarship and leadership and as a living example of the synthesis of Jewish and general studies,” said Dr. Karen Bacon, PhD, The Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean at Stern. Valedictorian of the Stern 1964 graduating class, her essay of celebration, “A Brilliant Future,” is part of the exhibit. The exhibit groups items around the ideas of study, spirituality, social responsibility, and campus life. A timeline explores the essence of a Stern education featuring events during its history and pairing them with milestones in Jewish life, the nation’s history, and international events. In addition, a video, “Portraits of Promise,” helps bring the Stern experience to life through testimonials by current students, accomplished alumnae, faculty, and college supporters. When Stern was founded in 1954, it became the first college where Orthodox Jewish women could simultaneously pursue Jewish and liberal arts studies in a rigorous academic setting. Thirty-three students made up the first class, and the campus boasted one building, at 253 Lexington Avenue. Today, the 1,000-strong student body makes full use of an expanded campus of seven buildings in Manhattan’s Murray Hill section. “Stern’s Jubilee theme, ‘Five Decades. One Dream,’ is both a reflection on its illustrious past and a validation of its vibrant growth,” Dean Bacon said. “In just fifty years, the school has graduated thousands of women who have achieved stellar records in fields such as medicine, law, education, and the liberal arts and have attained solid and wide-ranging command of the various disciplines within Jewish studies.” Yeshiva University Museum is located at 15 W. 16th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues in the Center for Jewish History. It is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 11 am to 5 pm. For further YUM information, call 212-294-8330 or visit www.yumuseum.org. To find out more about Stern Jubilee events, contact 212-340-7862 or rentas@yu.edu. ###

Jan 19, 2005: BRAZILIAN-BORN ISRAELI ARTIST MYRNA HERZOG PERFORMS SEPHARDIC RESONANCES Music for Solo Viola da Gamba Music and Tales from the Sephardic Golden Age to New York Performed on a Rare 1685 viola da gamba made by famed British instrument maker Edward Lewis Presented by the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House Wednesday January 19, 2005 @ 7:30 PM at the Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues Admission: $25; $18 for ASF members, students, and seniors New York, New York December 17, 2004 - The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is proud to present a concert by the acclaimed musician Myrna Herzog on Wednesday, January 19, 2005. The Brazilian-born Herzog, a well-known figure in the Early Music world, is internationally recognized for her performances on the viola da gamba, her musical directing, and more recently her conducting. Ms. Herzog has published several articles about viols in journals such as Early Music, The Galpin Society Journal, in books (The Italian Viola da Gamba) and in the New Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians. In 1992, Ms. Herzog immigrated to Israel, where she taught a first generation of ‘sabra’ violists, founding with them PHOENIX, the Israel Consort of Viols, which she directs, and whose debut in 1999 was considered ‘a red-letter day for Israel’s musical life (The Jerusalem Post).’ For this concert, “Sephardic Resonances,” Ms. Herzog plays the viola da gamba, an instrument originating in Spain during the peak of the Jewish presence there. It was Jewish players who later brought this instrument to Italy and to other parts of Europe. She will be performing musical selections from the 16th century to the present by such composers as J.S. Bach, Martin Marais, Diego Ortiz, Karl Friedrich Abel, among others. Ms. Herzog has recently completed a doctorate in music at Bar Ilan University, Israel, where she teaches viols and is a member of The Jerusalem Consort and Quynade. She has performed and taught throughout Europe, South America, the United States and Israel. Ms. Herzog has recorded for record labels such as Polygram, Continental, RGE, Arcobaleno, Brascan, Focus and NMC. Ms. Herzog performs on 17th and 18th century original viols. At her New York recital, she will be performing on a historical viola da gamba made in London c.1685 by the important British maker Edward Lewis I (1651-1717). For further information, call Ilana Sperling at 212-294-8350 or e-mail at isperling@asf.cjh.org. For a complete press kit, including biography on Ms. Herzog, visit www.cjh.org. To purchase tickets, call the Center for Jewish History Box Office, 917-606-8200. ###

Jan 16, 2005: Pernambuco, Brazil: Gateway to New York Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History co-sponsored by the American Sephardi Federation September 8, 2004 - January 16, 2005












Exhibit Opens To Coincide with Festivities of “Celebrate 350” in New York City and the Nationwide Launch of the 350th Anniversary of Jewish Settlers in North America. New York, New York, September 3, 2004– Two distinguished partner institutions of the Center for Jewish History -- the American Sephardi Federation and Yeshiva University Museum will co-sponsor a special exhibition, Pernambuco, Brazil: Gateway to New York, from September 8 to January 16 2005. The exhibition will depict the historical and cultural life of Portuguese Jews from their first settlement in the early 1500’s in Recife, Brazil until the historic exodus in 1654 of twenty-three members of the community who landed at New Amsterdam in what is now known as New York Harbor. The American Sephardi Federation and Yeshiva University Museum are located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Organized by Dr. Tania Kaufman, Director of the Arquivo Historico Judaico de Pernambuco (Jewish Historical Archive of Pernambuco) in Recife, the exhibition consists of models, photographs, paintings, and videos that will illustrate the day-to-day lives of Sephardic Jewish settlers in Recife who were later to form the first Jewish community in North America. The exhibition begins with the landing of Portuguese explorers who first arrived in Brazil in 1500 (the first expedition included a Jewish interpreter) and the early settlers known as “New Christians” (Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity, but secretly maintained Jewish practices), who came to Brazil throughout the 16th and 17 centuries. During the Dutch control of Pernambuco (1630-1654), Jewish life thrived in the region and Jews were finally allowed to openly observe the rituals of Judaism. Drawn to the lucrative colonial sugar trade, Dutch Jews began to migrate from the Netherlands to share in the prosperous economy, but they later returned to Amsterdam or traveled to Dutch colonies following the re-claiming of Pernambuco by Portugal in 1654. Highlights of the exhibition include: · Architectural models of the Rua dos Judeus (Street of the Jews) in Recife, the site of the first synagogue built in the Americas · Architectural model of the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam · Examples of the types of early equipment used in the processing of sugar Among the dignitaries who will be present at the opening of the exhibition on Wednesday, September 8th, will be Vice Governor of Pernambuco, Jose Mendonca Filho and Julio Cesar Gomez dos Santos, Consul General of Brazil in New York. Two lectures will be presented that will explore the largely unknown history of the Jewish influence in Brazil and the nearly forgotten era of Dutch rule in Brazil. These are: “Jews, New Christians and Calvinists in the 24-Year Dutch Period in Brazil – 17th Century” on Tuesday, November 16 and “1654, A Pivotal Year in the History of American Jews,” on Tuesday, December 7, at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011. For information on speakers and contact Ilana Sperling at the American Sephardi Federation, (212) 294-8350. For ticket information, call the box office, (917) 606-8200. For information on the exhibition, or to attend the media preview, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. ABOUT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, a docent room, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the kosher Date Palm Cafe. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. ABOUT AMERICAN SEPHARDI FEDERATION The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is a national Jewish organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardic community and promoting its unique history, cultural and social traditions through archival conservation, publications, the unique Sephardi Report, cultural and academic programming dealing with the Sephardic experience incuding the International Sephardic Film Festival, the only permanent Sephardic exhibition gallery and an on-line library. Since its arrival at the Center for Jewish History, the archival holdings and library of ASF have been enriched with valuable records of personal and community history. For more information, call 212-294-8350 or visit www.sephardichouse.org. ###

Jan 11, 2005: Presented by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Leo Baeck Institute “RESCUED FROM THE REICH: HOW ONE OF HITLER’S SOLDIERS SAVED THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE” Lecture and book signing with critically acclaimed author and scholar Bryan Mark Rigg Tuesday, January 11, 2005 “Rigg has turned up an unexpected and confounding chapter in the history of the Holocaust. The extent of his findings has surprised scholars”… Warren Hoge, The New York Times Editor’s Note: “Rescued from the Reich: How One of Hitler's Soldiers Saved the Lubavitcher Rebbe” is the second installment of Live! a new videoconferencing service available to academic, religious and cultural institutions nationwide that originates from the Center for Jewish History in New York City. On January 11th, audience members from the Jewish Studies Program at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario and the Department of History, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, will join in as viewers and will be able to participate in the Q & A period following Mr. Rigg’s lecture. The Center for Jewish History, the home of the Leo Baeck Institute and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, presenters of this event, houses state-of-the-art equipment and can transmit a program to an institution with a T-1 connection and a system with a minimum of 384KB. December 17, 2004 – New York, NY – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and Leo Baeck Institute located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, will co-present a lecture and book signing of the critically acclaimed work, Rescued from the Reich: How One of Hitler's Soldiers Saved the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Yale University Press, 2004), by the scholar and historian Bryan Mark Rigg. The book has been highly praised and considered “brilliant” and “disturbing” by literary critics, academics, and influential government officials. Helmut Schmidt, the former Chancellor of Germany, for one, has been quoted extensively on his admiration and respect for Mr. Rigg’s knowledge, preliminary conclusions, and comprehensive research: “[Rigg’s] in-depth treatment of the subject of German soldiers of Jewish descent in the Wehrmacht, will lead to new perspectives on this portion of 20th century German military history.” Rescued from the Reich…” tells the harrowing story of the Hitler led German forces invasion of Warsaw in the fall of 1939, which trapped hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city; many of them Jews. Among this group was Rebbe Joseph Schneersohn, the leader of the ultra-Orthodox Lubavitcher Jews. His followers throughout the world were unable to confirm whether he and his family were alive or dead. Working with officials in the United States government, a group of American Jews initiated what would ultimately become one of the strangest, and most miraculous, rescues of World War II. The escape of Rebbe Schneersohn from Warsaw has long been a subject of speculation. Historian Bryan Mark Rigg has now uncovered the true story. Propelled by a secret collaboration between American officials and leaders of German military intelligence, a small group of dedicated German soldiers were ordered to find the Rebbe and escort him and his family out of Warsaw. The mission, in December 1939, was carried out under the noses of suspicious Nazis as they fled the city. The leader of the rescue effort was Ernst Bloch, a decorated Wehrmacht soldier who was half-Jewish. By 1944, he also became a victim of German anti-Semitism and was relieved of his command in the army. Bryan Mark Rigg, educated at Yale and Cambridge University as well as Ohr Sameyach Yeshiva in Jerusalem, now teaches history at American Military University and Southern Methodist University. His interest in the Rebbe's escape began with his student research into soldiers of Jewish descent who served in the German military. His first book, Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military, received the prestigious Colby Award from the William E. Colby Military Writers' Symposium. For further information on videoconferencing contact Rachel Chodorov @ rchodorov@cjh.org and for information on the event, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. About the Leo Baeck Institute The LEO BAECK INSTITUTE is the single most important source for documenting the vibrant life of German-speaking Jewry spanning several hundred years - from the period preceding the Holocaust, during National Socialism and continuing on into the present. The LBI library and archives offer rare collections of periodicals from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as private letters, public documents, and thousands of memoirs dating back centuries. The collection also houses historical family and community records of towns and villages and an archive of photographs. LBI's holdings offer unusual insights into the social, cultural and intellectual life of ordinary citizens, Nobel prize winners, and artists from every field. About the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research The YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH, founded in 1925 in what is now Vilnius, Lithuania, is devoted to the history, society, and culture of Ashkenazi Jewry, and the influence of that culture as it has developed in the Americas. The only pre-Holocaust scholarly institution to transfer its mission to the United States, today YIVO is the preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The Library has over 350,000 volumes, and the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces, many one of a kind. YIVO’s wide array of classes, graduate seminars, fellowships, public lectures, and publications contribute to the preservation and furtherance of the Yiddish language, and Eastern European traditions, as well as Jewish cultural history. . About the Center for Jewish History In 2000, the CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions-the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Each share a common vision of preserving and presenting Jewish culture and history, coming together to create a meeting place where intellectual inquiries may be exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center's partners include over 100 million documents, books, artworks, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs visit www.cjh.org. ###

Jan 10, 2005: Admission: $10.00/$5.00 for students and seniors $5.00 for late night screenings only Box Office: (917) 606-8200 www.ticketweb.com MONDAY NIGHT FILM SERIES Celluloid and Talk on Isaac Bashevis Singer January 10th, 2005 New York, NY – December 21, 2004 —The final film in the Monday Night Film series will take place on January 10, 2005. CELLULOID & TALK ON ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 7 PM Enemies, A Love Story, Director: Paul Mazursky. Speaker: Jeremy Dauber, Columbia University. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, is home to five distinguished partner institutions-the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Each share a common vision to preserve and present Jewish culture and history, and to create a meeting place where intellectual inquiries may be exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center's partners include over 100 million documents, books, artworks, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs, visit www.cjh.org. ###

Jan 6, 2005: “Pioneers, Superstars and Journeymen: American Jewish Baseball Players, 1871-2004” September 20 – January 6, 2005 Sponsored by American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History New York, NY— December 4, 2004 – The American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, presents a new exhibit, American Jews in America’s Game - “Pioneers, Superstars and Journeymen: American Jewish Baseball Players, 1871-2004,” which will be on view from September 20-January 6, 2005. The exhibition is based on the best-selling set of trading cards produced and marketed by the American Jewish Historical Society. This unique and timely exhibition, coinciding with the 350th anniversary of the first Jewish settlement in America, celebrates Jewish Players in "America's Game." Between 1871 and 2004, 144 Jews played major league baseball. The careers and influence of legends such as Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax as well as pioneers of the baseball’s earliest days such as Lipman Pike will be highlighted. Baseball has always been a symbol of American life but for many immigrants and ethnic group’s participation in the game was a gateway to truly "becoming American." Prejudice and intolerance coupled with determination and performance are weaved into this tribute to our national pastime. A private reception for supporters and players will be held in October to coincide with the World Series. Some of the featured items in the exhibit include, Sandy Koufax's rookie jersey, a signed baseball, owned by Hank Greenberg, that has the signatures of the entire Detroit Tigers team of 1934, Harry Danning's catcher's mitt and numerous artifacts from baseball's earliest days including team rosters, equipment, correspondence and letters of importance. For more information, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. Information on purchasing the card set is available at www.AJHS.org or by calling 866-740-8013. About the American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892, the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is the nation's oldest and foremost ethnic historical organization. The Society has amassed the world’s largest collection of books, documents, paintings, journals, newspapers, objects and photographs illustrating the Jewish experience on the American continent. Located at the Center for Jewish History in NYC, with a facility in Newton, MA. It’s a lead partners with the Library of Congress in the Congressionally Commissioned 350th anniversary celebration of the American Jewish experience. ###

Dec 15, 2004: Annual Gala Dinner of the Center for Jewish History Celebrates 350 Years of Jewish Life in America Wednesday, December 15, 2004 DINNER COMMITTEE Karen and William Ackman Tracey and Bruce Berkowitz Francesca and Bruce Slovin Diane and Joseph S. Steinberg Edward L. Steinberg Michele Cohn EVENT The Third Annual Dinner of the Board of Overseers and Board of Directors THEME: Celebrating the 350th Anniversary of Jewish Life in America MENU: Regional Jewish-American Specialties ENTERTAINMENT: Joel Chasnoff, Comedian Master of Ceremonies The Rafi Malkiel Quartet Performing the works of great American musical composers from Gershwin to Sondheim WHEN: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2004 TIME: 6:00 PM WHERE: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY 15 WEST 16TH STREET (BETWEEN 5TH AND 6TH AVENUE) TICKET PRICES: SUSTAINER: $2,500/seat SPONSOR: $10,000/table GUARDIAN: $25,000/table BUILDER: $50,000/table To make a reservation contact, Stuart Chizzik, (917) 606-8281, or email schizzik@cjh.org ###

Dec 9, 2004: Admission: $10/$5 for seniors, students and American Jewish Historical Society members Reservations required Seating is limited Box Office: 917-606-8200 www.ticketweb.com www.cjh.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JEWS & JUSTICE SERIES Sponsored by American Jewish Historical Society The International Court of Justice and Israel’s Fence: Just Politics or Justice? Thursday, December 9, 2004 at 7:00 PM New York, NY—November 15, 2004 –The American Jewish Historical Society and the Center for Jewish History will co-sponsor a panel discussion, The International Court of Justice and Israel’s Fence: Just Politics or Justice? at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Curated by Professor Russell G. Pearce, Fordham University School of Law, the series is made possible with a generous grant from the David Berg Foundation. A group of influential leaders from the worlds of academia, law, government, and media will discuss the recent decision of the International Court of Law’s ruling that Israel’s security barrier poses a violation of international law. The discussion will attempt to contextualize the decision as well as explore its legal and political ramifications. Moderator: Ruti Teitel, is the first Ernst C. Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law at New York Law School, where she teaches international human rights, comparative and U.S. constitutional law. An expert on Eastern European and Latin American post-totalitarian societies, Professor Teitel's critically acclaimed book, Transitional Justice (2000), examines the 20th century transitions from authoritarianism to democracy in many countries. Professor Teitel’s extensive body of scholarly writing on comparative law, human rights, and constitutionalism encompasses articles published in some of the country's most prestigious legal journals, including the Yale Law Journal and the Harvard Law Review. Professor Teitel received a J.D. from Cornell Law School and was a Senior Fellow at the Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Panelists: Richard J. Goldstone is currently the Mulligan Visiting Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law. Professor Goldstone is a Retired Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and former Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations War Crimes Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. From July 1994 to October 2003 he was a Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. In the spring of 2004 he was a visiting professor at New York University Law School and is presently the William Hughes Mulligan Visiting Professor at Fordham Law School. From 1991-1994, he served as Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry regarding Public Violence and Intimidation, which came to be known as the Goldstone Commission. In 2001, he was appointed as the co-chairperson of the International Task Force on Terrorism, established by the International Bar Association. Dinah PoKempner is General Counsel of Human Rights Watch, one of the largest international human rights advocacy groups that focuses on protecting the human rights of people around the world. Ms. PoKempner’s research has taken her to Cambodia, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam, former Yugoslavia and elsewhere in documenting and analyzing war crimes and violations of civil and political rights. Ms. PoKempner’s published works include topics on law and terrorism, peacekeeping, international tribunals, the role of NGOs in accountability for international crime, cyber-liberties, and refugee law. Roy Schöndorf is Former Senior Legal Advisor, International Law Department, Israel Defense Forces Military Advocate General Unit where he earned officer course honors and an award for excellence. Roy Schöndorf came to the J.S.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science) Program of NYU School of Law from Tel-Aviv, Israel. Mr. Schöndorf’s academic interests focus on public international law, in particular international criminal law, history and theory of international law and international humanitarian law. He is the author of a paper entitled "Armed Conflicts between States and Non-State Actors: Is There a Need for a New Legal Regime?" which was presented in March 2003 at an international law conference at Yale Law School. He took an active part in the Middle East peace negotiations, and represented the Israeli government in various peace negotiations with Syria, Jordan and the Palestinians. Jonathan Tepperman is Senior Editor and production manager of Foreign Affairs. Formerly a speechwriter and journalist, Mr. Tepperman’s articles have appeared in The New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, The Washington Post, among other publications. The Jews & Justice series is also co-sponsored by the Fordham University Law School’s Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law’s Program In Jewish Law and Interdisciplinary Studies. For further information, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. For a complete press kit, visit www.cjh.org/press_kits/#. About the American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892, the American Jewish Historical Society collects, preserves, publishes, exhibits and makes available materials of every kind documenting the Jewish experience in America to serve scholars, writers, students, genealogists and members of the media; publishes books and a scholarly journal; and offers public lectures and programs. Among the Society’s most significant holdings is the original handwritten manuscript of Emma Lazarus’s sonnet, “The New Colossus,” which now adorns the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. It is a founding partner of the Center for Jewish History and founding member of the National Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, is home to five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Each share a common vision to preserve and present Jewish culture and history, and to create a meeting place where intellectual inquiries may be exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, artworks, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs, visit www.cjh.org. ###

Dec 7, 2004: 1654, A PIVOTAL YEAR IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN JEWS Lecture To Take Place at the Center for Jewish History Tuesday December 7, 2004 at 7:00 PM Exhibition viewing prior to the lecture The year 2004 marks the 350th anniversary of the start of Jewish communal life in North America. The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House and Yeshiva University Museum will present two the second in a series of two lectures exploring the origins of the first Jewish settlement in the Americas at the Center for Jewish History. On December 7th, Dr. Wim Klooster, Assistant Professor of History at Clark University, will deliver a lecture entitled, 1654, A Pivotal Year in the History of American Jews, on the almost forgotten epoch of Dutch rule in Brazil, the scattering of its Jewish residents after the Dutch defeat in 1654, and the subsequent establishment of Jewish communities in other parts of the Americas. These lectures will be held in conjunction with the exhibition, Pernambuco, Brazil: Gateway to New York. In his lecture, Dr. Wim Klooster, a specialist in Atlantic History, will follow some of the Jewish sojourners in New Amsterdam and reveal their travels, connections, and migrations in the Atlantic world. What were their European origins and where did they end up, if not in New York? Dr. Klooster has published numerous articles and four books, including *The Dutch in the Americas, 1600-1800* (1997) and (with Alfred Padula) *The Atlantic World: Essays in Slavery, Migration, and Imagination* (2004). Klooster earned his doctorate at the University of Leiden and has been a Fulbright fellow, a fellow at the John Carter Brown Library, and a Charles Warren Fellow at Harvard University. He is currently president of the Forum on European Expansion and Global Interaction. The lectures will take place at the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House at the Center for Jewish History on December 7th at 7:00 PM. General admission is $10; $5 for ASF & YUM members, students and seniors. The price of admission will include entry, from 6:30 to 7:00, to the exhibition Pernambuco, Brazil: Gateway to New York that examines the lives led by the original Jewish settlers in Brazil during the brief period of Dutch sovereignty from (1630 -1654), before coming to America. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. Support for these lectures has been generously donated by the New York Council for the Humanities and VARIG Airlines. The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is a national Jewish organization dedicated to ensuring that the history, legacies and traditions of the great Sephardic communities throughout the world be recorded, remembered and celebrated as an integral part of Jewish heritage through lectures, exhibitions, publications, The Sephardi Report and a dedicated Sephardic library and archives. Visit www.asfonline.org for more information about the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House. Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, a docent room, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. For further information, please contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org or Ilana Sperling at 212-294-8350; isperling@asf.cjh.org. ###

Dec 7, 2004: CHANUKAH LAMP PRESENTED TO ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER BY THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE OF THE B’NAI BRITH ON VIEW AS PART OF THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBTION “Becoming An American Writer: The Life and Works of Isaac Bashevis Singer December 7, 2004 – New York, NY -- A Chanukah lamp presented to the renowned Yiddish writer, Isaac Bashevis Singer, is now on view in the exhibit “Becoming an American Writer: The Life and Works of Isaac Bashevis Singer” at the Yeshiva University Museum at the Center For Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenue). The admission charge is $6.00/$4.00 for seniors and students. The exhibition closes January 16, 2005. The lamp is inscribed as follows: Presented to Isaac Bashevis Singer, who through his writing has kept alive and fostered an understanding in American Society of Jewish and Hebraic Culture. Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith, May 5th, 1968, New York, NY. The lamp is a gift from the collection of Dr. Aaron Feingold and can also be seen in a photograph by Jill Krementz of Isaac Bashevis Singer at home. Exhibition Description: Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991) is the most famous Yiddish writer of the twentieth century. As he vividly conjured up images of the annihilated Jewish world of Eastern Europe, he spoke to the fears, longings and ambivalence of America’s modern nation of immigrants. Singer’s folk memories are of mystical traditions he created and a body of work that moves dramatically from the realistic to the fantastic, which startled readers and inspired writers and artists. Singer’s characters dramatized the conflicts not only of post-war American Jews, but of an entire society committed both to cultural pluralism and to assimilation. The exhibition explores Singer’s life story through a collection of rare photos, manuscripts, correspondence, and books. The exhibition is organized by the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center of the University of Texas at Austin. For further information, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. ABOUT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, a docent room, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Cafe. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. ###

Dec 6, 2004: Three Landmark Films directed by Feminist Icon and Renowned Artist Judy Chicago Presented as part of the Expression and Exploration: Paths of Jewish Artists Film Series Monday, December 6, 2004, 7pm at the Center for Jewish History New York, New York, November 11, 2004 - Judy Chicago, a feminist, artist, educator, and intellectual symbol of the seventies, who has become an icon for a younger generation of women artists, will make a special appearance at the Center for Jewish History in conjunction with the presentation of three historically important films directed by Ms. Chicago which will take place on Monday, December 6, 7 pm at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Ms. Chicago will be interviewed by Gail Levin, Professor of Art History, American Studies and Fine & Performing Arts, Baruch College and CUNY Graduate Center and author of a forthcoming biography of Judy Chicago. Admission: $10/$5 for seniors and students. This season’s film series at the Center, Expression & Exploration: Paths of Jewish Artists celebrates 350 Years of the Jewish Experience, and a highlight of the film offerings will be the presentation of three films by Judy Chicago: The landmark The Dinner Party: A Tour of the Exhibition (1971, 45 min, The Holocaust Project: From Darkness Into Light (1974) (29 min), and Resolutions: A Stitch in Time (1999) 15min. The Center for Jewish History, the largest archival research and library facility on Jewish history and culture in the country is the perfect setting for both a screening of these films and for Ms. Chicago to discuss the impact of her Jewish roots has had on her art. Although descended from three generations of rabbis, Ms. Chicago grew up in an assimilated household learning the Jewish values of social justice which she incorporated into all areas of her work. With her husband the photographer, Donald Woodman, the couple took up an eight-year inquiry on what it means to Jewish in a post Holocaust world. One of the films to be shown, the critically acclaimed, The Dinner Party, has been the subject of countless articles and art history texts and is included in innumerable publications in diverse fields. The impact of The Dinner Party, was examined in the 1996 exhibition, Sexual Politics: Judy Chicago's Dinner Party in Feminist Art History. Curated by Dr. Amelia Jones at the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum, this show was accompanied by an extensive catalog published by the University of California Press. In 2004, The Dinner Party will be permanently housed at the Brooklyn Museum as part of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, thereby achieving Chicago's long-held goal of helping to counter the erasure of women's achievements. (See attached for a description of each of three films). Ms. Chicago’s influence both within and beyond the art community is unparalleled, and her work and thinking appears in hundreds of publications throughout the world. In the early seventies, after a decade of professional art practice, Ms. Chicago, pioneered Feminist Art and art education, and has remained steadfast in her commitment to the power of art as a vehicle for intellectual transformation and social change and to women’s right to engage in the highest level of art production. Expression & Exploration Film Series at the Center for Jewish History Now in its second season, Expression & Exploration: Paths of Jewish Artists, explores the work of Jewish artists - from composer Leonard Bernstein to architect Daniel Libeskind to choreographer and dancer, Pearl Lang, to this season’s emphasis on experimental filmmakers such as Man Ray and Maya Deren. For further information and to schedule an interview contact, Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. To view a complete press kit, visit http://www.cjh.org/press_kits/#. Biography Judy Chicago’s work and philosophy have had a worldwide impact on both the art community and the larger culture. She graduated with a BA, University of California, Los Angeles, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, (1962), holds an MA, University of California, Los Angeles (1964). Ms. Chicago has earned Honorary Doctorates from Duke University, Durham, NC in Fine Arts (2003); from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA in Humane Letters (2000); Smith College, Northampton, MA in Fine Arts (2000) and from Russell Sage College, Troy, NY in Fine Arts (1992). Ms. Chicago’s published works include, Through the Flower: My Struggle as a Woman Artist (1975); The Dinner Party: A Symbol of Our Heritage (1979); The Birth Project (1985); The Holocaust Project: From Darkness Into Light (1993) and Beyond the Flower: The Autobiography of a Feminist Artist (1996), among others. Four films have been made about her work: "Womanhouse"; "Right Out of History: The Making of Judy Chicago's Dinner Party" by Johanna Demetrakas; "The Birth Project" by Vivian Kleiman; and a recent museum video about “The Holocaust Project,” edited by Kate Amend.

Dec 1, 2004: MEDIA ALERT EVENT: Design Within Reach-A Commemoration of “A Day Without Art” Presented by Yeshiva University Museum WHEN: Wednesday, December 1, 2004 WHERE: Yeshiva University Museum at the Center For Jewish History 15 West 16th Street (Between 5th And 6th Avenue) Design Within Reach is a unique hands-on learning experience that has been developed to connect students to careers such as graphic, fashion, and interior design. Students have an opportunity to brainstorm concepts, sketch thumbnails of ideas, and develop their ideas into projects representative of their design fields. The students will complete the creation of a mailing stamp on Monday, November 22, 2004 after a three-day course that began on Monday, November 15th, 2004. The finished product will be presented at the December 1st, 2004 “Day Without Art” commemoration. Each student’s individual work will be collected and compiled as a finished postage stamp. Materials used include cut paper mounted on a black or white poster board. Students will learn about the origins of the “Day Without Art” and be given professional advice from artists and designers who previously participated in the event. About Yeshiva University Museum Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, a docent room, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the glatt kosher Date Palm Cafe. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. ###

Nov 19, 2004: DISPLACED PERSONS CAMPS: Rebuilding Culture and Community in the Aftermath of World War II through November 19, 2004 YIVO Institute for Jewish Research at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City (October 12, 2004 – New York, NY) The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is proud to present “Displaced Persons Camp: Rebuilding Culture and Community in the Aftermath of World II,” an exhibition documenting the daily courage, strength and optimism of Jews attempting to reconstruct their lives after the Holocaust. Written and curated by Lilian Gewirtzman, and designed and produced by Marilyn Rabetz, the exhibit is based on albums, memories and reflections of former Displaced Persons. On view in the Constantiner Galley through November 19, 2004, it is free and open to the public. DISPLACED PERSONS Following the defeat of Nazi Germany in the spring of 1945, 700,000 Europeans were uprooted and classified by the United Nations as Displaced Persons (DPs); among that total were 100,000 Jewish Holocaust survivors. They referred to themselves as Sh'erit ha-Pletah (“The Surviving Remnant”). The Jewish DPs were unable to return to their countries of origin. They were placed, together with other groups considered “homeless”, in holding camps within the Allied Occupation Zones of Germany and Austria, and in smaller communal living quarters in Italy. They later were joined by an additional 150,000 Jews fleeing anti-Semitic outbreaks in Eastern European countries. Awaiting their fate in the DP camps, Jews began to take up the rituals of renewed daily life – they practiced Judaism, developed educational programs, and engaged in social discourse with their fellow internees. Looking the future, they married, began families, and did not give into despair. THE EXHIBIT The exhibit photographs are derived from the personal albums and scrapbooks of former Displaced Persons, and the narratives are taken from direct interviews. The personal statements under each picture specifically refer to that image, with the intention of directly addressing the viewer. The exhibition texts do not speak of "them" but of "us" or of "me." Curator Gewirtzman writes, “In these twenty 30” x 40” panels (each presenting five to six photographs) we invite you into our lives; to follow us as we rebuild our home, our families, our skills, our religion and our culture. ...This exhibit celebrates the effort and tenacity of the multitude of individuals: the tiles in the mosaic of the Jewish people.” The panel describing “Our Food” describes how food came from the United States Armed Forces, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (UNRRA) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. “...We received a ration of 1,200 calories, later 2,500 per day. Initially, we were fed in communal kitchens. Later we opted for raw provisions and cooked on hot plates in our rooms. We longed to restore our family table.” In the exhibit “The Surviving Remnant" addresses the public personally. Under Holiday Celebrations is written, “Putting our past aside, we celebrated, life. We revived our long-forbidden rituals and holidays, restoring a sense of continuity and permanence in our lives and in the lives of our children.” Displaced Persons Camps: Rebuilding Culture and Community in the Aftermath of World War II is owned by The Holocaust and Educational Center of Nassau County. It is free to the public and will be on view in the Constantiner Gallery through November 19, 2004. ABOUT THE YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute and headquartered in New York since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (www.yivo.org) is devoted to the history, society, and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry, and the influence of that culture as it has developed in the Americas. As the only pre-Holocaust scholarly institution to transfer its mission to the United States, today YIVO is the preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 350,000 volumes; the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. A founding partner of the Center for Jewish History, YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, adult education and Yiddish language classes, scholarly publications, research opportunities and fellowships. ###

Nov 18, 2004: “If I am Only for Myself…” Caring Beyond Borders Speakers: Leonard Fein, Ruth Messinger, Dara Silverman, and Alan B. Slifka Discuss Philanthropic Causes and the Jewish Response In a World of Global Conflicts Moderator: Peter A. Geffen, Executive Director, Center for Jewish History Sponsored by American Jewish World Service and American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History Thursday, November 18, 2004, 6 p.m. EVENT: “If I am Only for Myself…”Caring Beyond Borders Who do we care about? How does caring manifest, and why do we extend ourselves beyond our own immediate family and community when seeking justice, peace, education and all fundamental human rights for people throughout the world, Jews and non-Jews alike? What does it mean to pursue social justice as an organized Jewish group? These challenging questions are examined in historical context and explored in light of the changes taking place in Jewish institutional philanthropy. A photographic presentation, created by Judy Gold, will feature the worldwide programs to people in need by the American Jewish World Service. In collaboration with The Abraham Fund Initiatives, Mazon, A Jewish Response to Hunger, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, and the American Jewish World Service. SPEAKERS: Leonard Fein is the Founder of Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger. Fein established the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy, and served as a former director of Reform Judaism's Commission on Social Action. He is the author of Against the Dying of the Light: A Father's Journey Through Loss. Mr. Fein, a syndicated writer and educator, has written extensively on contemporary Jewish life in Moment, The New Republic, The New York Times, as well as other publications. Ruth Messinger is President and Executive Director of American Jewish World Service, an international development and emergency relief organization. Prior to assuming this role in 1998, Ms. Messinger served eight years as Manhattan Borough President, and 12 years on the New York City Council. She was the Democratic Party candidate for Mayor of New York City in 1997. Ms. Messinger’s areas of expertise include: democracy and civic participation, urban policy and politics, social welfare, education, employment and tax policy. Dara Silverman is currently the Director of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) in New York, a grassroots membership-based organization. Ms. Silverman was a co-founder of Tekiah: A Jewish Call to Action in Boston and is on the board of the National Organizers Alliance. Alan B. Slifka is co-founder and Chairman of The Abraham Fund Initiatives, which works to advance coexistence, equality and cooperation among Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens. He is a founding board member of The Coexistence Initiative, Jewish Funders Network and The Interfaith Center of New York; a Director of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School; and a member of the Executive Committee of the American Jewish Congress. Mr. Slifka is also a founding Chairman and board member of the Big Apple Circus. LOCATION: Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenue) New York, NY 10011 Box Office: 917-606-8200 www.cjh.org DATE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2004 TIME: 6:00 PM ADMISSION: $10.00/Free for American Jewish Historical Society members SPONSORS: American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892, and is the nation's oldest and foremost ethnic historical organization. The Society has amassed the world’s largest collection of books, documents, paintings, journals, newspapers, objects and photographs illustrating the Jewish experience in America. The AJHS also has a facility in Newton, MA. It is the lead partner with the Library of Congress in the Congressionally Commissioned 350th anniversary celebration of the American Jewish experience. American Jewish World Service provides humanitarian aid, technical assistance and skilled volunteers to local grassroots groups in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Russia, and Ukraine in projects involving health, education, agriculture, micro enterprise, economic development, human rights and civil society. ###

Nov 16, 2004: JEWS, CALVINISTS AND CHRISTIANS IN 17TH CENTURY DUTCH BRAZIL 1654, A Pivotal Year in the History of American Jews Two Timely Lectures To Take Place at the Center for Jewish History Tuesday November 16, 2004 at 7:00 PM Tuesday December 7, 2004 at 7:00 PM Exhibition viewing prior to the lecture The year 2004 marks the 350th anniversary of the start of Jewish communal life in North America. The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House and Yeshiva University Museum will present two lectures exploring the origins of the first Jewish settlement in the Americas at the Center for Jewish History. Noted historian and University of Sao Paolo Professor Anita Novinsky will speak about Jews, New Christians and Calvinists in 17th Century Dutch Brazil on November 16th. Her fascinating lecture will explore the inner conflicts faced by Sephardic Jews as they moved from Spain and Portugal to the New World, “the divided soul of the Sephardic Jew,” and the important role played by them in the economic and cultural development of Northeastern Brazil. On December 7th, Dr. Wim Klooster, Assistant Professor of History at Clark University, will deliver a lecture entitled, 1654, A Pivotal Year in the History of American Jews, on the almost forgotten epoch of Dutch rule in Brazil, the scattering of its Jewish residents after the Dutch defeat in 1654, and the subsequent establishment of Jewish communities in other parts of the Americas. These lectures will be held in conjunction with the exhibition, Pernambuco, Brazil: Gateway to New York. Dr. Anita Novinsky, who has studied and written about this subject for many years, is uniquely qualified to evaluate the remarkable history of the Jews from Portugal, the “secret Jews”, who lived in Brazil for centuries. “The greatest emigration of Sephardi Jews from Portugal was to Brazil”, says Dr. Novinsky. “For three centuries they lived secretly as Jews, persecuted by the Inquisition. Many were forced to convert and become “New Christians”. The only time that the Jews, scholars and adventurers, poets and writers, lived freely and could practice their religion was during the 24 years of the Dutch occupation of the northeast of Brazil in the 16th century. It was the enormous creativity of the Sephardi Jews during their stay in Pernambuco that contributed to the transformation of the city to a modern metropolis,” she says. Dr. Novinsky will explain the conflict between the Jews, Calvinists and Christians and the lost dreams of the Jews to live in freedom in Brazil. A leading scholar worldwide on the topic of New Christians and the history of the Jews of Portugal, Brazil and Spain, Dr. Novinsky is the author of numerous articles in scientific journals and newspapers, has contributed to dozens of other works on this topic and has written seven books. Born near Krakov Poland, she came to Brazil at the age of one. She received her doctorate degree with a thesis on the “Inquisition and Anusim” in Brazil. She has been invited to give seminars and lectures in universities around the world from Warsaw to Paris to Minnesota. In the U.S. she has been a visiting professor at several universities including Brown University, the University of Connecticut and The University of Texas. Dr. Novinsky was elected “One of the Ten Women of the Year” in Brazil by the commission of the National Council of Women of Brazil, an affiliate of the International Congress of Women, for her pioneer work in the field of Historical Research and for the integration of women in the political, social and economic development of Brazil. She was featured in the film, “Paths of Memory”, a colorful documentary that tells the story of the Jews in Portugal. Wim Klooster, a specialist is Atlantic History, will discuss the wide-ranging implications of the events that occurred in 1654, when as a result of the Portuguese recon quest, the Brazilian Jewish community was forced to uproot itself once more and seek refuge elsewhere. Among the places where some found shelter was New Amsterdam, where they subsequently founded the first Jewish community in North America thus ushering in a new era in Jewish history. Dr. Klooster He has published numerous articles and four books, including *The Dutch in the Americas, 1600-1800* (1997) and (with Alfred Padula) *The Atlantic World: Essays in Slavery, Migration, and Imagination* (2004). Klooster earned his doctorate at the University of Leiden and has been a Fulbright fellow, a fellow at the John Carter Brown Library, and a Charles Warren Fellow at Harvard University. He is currently president of the Forum on European Expansion and Global Interaction. The lectures will take place at the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House at the Center for Jewish History on November 16th and December 7th at 7:00 PM. General admission is $10; $5 for ASF & YUM members, students and seniors. The price of admission will include entry, from 6:30 to 7:30, to the exhibition Pernambuco, Brazil: Gateway to New York that examines the lives led by the original Jewish settlers in Brazil during the brief period of Dutch sovereignty from (1630 -1654), before coming to America. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. Support for these lectures has been generously donated by the New York Council for the Humanities and VARIG Airlines. The American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House is a national Jewish organization dedicated to ensuring that the history, legacies and traditions of the great Sephardic communities throughout the world be recorded, remembered and celebrated as an integral part of Jewish heritage through lectures, exhibitions, publications, The Sephardi Report and a dedicated Sephardic library and archives. Visit www.asfonline.org for more information about the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House. Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, a docent room, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. For further information, please contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org or Ilana Sperling at 212-294-8350; isperling@asf.cjh.org. ###

Nov 2, 2004: Admission: $12.00/$8.00 for students, seniors and Yeshiva University Museum members Box Office: (917) 606-8200 www.ticketweb.com Classical Israel: Ben Haim & His Contemporaries Pianist Gila Goldstein Performs Works of Israeli Composer Paul Ben Haim, “The Father of Israeli Classical Music” Only New York City Appearance Presented by Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History Tuesday, November 2, 2004, 7:30 pm New York, New York – October 19, 2004 -- This year marks the 20th Anniversary of Paul Ben-Haim's death and pianist Gila Goldstein will perform several retrospective concerts of his work in Israel, New York, London and Berlin. These concerts will feature solo, chamber and vocal pieces composed by Ben-Haim as well as several of his contemporaries -- Haim Alexander, Erich Walter Strenberg, and Naomi Shemer, among others. The New York appearance of the group will be the last performance of this unusual program in a four-city tour. Ms. Goldstein will be joined by Yehonatan Berick, violin; Inbal Segev, cello; Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet; and Ruti Halvani, mezzo-soprano. Ben-Haim (1897-1984) was born in Munich in 1897, educated as a pianist, composer and conductor, and after achieving the status of being assistant conductor of both Munich and Augsburg opera houses, he was forced to resign in 1931 by the new Nazi administrator of the Augsburg opera house. Ben Haim fled to Palestine in 1933, and became an active teacher, vocal coach, pianist and composer in Palestine and later Israel. He was part of 40 composers who immigrated to the country between 1931-1938. These composers worked under the internal conviction and external ideological pressure to create a new national style. The expected to absorb and express the influence of the East as a visionary dream of new Jewish nationalism, yet at the same time maintain the great heritage of the West, which dominated musical life in the young Jewish community. Their efforts led to blending these two disparate traditions, resulting in sounds that reflect the culturally diverse landscape of Israelis. In June 2001, Gila released her first commercial CD, Piano Works by Paul Ben-Haim on the label Centaur (CRC-2506). The recording includes six pieces for piano solo. Rave reviews from American Record Guide -- “Goldstein is a charismatic performer who plays with great flair, delicate nuances, fluid tempo and brilliance. “ It marks a significant addition to the few commercial releases of Israeli classical music, in particular piano music, and therefore meaningful for the understanding of this genre and for increasing its international recognition. It is also an important contribution to the discography of 20th century piano literature in general. This project was the first of its kind as never before there was a release with a collection of Israeli classical piano music by one single composer in the international market of classical recordings. For interviews with Gila Goldstein, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. About Yeshiva University Museum Founded in 1973, YUM is recognized as an international museum known for its innovative interdisciplinary exhibitions on Jewish life past and present, and its creative interpretations of Jewish history and culture for audiences of all ages. YUM’s vast collections represent over 2,000 years of Jewish history from the Bronze Age to the present, ranging from ceremonial clothing and domestic and synagogue textiles to silver Judaica, ethnographic artifacts, synagogue architecture, books and manuscripts, and paintings and graphics, including major works from the early Zionist era. ###

Oct 24, 2004: STERN COLLEGE FOR WOMEN JUBILEE LECTURE TO EXAMINE SCIENTIFIC ISSUES THROUGH PRISM OF HALACHA AND ETHICS New York, NY, September 23, 2004 – An analysis of how Jewish law and ethics affect scientific advances and research will highlight an Oct. 24 discussion sponsored by Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women. The lecture, “When Man Creates Man: Assisted Reproduction, Cloning, and Stem Cell Research through the Prism of Halacha and Ethics” will take place at 7:30 pm in the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium at the Yeshiva University Museum, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan. Prior to the lecture, at 6 pm, Stern College alumnae are invited to a wine and cheese reception and private tour of Stern’s jubilee museum exhibition “Stern at 50: Five Decades - One Dream.” The event is the fourth in a seven-part lecture series celebrating Stern College’s 50th anniversary. Discussion participants are: Rabbi J. David Bleich, PhD, Herbert and Florence Tenzer Professor of Jewish Law and Ethics at YU’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and rosh yeshiva at YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary; Nancy N. Dubler, LLB, director of bioethics at Montefiore Medical Center and co-director of the Program in Bioethics and Medical Humanities at YU’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Zev Rosenwaks, MD, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Discussion moderator is Rabbi Edward I. Reichman, MD, assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and population health at Einstein. Upcoming lectures are “Human Freedom and Responsibility: An Analysis from Traditional and Contemporary Sources” on Nov. 14 at the Long Island home of Anita, a 1989 Stern College graduate, and Richard Grossman, and “Challenges and Opportunities: Orthodox Families Confront a Changing World” on Dec. 5 at Yeshiva University’s Geraldine Schottenstein Cultural Center, 239-241 East 34th Street, Manhattan. Co-chairs of the lecture series are Stern College alumnae Debbie Niderberg and Cali Orenbuch. Sharon Herzfeld, MD, and Susan Ungar-Mero, MD, also Stern graduates, are co-chairing the college’s yearlong jubilee celebration. For more information on this and other Stern-at-50 events, call 212-340-7862, or e-mail rentas@yu.edu. Admission to the lectures is free, although advanced reservations are required. Online registration is also available at www.yu.edu/sternjubilee. Yeshiva University is a top-tier national research institution with the guiding vision that the best of the heritage of contemporary civilization and knowledge is compatible with the ancient traditions of Jewish law and life. On the undergraduate level, this is embodied in the dual curriculum under which students pursue liberal arts, sciences, and business in conjunction with comprehensive Jewish studies. On the graduate level, the university’s mission emphasizes the moral dimensions of the search for knowledge and the Jewish ethical values and principles that govern professional practitioners. Both are linked by a common quest: to ennoble students’ deepest human needs for purpose and discovery, and to enable them to transform their communities and society through meaningful actions. # # # www.yu.edu

Oct 13, 2004: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. New York, NY—September 23, 2004 – On Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at 6:00 PM, the Center for Jewish History and the Centro Culturale Primo Levi in collaboration with the Municipality of Bologna present an evening dedicated to Jewish life, history, art, and cuisine of Emilia Romagna. This public program highlights the international interests of the Center for Jewish History and its ability to reach out to scholarly organizations and the Jewish community outside the United States. The Centro Culturale Primo Levi in North America explores the variety and scope of the Italian-Jewish cultural and intellectual experience. The exciting evening offers an illustrated lecture of the Italian Genizah, with regional music, examples of Emilia-Romagna’s rich art history, and the internationally famous Bolognese cuisine to which the Jews of this region have contributed for centuries. WHAT IS THE ITALIAN GENIZAH? 6:00 pm- Prof. Mauro Perani, Chair of Jewish Studies at University of Bologna, President of the Italian Association of Jewish Studies Thousands of parchment folia and bifolia dismembered from Hebrew manuscripts were reused as bookbindings in the 16th and 17th century. They came from Italy as well as from Ashkenaz and Sepharad. Why were they abused and recycled in such way and what exactly is their provenance? After answering these and other questions, the public may browse reproductions and publications produced by the Italian Association for Jewish Studies. For further information on the history of the Jews of Emilia Romagna see “Backgrounder.” Prof. Perani will also address a group of students on October 12 at the Jewish Theological Seminary. BOLOGNA’S TALES OF LIFE 7:15 pm – Admission by invitation and open to 6:00 pm program ticket holders only Mr. Stefano D'Aquino, Bologna Turismo, Municipality of Bologna Jewish itineraries, monuments, and historical sites in Emilia Romagna. An Overview. Dr. Lucio Pardo, President, Jewish Community of Bologna In 1748 Beniamino Di Israeli moved from Bologna to London to tend to family business. One century later, his grandson Benjamin became Prime Minister of England. Dr. Pardo will share this and other fascinating stories of Italian Jewry from Roman times to the present. Dr. Pardo’s impressive knowledge of the family stories, the anecdotes, and the historical and cultural contributions of the Jews of Emilia adds a humanistic and personal dimension to this event. For further information on the history of the Jews of Emilia Romagna see “Backgrounder.” FESTIVE TASTING OF REGIONAL JEWISH DELICACIES 8:15 pm – A Wine and appetizer Tasting of Regional Jewish Delicacies from Bologna With participation from La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese, in collaboration with Va Bene, NY

Instructions

Welcome! Below you will find links to files relating to the upcoming reading at the Center for Jewish History, sponsored in collaboration with the Centro Culturale Primo Levi. To view the documents, just click on the links below. To save the pdf file to your computer's hard drive, either right click on the link and scroll down to "save target as" for pc users; or just click on the link and once the file opens, save a copy.

Images for Download

Files

More About the Italian Genizah

Press Release for Cities of Art, Treasures of History

Press Contact

Michael Glickman
Director of Public Affairs
Center for Jewish History
Phone: 212-294-8303
e-mail

About the Centro Culturale Primo Levi

The Centro Culturale Primo Levi joined the Center for Jewish History in June 2003. The Centro Culturale is an offspring of the Genoa-based organization of the same name and is dedicated to creating a growing, dynamic and contemporary context for Italian-Jewish studies in North America. The organization will function as a department of Italian studies at the Center and will provide a U.S. based interface and access point for the archives and libraries of all the Italian-Jewish communities, including the Central Library of the Jewish Communities of Italy.

About the Center for Jewish History

The Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, is home to five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Each share a common vision to preserve and present Jewish culture and history, and to create a meeting place where intellectual inquiries may be exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, artworks, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs, visit www.cjh.org.

Oct 3, 2004: Admission: $20.00/$15.00 for students, seniors and groups of 15 or more Reservations required. Seating is limited Box Office: 917-606-8200 I CAN CRY A Theatrical Documentary by Renowned Israeli Filmmaker Miri Ben-Shalom “…the concept of a theatrical documentary – an on stage first-hand recollection integrated with documentary footage is absolutely striking and even beautiful… “Maurice Sendak “A powerful memory piece comes alive. A work of art and heartbreak”-Back Stage, NY Sunday, October 3, 2004 at 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM Tuesday, October 5, 2004 at 7:30 PM Sponsored by Centro Culturale Primo Levi at the Center for Jewish History New York, NY—September 21, 2004 – The Centro Culturale Primo Levi at the Center for Jewish History and Home to Homeland Inc. present I Can Cry, by Miri Ben Shalom, a multi-media production, with integrated documentary footage from the archives YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Holocaust Museum. There will be three performances: Sunday October 3 at 3:00 and 7:30 PM and Tuesday, October 5, 2004 at 7:30 PM at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. I Can Cry, is an inspiring true story staged by Israeli film and theater director, Miri Ben Shalom. Seventy-year-old Ester re-lives her journey of survival during the Holocaust via her younger self. Together they recall and experience the six years of horror, strength and hope, to a climatic, joyful end. The production tells a story of millions through one poignant odyssey. With: Kathy Searle (Young Ester), Barbara Bleier (Ester), Lance Spellerberg (German Officer). Co-Directed by: Harvey Stein and Miri Ben-Shalom Playwright Miri Ben Shalom has been a documentary filmmaker and editor for over 20 years. She is an Academy Award nominee, a Telly Award recipient, a US International Film & Video Festival winner and received a 1998 National Headliners Award. She has been working for CBS, NBC, CTW, Israeli TV, and Court TV, as well as many independent productions. This is her first theatrical work. For further information and production photographs, contact: Miri Ben-Shalom - miribenshalom@yahoo.com / www.icancry.org / 212-242-3296.

Instructions

Welcome! Below you will find links to files relating to the upcoming reading at the Center for Jewish History, sponsored in collaboration with the Centro Culturale Primo Levi. To view the documents, just click on the links below. To save the pdf file to your computer's hard drive, either right click on the link and scroll down to "save target as" for pc users; or just click on the link and once the file opens, save a copy.

Images for Download

Files

Press Release for I Can Cry

About the Centro Culturale Primo Levi

The Centro Culturale Primo Levi joined the Center for Jewish History in June 2003, under the umbrella of the American Sephardi Federation. The Centro Culturale is an offspring of the Genoa-based organization of the same name and is dedicated to creating a growing, dynamic and contemporary context for Italian-Jewish studies in North America. The organization will function as a department of Italian studies at the Center and will provide a U.S. based interface and access point for the archives and libraries of all the Italian-Jewish communities, including the Central Library of the Jewish Communities of Italy.

About the Center for Jewish History

The Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, is home to five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Each share a common vision to preserve and present Jewish culture and history, and to create a meeting place where intellectual inquiries may be exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, artworks, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs, visit www.cjh.org.

About Home to Homeland Inc.

From Home to Homeland, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to promote understanding of the malevolence of anti-Semitism, bigotry and racism through the performing arts. We strive to increase awareness of the consequences of racial prejudice, religious persecution and hatred in an effort to help prevent the horrors of intolerance, oppression and genocide - that are sadly still occurring today. ###

Sep 22, 2004: Admission: $10.00/$5.00 for students Reservations required. Seating is limited Box Office: 917-606-8200 JEWS & JUSTICE SERIES Religious Controversy in the 2004 Presidential Campaign from the Jewish Perspectives A Response from Jewish Leaders on the National Debate of Stem Cell Research, Same-Sex Marriage, and Government Funding to Faith Based Social Services Wednesday, September 22, 2004 at 7:00 PM Sponsored by American Jewish Historical Society New York, NY—September 22, 2004 –The Center for Jewish History and American Jewish Historical Society will present Religious Controversy in the Presidential Campaign from Jewish Perspectives, on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Curated by Professor Russell G. Pearce, Fordham University School of Law, and is made possible with a generous grant from the David Berg Foundation. A panel of influential leaders from the world of media, religion, and academia, will present the perspectives of the Jewish community on the controversial religious and social issues that have become major topics for debate in the 2004 presidential election. Among issues to be discussed are: the emergence of religious organizations in organizing political campaigns, the disappearing boundary between church and state, same-sex marriage, the government’s role in stem cell research, and its funding of faith-based social services. Joining the discussion are: Albert Vorspan is Senior Vice-President Emeritus of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) and former Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. Mr. Vorspan played a key role to the founding of the Religious Action Center (RAC) in Washington D.C. Mr. Vorspan also serves as a consultant to both the UAHC and RAC and is the author of several books on Judaism, social justice and Jewish humor including Jewish Dimensions of Social Justice, with Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center. Mr. Vorspan presently serves as a representative of the UAHC to the United Nations. J.J. Goldberg is Editor-in-Chief of the Forward, the national newsweekly published in association with the legendary Jewish Daily Forward. An award-winning journalist, author and lecturer, he has covered the politics and culture of the Middle East and the Jewish world for more than two decades. William Rapfogel is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. Mr. Rapfogel also served as Executive Director of the Institute for Public Affairs of the Orthodox Union, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Region of the American Jewish Congress; and Assistant Comptroller under New York City Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin, during the Koch administration. Hannah Rosenthal is the Executive Director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the national community relations and public policy arm of the organized Jewish community. In 1995, President Clinton appointed Ms. Rosenthal to be Midwest Regional Director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services in Chicago, a post she held for 5 years. The Jews & Justice series is also co-sponsored by the Fordham University Law School’s Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics and Cardozo’s Program In Jewish Law and Interdisciplinary Studies. For further information, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. About the American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892, the American Jewish Historical Society collects, preserves, publishes, exhibits and makes available materials of every kind documenting the Jewish experience in America to serve scholars, writers, students, genealogists and members of the media; publishes books and a scholarly journal; and offers public lectures and programs. Among the Society’s most significant holdings is the original handwritten manuscript of Emma Lazarus’s sonnet, “The New Colossus,” which now adorns the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. It is a founding partner of the Center for Jewish History and founding member of the National Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, is home to five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Each share a common vision to preserve and present Jewish culture and history, and to create a meeting place where intellectual inquiries may be exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, artworks, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs, visit www.cjh.org. ###

Sep 22, 2004: LIVE! Simulcasts of High Quality Cultural and Educational Programs Offered at Low-Cost to the Jewish Community Service Available to Academic, Religious, and Cultural Institutions Nationwide First “live” event “Radical Poetic Practice,” starts new series on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 New York City, September 22, 2004 -- The Center for Jewish History in New York City launches LIVE! FROM THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY, a new videoconferencing service available to academic, religious and cultural institutions nationwide. High quality, professionally produced programs ranging from lectures to literary evenings to symposia to concerts, attracting a wide range of constituents, will allow audience members to participate in lively and stimulating events to be followed question and answer sessions. Tune in to exciting, innovative, cultural, and educational programs originating from the Center’s Leo and Julia P. Forchheimer auditorium and held in conjunction with its five partner organizations. A unique service to the Jewish community at large, the Center is offering programs to locally based groups that would normally cost a sponsoring organizations thousands of dollars in artists’ fees, transportation, lodging, and production costs. The Center for Jewish History houses state-of-the-art equipment and can transmit to any institution with a T-1 connection at the nominal cost of $250 per program. For further information, contact Rachel Chodorov, Project Consultant at 212-294-8313 or email: rchodorov@cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History (www.cjh.org) is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people, serving the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research that share a common commitment to the preservation and presentation of Jewish culture and history. The Center also houses a Reading Room and offers Genealogy Workshops to those interested in studying their ancestral background. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York City 10011; general information, 212-294-8301.

Sep 21, 2004: Secular Jewish Culture/Radical Poetic Practice A Public Forum with Paul Auster, Charles Bernstein, Kathryn Hellerstein, Marjorie Perloff, Jerome Rothenberg and Stephen Paul Miller Tuesday, September 21, 2004, 7 pm Editor’s Note: “…Radical Poetic Practice” launches Live! From the Center for Jewish History, a new videoconferencing service available to academic, religious and cultural institutions nationwide. To date, joining the Center’s panelists will be audience members from the University of Minnesota, Notre Dame University and the University of Utah. New York, NY – September 7, 2004 – An unusual lively and stimulating discussion on Secular Jewish Culture/Radical Poetic Practice will be held on Tuesday, September 21 with a panel of well-known academics and writers. This event is sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, N.Y. Admission: $10; tickets can be obtained from www.ticketweb.com or the Box office: 917-606-8200. The role of the Jewish American writer has been pivotal to the 20th century American literary landscape. Writers and poets, especially in post World War II, have been widely recognized for their extraordinary contributions to the social, political, and cultural fabric of American life. Questions to be debated by the panelists will range from: What is the relation of Jewish modernist and contemporary poets to their historical contemporaries? What is radical Jewish culture? Joining the discussion are: Paul Auster, a critically acclaimed writer both here and abroad, his most recent books are Oracle Night and Collected Poems. His film credits include Smoke, Blue in the Face, and Pandora’s Box. Charles Bernstein is the author of over twenty books of poetry and criticism, most recently With Strings and My Way: Speeches and Poems. He is a professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. Kathryn Hellerstein is the Ruth Meltzer Senior Lecturer in Yiddish and Jewish Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Hellerstein is a translator and scholar of Yiddish poetry and a major contributor to American Yiddish Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology. Marjorie Perloff is Professor of English at Stanford University, Emerita. Ms. Perloff is the incoming President of the Modern Language Association. Recognized as one of the most respected and influential critics of modernist and contemporary American poetry, she has just published The Vienna Paradox, her memoir of Vienna, the Anschluss and coming to America. Jerome Rothenberg is the author of over sixty books of poetry including Khurbn and Poland/1931 and the editor of one of the most important anthologies of Jewish writings, A Big Jewish Book (or, the abridged version, Exiled in the World). Mr. Rothenberg is also the editor of a two-volume global anthology of 20th century poetry, Poems for the Millenium (co-edited with Pierre Joris). Stephen Paul Miller is the author of The Seventies Now and Art is Boring for the Same Reason We Stayed Out of Vietnam. Mr. Miller is the co-editor of The Scene of My Selves: New Work on the New York School Poets. Miller is an Associate Professor of English at St. John’s University in New York City. For more information on how to participate in the videoconferencing of the event on September 21st, 2004, contact Rachel Chodorov at 212-294-8313 or e-mail rchodorov@cjh.org. Participating organizations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. For further inquires or interviews with the participants, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. For information on Live! From the Center for Jewish History, contact Rachel Chodorov at 212-580-9688. About the American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892, the American Jewish Historical Society collects, preserves, publishes, exhibits and makes available materials of every kind documenting the Jewish experience in America to serve scholars, writers, students, genealogists and members of the media; publishes books and a scholarly journal; and offers public lectures and programs. Among the Society’s most significant holdings is the original handwritten manuscript of Emma Lazarus’s sonnet, “The New Colossus,” which now adorns the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. It is a founding partner of the Center for Jewish History and founding member of the National Commission for Commemorating 350 Years of American Jewish History. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the historic Chelsea district, is home to five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Each share a common vision to preserve and present Jewish culture and history, and to create a meeting place where intellectual inquiries may be exchanged and freely explored, and where the general public can find cultural programs devoted to a wide variety of themes and concerns. The combined holdings of the Center’s partners include over 100 million documents, books, artworks, artifacts, photos, and other materials, making the Center the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside the State of Israel. For current information and a schedule of programs, visit www.cjh.org. ###

Aug 29, 2004: BASEBALL HALL OF FAME IN COOPERSTOWN HOSTS “A CELEBRATION OF JEWISH BASEBALL PLAYERS,” AUGUST 29-30 Festivities Kick-Off “Pioneers, Superstars and Journeymen: American Jewish Baseball Players, 1882-2004” An Exhibition on view from September 7 – December 26, 2004 Sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History Cooperstown, NY—July 12, 2004 – The National Baseball Hall of Fame will host a historic gathering to celebrate the contribution of Jewish baseball players in Major League Baseball from Sunday, August 29th to Monday, August 30th, 2004, in Cooperstown, New York. The weekend of lively panel discussions, films, contests, book signings, and clinics will take place one week before the opening of “Pioneers, Superstars and Journeymen: American Jewish Baseball Players, 1882-2004, at the American Jewish Historical Society, the nation’s oldest and foremost Society dedicated to collecting, preserving and documenting the 350 year story of Jews in America. “As in many walks of American life, our numbers may have not been great, but our contributions were many,” stated Dr. Michael Feldberg, Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society. The exhibition will be on view from September 7 to December 26, 2004 at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street; New York, NY, admission is free. A private reception for supporters and players will be held in October to coincide with the World Series. It will subsequently travel to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and to the Slifka Center at Yale University. The idea for this unusual weekend gathering - A Celebration of Jewish Baseball Players -- was inspired by a set of baseball cards produced by Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc. especially for the American Jewish Historical Society. The card set, which is nearly sold-out, salutes the 142 Jewish players (now 143) in baseball history. It is their first collective recognition. There are 10 active Jewish players - Brad Ausmus of Houston, John Grabow of Pittsburgh, Shawn Green of Los Angeles, Gabe Kapler of Boston, Al Levine of Detroit, Mike Lieberthal of Philadelphia, Jason Marquis of St. Louis, Scott Schoeneweis of the Chicago White Sox, Justin Wayne of Florida and Kevin Youkilis of Boston. Funding for A Celebration of Jews in Baseball is derived from revenue of card sales and the American Jewish Historical Society. Information on purchasing the card set is available at www.AJHS.org or by calling 866-740-8013. Among former baseball players and media personalities to appear are: Ken Holtzman, Norm Sherry, Mike Epstein, Richie Scheinblum, Ron Blomberg, Bob Tufts, Elliott Maddox, Joe Ginsberg and ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap. A panel of particular interest will be one called "The Koufax Legacy," featuring Sandy Koufax biographer Jane Leavy, Norm Sherry who is credited with helping to turn Koufax's career around while serving as his catcher, and Ken Holtzman, a contemporary of Sandy's and a pitcher who was inspired by Koufax's career. "We are proud to serve as hosts for this unique and educational series of programs," noted Dale Petroskey, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. As an educational institution that connects generations every day, the Museum will serve as an appropriate and wonderful venue for what will surely be two entertaining and informative days." The two-day celebration is open to the public; panels and youth clinic (at the Clark Recreation Center) are offered as part of the regular Hall of Fame admission Information on reserving seats can be obtained from the Hall of Fame's membership office at (607) 547-0397. Information on purchasing tickets for the Sunday evening reception and banquet can be obtained by emailing BaseballJews@aol.com. ###

Aug 3, 2004: GREAT NIGHTS IN THE GREAT HALL SUMMER AT THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY Bring Friends, Informal Setting, Drinks and Food AUGUST 2004 at 7:30 PM $8/$4 for students Snack bar, wine and beer Tuesday, AUGUST 31: Mr. Uri Charlin, piano

Aug 1, 2004: SALE DATE CHANGED TO AUGUST 1 ARRIVAL OF NEW MERCHANDISE REMODELING SALE EVERYTHING MUST GO! The Book Store at the Center for Jewish History 50% Off On A Large Collection of Judaica Books, Menorahs, Sabbath Candlesticks, Greeting Cards, and Handcrafted Jewelry Designed by Prominent Artists New York, NY – July 26, 2004 -- The Center, at 15 West 16th Street, is conveniently located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in the historic district of Chelsea. Beginning Sunday, August 1st, 2004, the bookstore located in the lobby of the Center for Jewish History, will hold a remodeling sale prior to a temporary closing in late summer. A grand re-opening will be announced. Scholarly and contemporary works -- books, menorahs, Sabbath candlesticks, greeting cards, jewelry -- many exclusive to the store -- as well as other Judaica items are being offered at a first time summer sale uniquely priced at 50% off. About the Center for Jewish History Opened in 2000, the Center for Jewish History, designed by the nationally prominent Beyer Blinder Belle, resides in a series of five connected brownstones that were woven together to house the historical collections and archives – over 100 million documents -- of five distinguished institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. It showcases memorabilia, art, and artifacts in beautiful galleries and exhibition halls and offers a state-of-the-art auditorium for performance, lectures, conferences, and film screenings. The Center also serves as a place for the free exchange and exploration of intellectual inquiries and presents over 200 innovative cultural programs and exhibitions that attract nearly 50,000 visitors annually. For further information contact: Eric Katzman, 212- 294-8352, Public Relations Department at the Center for Jewish History. ###

Jul 15, 2004: 19 LOCAL TEENS AWARDED FELLOWSHIP TO DISCOVER THEIR FAMILY HERITAGE Innovative Education Program Offered Under the Auspices of the Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society July 12th-July 30th, 2004 New York, NY – July 9th, 2004 -- The Samberg Family History Program, a unique research opportunity especially designed for high school students, began its second year on July 12 and runs through July 30. Developed by The Center for Jewish History Genealogy Institute and The American Jewish Historical Society, the Samberg Family History Program offers young people an exciting combination of workshops, lectures, field trips, and evening cultural events. With the rich, 350-year-long Jewish History of New York City as a backdrop, students learn to enhance their research skills while uncovering their family’s roots. The 19 Samberg High School Fellows hail from four out of the five boroughs, Long Island and New Jersey. Each will work side-by-side with scholars, curators, and professional genealogists to conduct independent research and make use of the Center’s vast library and archival collections. The three-week program encourages students to conduct oral history interviews with family members, and to collect and preserve family documents, photographs, and mementos. As students work on their individual family history projects, they also learn to “follow the paper trail” of government, religious, and private records housed in a variety of repositories around the City. Student field trips will include visits to the New York Municipal Archives, the National Archives and Ellis Island on Wednesday, July 14th, and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and Eldridge Street Synagogue on Wednesday, July 21st. To explore the history of the Jewish Labor Movement and the impact of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, students will visit the site of the 1911 fire, the Wagner Labor Archives at NYU, and Mount Zion Cemetery on Friday, July 23rd. Students will also encounter some of the diversity of Jewish heritage through visits to the Janina Greek Synagogue on Monday, July 19th and the Bukharian Jewish community in Forest Hills on Wednesday, July 28th. About the Samberg Family Foundation Founded in 1996 as a New York State trust, the Samberg Family Foundation funds the Samberg Family History Program as an innovative project related to Jewish identity and community development. To learn more about the Samberg Family History Program, visit www.cjh.org/family/samberg. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the Chelsea, is home to five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, that share a common commitment to the preservation and presentation of Jewish culture and history. Unique in its purpose, the rich holdings of Center’s partner institutions include over 100 million objects, ranging from precious books and artifacts to photographs, paintings, and textiles. The Center also serves as a meeting place for the free exchange and exploration of intellectual inquiries as well as a public venue in presenting over 200 innovative cultural programs and exhibitions per year attracting more than 50,000 visitors. For a schedule of exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and literary evenings, visit www.cjh.org. About the American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892 as a membership organization, research library, archives and museum, the American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. The Society was the first systematic collector of archival, published and artifactual sources depicting the religious, communal, cultural and political life of American Jewry, and the ways in which that community has contributed to the wider society. Often referred to as the "national archives" of American Jewry, its holdings are the preeminent resource for scholars, students, genealogists, curators, filmmakers and publishers who want to document American Jewish life from the 1500’s to the present. ###

Jun 22, 2004: JEWS & JUSTICE SERIES Tolerance In A Global World: The Perspectives of Religious Traditions Moderator Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn and Prominent Academics David Berger, Elaine Pagels, and Abdulaziz Sachedina Debate the Role of Religion Tuesday, June 22, 2004 at 7:30 PM Co-sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society and the Center for Jewish History New York, NY—June 3rd, 2004 – The Jews & Justice series, co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society present “Tolerance: The Perspectives of Religious Traditions,” on Tuesday, June 22, 2004 at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Curated by Professor Suzanne Last Stone, Professor of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, this series is made possible with a generous grant from the David Berg Foundation. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, with the rise of both religious fundamentalism and global terror, tolerance can no longer be discussed solely as a political issue. A re-examination of religious doctrines and traditions can and will play an increasingly critical role to developing arguments and resources for tolerance. Tolerance: The Perspectives of Religious Traditions will feature a panel of influential religious thinkers who will present varied viewpoints: David Berger, the Broeklundian Professor of History, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York; Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn, Adjunct Professor of Jewish Thought, Seton Hall University; Elaine Pagels, Professor of Religion, Princeton University and Professor Abdulaziz Sachedina, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia. For further information, contact Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. About the American Jewish Historical Society Located at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, the American Jewish Historical Society also has a branch on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts. The American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has documented the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field and its programs and exhibitions are considered among the finest on the history and culture of American Jews. Center for Jewish History With its opening in 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the Chelsea area, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions—the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, that share a common commitment to the preservation and presentation of Jewish culture and history. Unique in its purpose, the rich holdings of Center’s partner institutions include over 100 million objects, ranging from precious books and artifacts to photographs, paintings, and textiles. The Lillian Goldman Reading Room used by academics and the general public, combines the ambience of a traditional library with state-of-the-art technology. The Center also serves as a meeting place for the free exchange and exploration of intellectual inquiries as well as a public venue in presenting over 200 innovative cultural programs and exhibitions per year attracting more than 50,000 visitors. For a schedule of exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and literary evenings, visit www.cjh.org. Participant biographies: David Berger is the Broeklundian Professor of History at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is a Fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research, Chair of the American Section of the International Association of Societies for the Study of Jewish History, Co-chair of the Academic Advisory Committee of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, and former President of the Association for Jewish Studies. He is the author of The Jewish-Christian Debate in the High Middle Ages, which was awarded the John Nicholas Brown Prize by the Medieval Academy of America, and co-author of Judaism's Encounter with Other Cultures: Rejection or Integration?, which was a Finalist for the Jewish Book Award in Jewish Thought. His most recent book is The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference. Eugene Korn is Adjunct Professor of Jewish Thought at Seton Hall University and editor of The Edah Journal--A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse. He earned a doctorate in moral philosophy from Columbia University and was ordained by the Israeli Rabbinate. He was previously the National Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League and a Senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He has taught at both Columbia and Yeshiva Universities. He has published numerous scholarly articles on religious ethics, is currently writing a book on the significance of the concept of the Image of God in Jewish tradition, and editing a book on Jewish-Christian relations. Suzanne Last Stone is the curator of the Jews & Justice series. Ms. Last Stone is a Professor of Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia University Law School and was a Danforth Fellow in Jewish History and Classical Religions at Yale University. Professor Stone has published and lectured extensively on a wide variety of topics related to the intersection of Jewish religious and legal thought with contemporary legal theory. She will be visiting professor of law at the Harvard Law School next year, as a regular visitor in the fall and as the Gruss Professor of Jewish Law in the spring. Elaine Pagels joined the Princeton faculty in 1982, shortly after receiving a MacArthur Fellowship. Perhaps best known as the author of The Gnostic Gospels, The Origin of Satan, and Adam, Eve and the Serpent, she has published widely on Gnosticism and early Christianity, and continues to pursue research interests in late antiquity. Her most recent book, published in May 2003, “Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas,” has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 19 weeks and has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Professor Abdulaziz Sachedina is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. His MA/PhD is from the University of Toronto, and has BA degrees from Aligarh Muslim University in India and Ferdowsi University in Iran. He contributed to Human Rights and the Conflict of Cultures: Western and Islamic Perspectives on Religious Liberty (University of South Carolina Press, 1988) and has authored Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001). He is presently working on a major study on Islamic Biomedical Ethics (forthcoming, 2005). ###

Jun 16, 2004: DIASPORA: HOMELANDS IN EXILE BY FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER FRÉDÉRIC BRENNER EXHIBITION OPENS AT UN HEADQUARTERS JUNE 15, 2004 AT 6:00 PM New York, NY-- June 16th, 2004 – Since the establishment of the United Nations in 1945 and the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the international community has made some important advances in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. National and international laws have been enacted and numerous international human rights instruments, particularly a treaty to ban racial discrimination, have been adopted. Yet, the dream of a world free of racial hatred and bias remains only partially fulfilled. Among the different occurrences of intolerance around the world, anti-Semitism is one of the oldest, having existed for over two thousand years. In recent years, discrimination against Jews as a religious or ethnic group has increased across Europe. Although not confined to Europe alone, this disturbing pattern has included physical assaults on individuals, fire-bombings, window smashing and vandalism of Jewish homes, schools, cemeteries, synagogues, and other community institutions. Diaspora: Homelands in Exile by French photographer Frédéric Brenner is being displayed in conjunction with the seminar "Confronting anti-Semitism: Education for Tolerance and Understanding," which is scheduled to take place at the United Nations on June 21st, 2004. From Rome to New York, from India to Yemen, from Buenos Aires to Bukhara, from Morocco to Ethiopia and from Sarajevo to Vilna, Frédéric Brenner has been chronicling the Jewish Diaspora in over forty countries on five continents. The approximately 80,000 images he has taken comprise the most extensive and diverse record of Jewish life ever created by a single individual. Trained as a social anthropologist, Frédéric Brenner uses a camera to document Jewish people living in Diaspora, scattered around the world. He began his journey in 1978 in the orthodox community in Jerusalem, and then embarked on a quest that took him to over forty-five countries in twenty-five years -- a journey that, in many ways, mirrors that of the Jewish people. The black-and-white portraits in this exhibition challenge any preconceived notions of Jewishness: what a Jewish person looks like; where a Jewish person lives; indeed, the very meaning of Jewish identity. The Department of Public Information's Educational Outreach Section, through the Cyberschoolbus, http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/, has produced a general introduction to human rights for schools, including an in-depth focus on ethnic and racial discrimination, while the UN Chronicle magazine's print and online editions http://www.un.org/chronicle, continues to stimulate informed discussion on global issues, including those relating to discrimination and human rights. The Section's UN Works Programme has also worked with RCN Entertainment and Showtime Networks on a television series, “What's Going On?” http://www.un.org/works/about/wgo, to promote a message of tolerance, going to the origins of critical global problems and putting a human face on them and their possible resolution. Peter A. Geffen, the Center's Executive Director says, "Brenner's photographs create a spiritual humanism through which we may appreciate the enormous diversity of the Jewish people. This exhibit brings the Jewish Diaspora to life with Jews on every continent, speaking virtually every language, and of every color of skin, appearing together in a fascinating pictorial journey of the past 25 years." In 2000, the Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of the Chelsea area, became the home of five distinguished partner institutions--the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, that joined together to share a commitment to the preservation and presentation of Jewish culture and history. For information, visit www.cjh.org. This exhibition is sponsored through a special grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation and facilitated by the Center for Jewish History and is organized by the UN Department of Public Information and the Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York. FREE ADMISSION: Open to the public Monday through Sunday, 9:15 am to 4:45 PM, June 16th through July 9th, 2004 at United Nations Headquarters, Visitors Lobby, First Avenue at East 46th Street, New York. For more information about the exhibition, call 212-963-8531 or 963-1176 or visit the website: www.un.org/events/UNART. For a calendar of current exhibitions and guided tours, call 212-963-TOUR. ###

Jun 3, 2004: MONDAY NIGHT FILM SERIES AT THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY Films to Explore Two Themes: Expression and Exploration: Paths of Jewish Artists and Lens on Canadian Jewry Monday, March 1st, 2004-Monday, June 14th, 2004 FILM DETAILS New York, NY – February 8, 2004— The film series for Spring 2004 at the Center for Jewish History will present films that explores two themes – Expression and Exploration: Paths of Jewish Artists and Lens on Canadian Jewry. The film series runs from Monday, March 1st through Monday, June 14th, 2004. All films are $8.00/$4.00 for students and seniors, except for the film on June 7th, which asks for a suggested donation of $8.00/$4.00 for students and seniors. All films begin at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit www.cjh.org, or call the box office at(917) 606-8200. MONDAY, MARCH 29, 7 PM Kurt Gerrons Karussell Ilona Ziok's musical documentary film is a celebration of the talents and achievements of a man who lived - and died - for show business. Berlin 1928: Kurt Gerron sings Mack The Knife on stage for the very first time, which proves to be the biggest break of his career. He moves effortlessly into sound, starring alongside Marlene Dietrich as the magician in the legendary film The Blue Angel. By 1933, with the rise of Nazism, he is forced to emigrate. First to Paris, and later to Amsterdam where he becomes one of the most important directors of Dutch cinema. Rounded up in Amsterdam, he is deported to Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. Here, in the so-called VIP camp, he directs his own cabaret The Karussell. Director: Ilona Ziok, 1999, (65 mins.), German and English w/English subtitles. Speaker: Ilona Ziok, director. Sponsored by Leo Baeck Institute. MONDAY, APRIL 19, 7 PM A.M. Klein: The Poet as Landscape The personality of the century’s leading Anglo-Jewish poet, A.M. Klein (1909-1972) is revealed through interviews, selections from his writings, and his film footage. Klein’s consciousness is explored, fromhis childhood memories of Montreal’s Jewish district, through the turmoil of World War II, to the tragic silence that overtook him in his later years. Director: David Kaufman, Canada, 1976, (58 mins.). Sponsored by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Street An animated film based on a short story by Mordecai Richler. Winner of 2nd place in the list of the world’s 50 best animated films (Animation Olympics, Los Angeles, 1984.) Director: Caroline Leaf, 1974, (10 mins.) and Autobiographical by A.M. Klein The poet’s view of Montreal, as revealed in his verse, read by Alexander Scourby. Director: Richard Notkin, 1970, (10 mins.) Speaker: Prof. Zailig Pollock, Professor of English Literature, Trent University, Ontario MONDAY, APRIL 26, 7 PM (ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE DAY) Shalom of Safed “Shalom`s art represents…a unique blend between a literary tradition — the Hasidic heritage and the mystical lore of the Kabala — and the artist`s sensitivity to the light and landscape of the Galilee.” – Daniel Doron, collector and patron. This lovely film is an exploration of themes and influences in the paintings of Shalom of Safed (1887-1980). Born Shalom Moskovitz, his great grandparents came from Eastern Europe to Eretz Yisrael sometime in the 18th Century. A watchmaker by trade, his workshop was destroyed, and his tools lost, during the War for Independence in 1948. As he entered his 70`s, he became one of the most original Israeli artists of the 20th Century -- a primitive artist who created a large body of paintings devoted to the Torah and Jewish life. Director and Producer: Daniel Doron and Arnold Eagle, 1969, (30 mins.) Speaker: TBA. and Altermania Thirty years after his death, Natan Alterman is the most widely read poet in Israel. Altermania looks at Alterman as seen by those who knew, friends and enemies, and by those born after his death. The film incorporates archival footage, poems and songs that have become permanent fixtures of Israeli culture. Director: Eli Cohen/Zvi Shefi, Michal Avraham, 2001, Israel, Hebrew with English subtitles, (90 mins.) Speaker: TBA. Sponsored by Yeshiva University Museum. MONDAY, MAY 3, 7 PM Berlin’s Jewish Museum: A Personal Tour with Daniel Libeskind Berlin’s Jewish Museum is Daniel Libeskind’s first commission. In this personal tour, filmed prior to the installation of exhibitions, Libeskind is questioned by Alan Riding, NY Times journalist, as he takes him through the building. To arrive in the Jewish Museum, visitors must enter through the 18thcentury building and then descend to underground passageways and “voids”, which in themselves give a strong sense of the tragic fate of the German-Jewish population during the Hitler years. Director: Michael Blackwood, 2000, (58 mins.) Sponsored by Leo Baeck Institute. and Louis Kahn: Silence and Light An examination of six of Mr. Kahn’s most significant buildings: The Salk Institute in La Jolla, the Kimbell Art Museum in Forth Worth, the Center for British Art in New Haven, the library at Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, and the Parliament Buildings of Bangladesh in Dhaka. Director: Michael Blackwood, 1995, (58 mins.) Sponsored by American Jewish Historical Society and Yeshiva University Museum. MONDAY, MAY 10, 7 PM Joshua Then and Now Forty years in the life of a popular Canadian novelist provides a novel look at Montreal Jewry. Joshua Shapiro is a writer facing scandal who is forced to take a serious look at his life and work. A compelling drama seasoned with comedy. Based on the book by Mordecai Richler. Staring James Woods, Gabrielle Lazure, Michael Sarrazin and Alan Arkin. Director: Ted Kotcheff, 1986, (102 mins.) Speaker: Prof. Norm Ravvin, Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies at Concordia University, Montreal. Sponsored by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. MONDAY, MAY 24, 7 PM The Possessed Pearl Lang’s choreographed work of Sholom Ansky’s Yiddish classic “The Dybbuk” with an evocative score by Meyer Kupferman, incorporates klezmer, Hebrew songs and chants. The cinematic version (completed in 2001 after 12 years of work) is notable for its use of cinematic techniques to heighten the drama. Dance Magazine calls the cinematic version "luminous," and Lang herself dances the role of Leya. Director/Choreographer: Pearl Lang, 2001, (63 mins.) Speaker: Pearl Lang, director. MONDAY, JUNE 7, 7 PM Suggested Donation: $8; $4 for students and seniors Robert Capa: In Love and War Hungarian-American photographer, Robert Capa (1913-1954), was born Andre Friedmann in Budapest in 1913. Celebrated as the “Greatest War Photographer in the World,” Capa recorded five wars, beginning with the Spanish Civil War of 1936. It was during this conflict that he achieved fame with his heartbreaking photograph, Falling Soldier, capturing the death of a Spanish freedom fighter at the moment of the bullet's impact. Capa went on to photograph several of the major battles of WWII, including D-day. Director: Richard Whelan, 2002, (90 mins.) and Masters of Photography: Diane Arbus “There are things which nobody would see unless I photographed them,” said Diane Arbus (1923–1971). Born Diane Nemerov, Ms. Arbus was one of the most notable woman photographers of the 20th century, and found most of her subjects in New York City and its environs during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1972, Diane Arbus was the first American photographer to be exhibited at the Venice Biennale. (30 mins.) Sponsored by American Jewish Historical Society and Yeshiva University Museum. MONDAY, JUNE 14, 7 PM Jazzman of the Gulag This is a fantastic biography of a little-known musical genius whose inspiring gift to the world of music and Jazz could not be silenced. Trumpet player, Adolph Eddie Rosner was a Polish Jew born in Berlin in 1910. He discovered jazz at the age of 15, and by 19 came in second to Louis Armstrong in a music competition in Chicago. His hot style of music had him touring all over Europe until 1939 when the Nazis invaded Warsaw. He was persecuted as a Jew, and as a “degenerate” jazz musician. Together with his wife he fled to the Soviet Union, where he was made conductor/bandleader of the official Soviet Jazz Orchestra based in Moscow. He toured Russia, playing to packed houses as World War II raged. Eventually he fell out of favor, was exiled to Siberia, yet continued to play and form yet another orchestra. Director: Pierre-Henry Salfati, France, 1999, (58 mins.) English and Russian with English subtitles. Speaker: TBA. Sponsored by Leo Baeck Institute. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Jun 3, 2004: Mene: The Other Modigliani: A Life for Peace and Democracy at the Center for Jewish History May 16-September 1, 2004 Presented by the Centro Culturale Primo Levi and the Italian National Archives in Rome New York City, May 13 -- The Center for Jewish History and the Centro Culturale Primo Levi in collaboration with the Italian National Archives will open a documentary exhibit of Giuseppe Emanuele (Mene) Modigliani, one of Italy's earliest socialist and union leaders to be elected to Parliament and younger brother of the legendary modernist painter Amedeo Modigliani. The exhibit will open May 16 and be on view through September 1, 2004 at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street, New York City. Admission is free. Through a series of beautiful photographs, posters, correspondence with prominent thinkers, as well as personal diaries, the exhibit highlights the cultural, political, and social climate in which the brothers were raised, and will examine the contributions of Jewish intellectuals whose influence from 1860 to 1920 were especially pivotal to the formation of the State of Italy. Born in Livorno, a town with a predominantly Jewish population, the Modigliani family were well-to-do Jews of Sephardic descent. Graduating with a law degree, Mene became an advocate of education and welfare reform for the advancement of society, a director of a reformist newspaper, and was subsequently appointed president of the Glassworkers Union. He secured the first national union contract in the history of Italy, and in 1913 was elected to Parliament. In later years he was asked by Luigi Antonini and David Dubinsky, the brilliant labor leader and president of the Ladies Garment Workers Union (Local 89) to visit and lecture in the United States on the extreme dangers of Nazi and Fascist policies. Mene's staunch views and insights as well as his accomplishments in labor negotiations were such that between 1928 and 1938, he was a regular contributor to the American socialist magazine The New Leader. Sophisticated, with international connections to world political leaders, Mene and his wife Vera were chief among a group of Italian intellectuals whose views and writings were incorporated into the constitution of 1948. A writer and lecturer of anti-war manifestos and a radical pacifist, Mene, with the advent of World War I, joined other European intellectuals and political figures in the Zimmerwald Conference, to voice their strong and vehement opposition to the horrors of war and openly articulated diplomatic alternatives. In 1926, Mene, seeing the injustices and restrictions on civil liberties imposed by Mussolini, and being prescient of what was becoming a fierce and rapid rise of fascism, fled with his wife Vera to Vienna, then on to Paris, and when the German occupation of the city forced them to flee again, Mene¡ä s famous words to the authorities were immortalized: "I have the honor, the honor, if not the pleasure--to belong to the Jewish race...four fourths of Jewish blood." Seeking a safe haven, the Modiglianis retreated to the neutrality of Switzerland. In 1947, the couple moved back to Italy where Mene died shortly thereafter. Vera Funaro Modigliani carried on the legacy of her husband and created the Modigliani Foundation with the objective of documenting the history of this post-unification political circle and to study the contribution of Italian Jews to the history of socialism, labor unionism, and to the definition of the values of democracy. The Center for Jewish History and the Centro Culturale Primo Levi acknowledge, in addition to the National Archives in Rome, the contributions of documents to the exhibition of the following Italian organizations: Consulate General of Italy Italian Cultural Institute Archivio Centrale dello Stato Fondazione Giuseppe Emanuele e Vera Modigliani Ente per lo Studio del Socialismo e del Movimento Operaio Italiano Biblioteca Labrionica, Livorno Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze Istituto Storico per la Resistenza in Toscana Archivio Storico del Comune di Firenze La Centrale dell Arte Archives Legales Amedeo Modigliani For further information, select digitalized photos, and Center hours visit www.cjh.org. Or, contact Natalia Indrimi, 212-294-8314 at the Center for Jewish History.

Jun 1, 2004:
Feb 17, 2004 - New York, NY
An artist’s urgent need to document his surroundings is clearly evident in the up-coming exhibit of Alfred Kantor’s 127 water colors and sketches, entitled, “Alfred Kantor: An Artist’s Diary of the Holocaust”. The show, one of the few visual records of daily life in the Nazi concentration camps, will be on view from March 8 until June 13, 2004, at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, in the Constantiner Gallery on the ground floor. The exhibit was organized by the Prague Jewish Community and is sponsored by the YIVO Institute of Jewish Research, in collaboration with the Consul General of the Czech Republic, the Czech Center New York, and the American Joint Distribution Committee. Kantor, who survived the Terezin, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Schwarzheide camps, entrusted most of his Terezin sketches to a close friend who, unlike Kantor, was not transported to Auschwitz and stayed behind in the camp. Although most of the images of Auschwitz and Schwarzeheide were lost, Kantor recreated them after his liberation and wrote captions in English to describe the horrific scenes which he had committed to memory. An émigré to the U.S., he brought his memoir to this country and later published it as ‘The Book of Alfred Kantor”. Alfred Kantor, (nicknamed “Fredy” by his friends and fellow prisoners) was born on November 7, 1923 in Prague. Before being deported to Terezin in 1941, at the age of 18, Kantor took a commercial art course at the Prague Rotter School of Advertising. After two years in Terezin, he was imprisoned at Auschwitz-Birkenau and later Schwarzheide. He drew whenever and wherever possible, working clandestinely in all three camps, even in Auschwitz, where he received a set of water colors from a physician. His commitment to drawing came from a deep instinct for self-preservation and helped him maintain his sanity and individuality. But above all, Kantor had a profound need to document every detail of life around him. Thanks to his art and extraordinary photographic memory, Kantor gives the modern viewer insight into the brutal reality of the Nazi camp system as well as the day-to-day lives of the prisoners. Arriving in the U.S. after World War II, Kantor lived in New York and then moved to Maine in 1980, where he continued painting and became known for his landscapes. After the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia, he returned to his native country and exhibited his work in Terezin and Prague. On January 16, 2003, at the age of 79, Alfred Kantor died in Yarmouth, Maine. The newly revitalized Prague Jewish Community organized the Kantor exhibit in New York, in cooperation with YIVO, “in an effort to raise awareness and funds for ‘Project Hagibor”, says Tomas Jelinek, the Community's Chairman. Jelinek goes on to say that the project’s goal is to provide a senior residence in Prague for aging Holocaust survivors living in the Czech Republic. In fact, many elderly survivors in the Czech Republic live alone with no financial means for additional care or appropriate services. For more information on ‘Project Hagibor’ visit the Prague Jewish community website at www.kehilaprag.cz. Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute and headquartered in New York since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is devoted to the history, society, and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry, and the influence of that culture as it has developed in the Americas. As the only pre-Holocaust scholarly institution to transfer its mission to the United States, today YIVO is the preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 350,000 volumes; the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. A founding partner of the Center for Jewish History, YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, adult education and Yiddish language classes, various scholarly publications, research opportunities and fellowships. The Center For Jewish History, a worldwide resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people, serves the general communities and academia. The five partners making up the Center are all major institutions of Jewish Scholarship and include the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Yeshiva University Museum, the Amercian Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, and American Jewish Historical Society. The Center’s archives are made up of approximately 100 million documents, a half a million books, tens of thousands of photographs, paintings and textiles. Admission to the Alfred Kantor Exhibition is free. The exhibit will be open to the public on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information on this exhibit and other events at the Center for Jewish History, please call (212) 294 8301. Click here to access the electronic press kit.

May 16, 2004: A Unique View of the Culture, Art, and Music of Italy’s Western Sephardi, Roman, and Ashkenazi Jews Three-Day Weekend of Lectures, Exhibits, and Concerts Co-sponsored by the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, American Sephardi Federation and Centro Culturale Primo Levi Friday, May 14th, 2004-Sunday, May 16th, 2004 New York, NY—May 6, 2004 -- Italian luminaries from Rome, Venice and Torino, Italy will be featured speakers for three-days of festivities -- The Italian Experience Weekend – A Celebration of Italian Jewry – to be held Friday, May 14-Sunday May, 16 in New York City. The Italian Experience Weekend focuses on the rich history, culture, art scholarship of the Italian-Jewish community, one of the oldest groups of Jews to emigrate from ancient Palestine to Europe, The 9th in the “Sephardic Experience Weekend Series,” this offering will enlighten, stimulate, and enrich the knowledge of those interested in Italian Jewish culture and history. Friday, May 14th, 2004 -- Gathering for Sabbath services at the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, 11 East 63rd Street at 6:45 p.m., guests will be treated to a dinner that will be a true historical culinary journey – the cuisine of Roman, Western Sephardi, and Ashkenazi Jews – groups that came together in the Italian peninsula. Following dinner, Amos Luzzatto, a noted Talmud scholar and President of the Federation of Italian Jewish Communities will discuss “Jewish Studies in Today’s Italy.” Saturday, May 15th, 2004 -- Following morning services a the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue and a Shabbat lunch, Professor Dario Calimani from the University of Venice and President of the Jewish Community of Venice, will examine “Italian Jewish Communities: from Past to Future.” The celebration will continue at 9:30 p.m. at Congregation Shearith Israel, 8 West 70 Street with a concert of baroque, operatic, choral, and folk music from the 17th,18th, and 19th centuries. Organized by renowned musicologist Francesco Spagnolo, the concert will be led by choirmaster Leon Hyman. Sunday, May 16th, 2004 -- The final event takes place at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, and will offer a special preview of the exhibit "Giuseppe Emanuele Modigliani: A Life for Peace and Democracy." The brother of the world-renowned painter Amedeo Mogdigliani, he was one of Italy’s foremost vocal anti-war activists and a proponent of the unification of Europe at the dawn of World War I. A union leader in his early years, he later delivered more than 100 lectures in the U.S. under the auspices of Local 89 (the Local Garment Union) to raise awareness of the dangers of the Nazi and Fascist regimes. Mogdigliani’s life and work will be examined through an exhibit of his correspondence, political writings, posters, and photographs from the Italian National Archives. The exhibit is on view from May 16 to September 1, 2004 at the Center for Jewish History. In conjunction with the preview on May 16, a panel discussion on "Giuseppe Emanuele Modigliani and the Italian Jewish Intellectuals from the Unification to the Rise of Fascism (1860-1924), will feature Professor Vittorio Dan Segre, Director of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies at University of Lugano, who will open the program with a historical overview. The noted Italian journalist Andrea Fiano, will serve as moderator, and will be joined by Viviana Simonelli and Luisa Montevecchi, co-curators of the exhibition and fellow journalist Maurizio Molinari. A light Italian buffet follows. The program is organized by the Centro Culturale Primo Levi at the Center for Jewish History in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute, the Fondazione Modigliani and the Italian National Archives. Reservations Sabbath meals will take place at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, 5 East 62nd Street. The cost of the entire program is $150.00. The Friday night dinner and Saturday luncheon are $50.00 each. Saturday’s concert followed by dessert, and the symposium on Sunday, followed by a light Italian Buffet, are $35.00 each. Reservations are required. For further information, please contact The American Sephardi Federation at 212-294-8350 or by email to isperling@asf.cjh.org. The Edmond J. Safra Synagogue was the dream of Edmond J. Safra, the world renowned banker and philanthropist. Through the hardwork and dedication of his widow, Lily Safra, the synagogue was completed and inaugurated in December 2003. Under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Elie Abadie, the dream of the late Mr. Safra is becoming a reality. The synagogue is home to the Sephardic community on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. There is a daily minyan, Friday night and Shabbat services, a Beit Midrash program, as well as an array of cultural, social, and religious events. The American Sephardi Federation is a national Jewish organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardic community and promoting its spiritual, cultural and social traditions. ASF serves as the coordinating body and resource for all of the American Sephardi communities. Since its arrival at the Center for Jewish History, the archival holdings and library of ASF have been enriched with valuable records of personal and community history. For more information, call 212-294-8350 or visit www.sephardichouse.org. The Centro Culturale Primo Levi joined the Center for Jewish History in June 2003, under the umbrella of the American Sephardi Federation. The Centro Culturale is an offspring of the Genoa-based organization of the same name and is dedicated to creating a growing, dynamic and contemporary context for Italian-Jewish studies in North America. The organization will function as a department of Italian studies at the Center and will provide a U.S.based interface and access point for the archives and libraries of all the Italian-Jewish communities, including the Central Library of the Jewish Communities of Italy. #####

Apr 29, 2004: VIENNA: JEWS AND THE CITY OF MUSIC, 1870-1938 AT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM FEBRUARY 8-JUNE 30, 2004 New York, NY (April 29, 2004) – From February 8-June 30, 2004, Yeshiva University Museum (YUM) presents Vienna: Jews and the City of Music, 1870-1938. This unprecedented exhibition illustrates through sound and story the major contributions that Jews made to Vienna's music and social life—as musicians, teachers, critics, audiences, and patrons—and the devastating effect that the Nazi's rise to power had on the city of Vienna and the world of music at large. Through piano scores, manuscripts, letters, diary entries, photographs, paintings, and audio recordings, the exhibition captures the cadence of Vienna in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Vienna: Jews and the City of Music travels to Yeshiva University Museum from the Jewish Museum Vienna, where it was curated by Werner Hanak and designed by Christian Prasser. Leon Botstein acted as scholarly advisor. In 1900, Jews constituted only 9 percent of the population of Vienna, yet they made up a substantial percentage of the piano, violin, and vocal students in the city. The audience and patrons of the concert halls and operas were largely Jewish. Many, like Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schönberg, were pioneers of modern music, while others like Emmerich Kálman and Oscar Straus, contributed to Vienna’s reputation as a city of music through their operettas. Vienna: Jews and the City of Music shows how music became the language of assimilation for many Jews in Vienna. New Jewish immigrants sought the most effective and rapid means of establishing themselves in the Viennese fabric of life. Music and its institutions offered a secular means of acculturation that was often not in conflict with maintaining a Jewish identity. Parents dreamed that their child would be the next prodigy, bringing fame and fortune to the family. As Leon Botstein writes in his introduction to the exhibition catalogue: “The Jews of Vienna, in their diverse and complex reactions to the challenge of becoming Viennese in the years between 1867 and 1938, helped create and extend the myth of Vienna’s unique musicality. They made an indelible contribution to the precise civic self-image of Vienna as the city of music par excellence on all fronts, popular and classical, that flourished during the late nineteenth century and has remained intact ever since. Rather than being considered outsiders who corrupted a healthy local pre-modern tradition, Jews were a driving force in creating the illusion of a shared cultural center: a particular Viennese musical sensibility and tradition.” The exhibition highlights major figures that heralded the rise of the modernist movement, such as Arnold Schönberg, composer and promoter of atonal music; Guido Adler, founder of the Institute of Musicology at the University of Vienna in 1897; and Gustav Mahler, composer and director of the Court Opera in 1897. Viewers will get a glimpse of the careers of these men and their seminal contributions to modern music, while learning about their personal struggles with their Jewish identities. Cantor Salomon Sulzer, now regarded as one of the most influential of all composers of synagogue music, is significantly featured in the exhibition. Advocating the renewal of liturgical music, Sulzer was controversial for his synagogue innovations and for including hymns in the vernacular. The flourishing Viennese music scene was brought to an abrupt end when the Nazis expelled and murdered Jewish composers, musicians, patrons, and lovers of music. Showing the limits of music as a language of assimilation, the exhibition documents the expulsion and murder of Jewish musicians between 1938 and 1945, follows them into exile, and takes a critical look at Vienna as a city of music since 1945. Vienna: Jews and the City of Music is divided into thematic sections, outlined below. YUM’s first ever audio guide will provide visitors with a narrative walkthrough of the exhibition, accompanied by an hour of musical footage. City of Music The exhibition opens with a model of the Ringstrasse in late 19th century Vienna, the epicenter of this recently cosmopolitan city. Accompanying objects describe the contributions made by Vienna’s Jews to musical institutions and the importance of these institutions for the Jewish population. Music in private Alongside the public institutions, there was a network of music salons in Vienna. The salon, in a private home, served as a semi-public, semi-private arena. It was both a social meeting place and a venue for learning about, listening to, and playing music. The exhibition recreates the atmosphere of the salon, complete with furnishings. The Modernist Era and its Audience In 1897, Gustav Mahler became director of the Vienna Court Opera; his reign marks a milestone in the history of modern music. The exhibition describes the modernist composers’ struggle for an audience and the public’s overwhelming rejection of modern music. Operetta or the Art of Fictionalizing the City of Music in Song “Of the Viennese operetta composers, e.g. Straus, Kalman, Fall, Granichstaedten, Eysler, … only Lehár and I are Christian. Of the librettists there are none that I know. Similarly there are very few non-Jews among the actors and singers, not to mention directors” (Ralph Benatzky, diary 1928). Jewish composers and librettists fictionalized the city of music in countless operettas and songs about Vienna. Included in this section are a 1910 stage photo that recalls the prevailing conviction of the Jews of Vienna that they were an integral part of the city of music, and a 1923 anti-Semitic magazine cartoon. From City of Music to City of Music. Vienna and Berlin, 1918-1938 To understand the history of Vienna as a city of music between the wars, it is useful to look at the music scene in Berlin at the time. In the 1920s, Berlin also became a meeting place for Viennese classical musicians. The key figure there was Franz Schreker from Vienna, the most successful opera composer of the time. As director of the Musikhochschule in Berlin, he attracted many young musicians such as Max Brand and Ernst Krenek from Vienna. His desk in Berlin, on view in this section of the exhibition, recalls his importance. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Jewish musicians in Berlin were no longer able to perform in public. In Vienna, they were able to continue working unharmed until 1938. Expulsion from Vienna? Expulsion from Paradise? On the walls are the names of musicians who were born in Vienna or studied or worked there, as well as some of the people who worked behind the scenes for the City of Music. They are only a fraction of the Jewish people who were involved in and helped to shape the music scene in Vienna. These names and their professions show the extent to which the Nazis wiped out musical life in Vienna. The audio guide features extracts from the works of some of the names on the list. The chairs in this section, which visitors are invited to sit in, are reproductions of those designed in 1942 for Peggy Guggenheim by Austrian architect Frederic Kiesler, while in exile in America. Exile and Concentration Camps – itineraries and works Where did the musicians end up after they fled from Vienna? Were they able to continue their musical careers? The exhibition recalls the many individuals who were forced to leave the city of music: composers, pianists, violinists, and record sellers. Objects and pictures tell of their exile and their musical activities, as well as those people who were not able to flee Austria in time and who used music to try to survive in the concentration camps. Aryanization – Vienna from 1938 to 1945 This section takes visitors back to Vienna in the years 1938 to 1945 through paper: files, letters, and posters. A report card from the Academy of Music from the year 1941 praises a student’s “good participation” and the fact that he “doesn’t look Jewish”. The following year there was no record of this student in the archive. Vienna After 1945 – The City of Music, A City Without Jews? The City of Music, where once around 200,000 Jews lived, became a “city without Jews.” This situation did not significantly change after the “rebirth” of Austria in May 1945. The Austrian government did not invite the exiles to return to their former home, and prevented or delayed lawsuits on former aryanisation cases, denying for a long time Austria’s share of responsibility in the Third Reich and the persecution of Jews. This section is dedicated to the attempts of some musicians to return to Austria. Only a few of them succeeded. Conductors, such as Karl Böhm and Herbert von Karajan, who rose to prominence under the Nazis, dominated the music scene for decades. Given these facts, it is astonishing that twenty years after the Holocaust, Leonard Bernstein became an absolute favorite of the Viennese audience! CATALOGUE An illustrated scholarly English-language catalogue, edited by Leon Botstein and Werner Hanak, accompanies the exhibition. The catalogue features essays by Otto Biba, Philip Bohlmann, Elisabeth Derow-Turnauer and Elena Ostleitner, Wolfgang Dosch and Sara Trampuz, Albrecht Dümling, Tina Frühauf, Primavera Gruber, Hartmut Krones, and Michael P. Steinberg. Michael Hass has compiled two CDs to accompany the catalogue that include recordings of Lotte Lenya singing two songs by her husband, Kurt Weill, and Richard Tauber’s 1935 recording of “Vienna, City of My Dreams.” PUBLIC PROGRAMS Unless otherwise noted, all programs are held at Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street. Tickets can be purchased through the Box Office at 917-606-8200. Thursday, May 13, 7:00PM “Fin de Siecle: A Conversation” with Leon Botstein, Lawrence Weschler (NY Institute for Humanities, NYU), and Carl Shorske (Author, Fin de Siecle Vienna: Politics and Culture) Tuesday, June 1, 7:00PM Exiled In Paradise: A Conversation with Leon Botstein, Lawrence Weschler, and Anthony Heilbut (Author, Exiled in Paradise: German Refugee Artists and Intellectuals in America From the 1930s to the Present) ABOUT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, a docent room, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the kosher Date Palm Cafe. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. # # # YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM GENERAL INFORMATION Location Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) Web Site www.yumuseum.org Telephone 212-294-8330 Fax 212-294-8335 Email info@yumuseum.org Museum Hours Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday:11:00AM to 5:00PM. Admission Adults $6.00 Seniors and students with current valid ID $4.00 Children ages 5-16 $4.00 Children under 5 free Free with Yeshiva University I.D

Apr 15, 2004: “How is the world ruled and how do wars start…?

--Karl Kraus, early twentieth century pacifistic, satirist, writer, and critic of Fin de Siecle, Vienna Writers at the Center, a literary series at the Center for Jewish History, presents the first contemporary theatrical staging in the U.S. of Karl Kraus’s masterpiece, The Last Days of Mankind. Presented in association with the Leo Baeck Institute, Centro Culturale Primo Levi, and the Kairos Italy Theater Inc. Wednesday, April 28, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. April 9, 2004, New York City -- For the first time in almost 50 years, the Center for Jewish History, in association with the Jewish Heritage Project, with the presents a theatrical reading of Karl Kraus’s celebrated The Last Days of Mankind ”an eight hundred scene apocalyptic satire that fiercely denounced the horrors of the battlefield, the complicity of media and business, and the corruption of politicians. Kraus’s writings and legendary public readings reflected his concerns about the misuse of language; about the media’s distorted coverage of war and its subsequent manipulation by those in power. These issues continue to be relevant and debated in today’s reportage of global wars and atrocities. Karl Kraus (1874-1936), spent a large part of his life fighting hypocrisy in Viennese society through his position as editor and publisher of the famed magazine Die Fackel (The Torch). Born into a wealthy Jewish family from Bohemia, Kraus eventually rejected Judaism as well as his adopted religion, Catholicism. His brilliant essays and cabaret-tinged public addresses, made him one of the most popular figures of his time. He was a major influence on such twentieth century artistic geniuses as Arnold Schõenberg, Walter Benjamin, Elias Canetti, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, among others. The outbreak of World War I inspired this outraged pacifist and humanist to produce his masterpiece, The Last Days of Mankind. In 1932 Kraus participated in the pacifist congress in Amsterdam. The years of the pro-fascist Dollfuss government in Austria and the rise of Hitler in Germany, saw Kraus becoming increasingly active in public readings and radio addresses in which he presented not only radical political pieces (The Third Night of Walpurgi, 1933) but also adaptations of Shakespeare and Offenbach. In April 1936, Kraus gave his 700 public reading and published the last issue of Die Fackel entitled, Why Die Fackel Does Not Appear. He died of heart failure on June 12, 1936. Staged by performance artist and artistic director of the Kairos Italy Theater Inc. (KIT), Laura Caparrotti, the readings will feature projections of rare photographs from Leo Baeck Institute (LBI) related to Vienna in the First World War. The collection of the LBI includes a series of first editions of Kraus’s books as well as well-known portraits of the writer by Madame d’Ora and Trude Fleishmann. Writers at the Center, will publish an essay on The Last Days of Mankind by Italian writer, editor, and Germanist, Roberto Calasso, in the evening’s program with permission from the University of Minnesota Press.

Instructions

Welcome! Below you will find links to files relating to the upcoming reading at the Center for Jewish History, sponsored in collaboration with LBI. To view pdf documents, just click on the links below. To save the pdf file to your computer's hard drive, either right click on the link and scroll down to "save target as" for pc users; or just click on the link and once the file opens, save a copy.

Images for Download

Files

A Theatrical Evening on Karl Kraus.

Bio of Karl Kraus

Press Release for Karl Kraus: The Last Days of Mankind

Press Contact Michael Glickman Director of Public Affairs Center for Jewish History Phone: 212-294-8303 e-mail

Apr 4, 2004:
New York, NY – (January 7, 2004) -- Sculptor Diane Samuels, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and winner of an international competition sponsored by the Center for Jewish History, has created a 22’ high by 20’ wide mosaic tablet. Entitled Luminous Manuscript, this monumental sculpture, unusual in scale, materials, and construction, will contain 170,000 alphabet letters and numbers that Ms. Samuels researched from the archives of the Center’s five partners and collected from handwriting samples of hundreds of individuals from the Center’s community. The sculpture will be made of 44,000 separate pieces (tesserae) of engraved crystal clear Starphire glass, individually hand-mounted over 440 Jerusalem Stone tiles. Ms. Samuels, well-known in American and Central European art circles for creating form from history and memory, was selected by the Center’s first Art Commission from a pool of over eighty international artists who responded to a “by invitation-only request” to apply. The Art Commission was comprised of over twenty-five leaders in the visual arts and the philanthropic communities. Dara Meyers-Kingsley, an independent curator and art consultant, headed the Art Commission, and is overseeing the installation and accompanying exhibition. The establishment of the Art Commission and creation of the permanent artwork was made possible by a grant from the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust. Bruce Slovin, Chairman of the Board proudly noted, “Luminous Manuscript will serve as a glorious, shimmering ‘cap’ to the realization of the dream of the founders of the Center: To establish ‘A Jewish Library of Congress,’ for peoples of all ethnic backgrounds to research, meditate, exchange ideas, and learn about Jewish history and culture from all parts of the world.” The opening will coincide with the Center’s completion in April 2004 of six new floors of archival storage designed by the nationally prominent architectural firm of Beyer Blinder Belle. Luminous Manuscript -- light, reflection, and ideas -- will be reminiscent of a page from the Talmud. It will be a cornerstone of the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall, the gateway to the archival collections of the Center’s five partner organizations, and will complement Michele Oka Doner’s Biblical Species, an inlaid terrazzo floor. In creating a visual representation of language from so many individual sources to convey reflection and memory, the artwork will allow the viewer to transcend the boundaries of culture and heritage. Peter Geffen, Executive Director of the Center stated, “The addition of this wonderful artwork to the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall will focus our collective attention on the power of the word…Luminous Manuscript will be a ‘letter-bridge’ across the ages, embodying the soul of the Center that is found in its books and documents, sharing with us the power that those letters still possess for the future.” Luminous Manuscript will include a variety of texts, alphabets, and numbers taken from manuscripts and other documents researched from the archives inscribed into its surface. This could include papers or records ranging from Albert Einstein to poet Emma Lazarus to those of everyday citizens from towns and villages around the world. In addition to the archives, a variety of alphabets and writing systems were gathered from other sources: a mailing to 5,000 friends, staff, and visitors to the Center for Jewish History, generated thousands of letters in 56 different languages. Lighting for Luminous Manuscript will be designed by the international firm of Brandston Partnership Inc. headquartered in New York. In conjunction with the unveiling of Luminous Manuscript, and in celebration of Michele Oka Doner’s floor, Biblical Species, the Center will present an exhibition about the creation of these two monumental artworks commissioned for the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall in the Center’s central public space. Archival manuscripts, music scores and other source materials from the Center’s partner’s archives, along with the artists’ original drawings and proposals will be on display from April 4 to May 28, 2004. Ms. Samuels is represented by the Kim Foster Gallery in New York City. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center presents exhibits, concerts, lectures, literary evenings, and films that attract a broad audience from the United States and abroad.

Apr 4, 2004: GROUP TOUR CONTACT: Julie Kaplan Group Tour Coordinator Center for Jewish History (917) 606-8226 jkaplan@cjh.org NEW EXHIBITS FEATURED IN GROUP TOURS AT THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY AND YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Commissioned Artwork, Luminous Manuscript by Diane Samuels, Mining the Archives/Cultivating a Public Space, and Vienna: Jews and the City of Music 1870-1938 Among the New Offerings CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY Luminous Manuscript, open Sunday, April 4th, 2004, is the work of Pittsburgh artist Diane Samuels, who is creating a mosaic tablet consisting of more than 75,000 Jerusalem stone and Starphire glass tiles. Ms. Samuels spent months at the Center gathering 300 archival materials and handwritten documents from the Center partners’ historical collections. She also involved the public in the process, collecting handwritten letters of the alphabet from more than 450 members of the Center community (staff, visitors, school children, and others) in over 56 languages. The 112,000 individual alphabet characters were scanned by the artist and then sandblasted into 440 different Jerusalem stone panels, to form the underlying structure for a 22 foot square mosaic, laid out in a design reminiscent of a page of the Talmud. Like a daylight expanse full of bright reflection, “Luminous Manuscript” will provide visitors to the Center with a stunning complement to the dark hues of “Biblical Species,” the inlaid terrazzo floor designed by artist Michele Oka Doner, which glimmers like a night sky. In conjunction with Mining the Archives/Cultivating a Public Space, from April 4th, 2004 through May 28th, 2004, chronicles the creation of Luminous Manuscript and Biblical Species, by Michele Oka Doner, commissioned for the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall, the central public space in the Center’s building. Archival documents, manuscripts, drawings, and music scores from the Center’s partners’ archives, that formed the basis of the artworks, will be displayed along with the artists’ original drawings and proposals, and the source materials, original documents, and sample elements that were used by or inspired the two artists. YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Vienna: Jews and the City of Music, 1870–1938, through June 30th, 2004 and organized by the Jewish Museum Vienna, is an unprecedented exhibition illustrating through sound and story, the major contributions that Jews made to Vienna's music and social life-as musicians and audience members-and the devastating effect that the Nazi's rise to power had on the city of Vienna, and the world of music at large. Through piano scores, manuscripts, letters, diary entries, photographs, paintings, and audio recordings, the exhibition captures the cadence of Vienna in the late 19th and early 20th centuries--with an emphasis on major figures such as Arnold Schönberg, Gustav Mahler, Guido Adler, and Cantor Salomon Sulzer. ###

Apr 2, 2004: JEWISH COSTUMES IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE Exhibition Opens at the Center for Jewish History Jewish Costumes in the Ottoman Empire, a selection of illustrations depicting traditional Jewish attire in the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, will open on March 31, 2004 with a gala reception organized by the American Sephardi Federation with Sephardic House at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. The exhibit, the dream of Turkish curator Silvyo Ovadya, was created by “tezhip” artists based on old postcards of Ottoman Jewish clothing. The paintings have been brought to the United States with the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and will travel to key cities around the country as part of a year-long program dedicated to highlighting the history, culture and traditions of two peoples who have lived together in friendship for centuries, The Jews in Turkey: Living Together Throughout the Ages. In the early 1980’s Curator Sylvio Ovadya began collecting books and old postcards containing examples of Ottoman Jewish clothing, but it was not until 1999, walking around a handicrafts bazaar at Fez House in Eyup that he discovered a number of miniatures depicting Ottoman Jews, and it was these, which helped him realize a project he had been dreaming of for years. In his introduction to the exhibition catalogue, he writes, “The story of the Jews of Turkey is a fascinating one, for its rich and multi-layered history. We know that there was a large number of Jews living in Constantinople as far back as Byzantine times, and that the Turkish tribes encountered Jews on their arrival in Anatolia. Ottoman Jewry expanded dramatically in the late 1490s with the expulsion of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews. These Sephardi settlers brought with them new cultural elements which enriched the community, but unfortunately, not much has survived from this era of Jewish history.” The March 31st event hosted by the Consul General of Turkey in New York and The American Sephardi Federation in collaboration with the Jewish Community of Turkey and The Assembly of Turkish American Associations will feature an introduction by the curator, Sylvio Ovadya who will travel from Turkey especially for this event. Aron Rodrigue, Stanford University, Eva Chernov Lokey Professor in Jewish Studies will speak about the history and culture of the Sephardi Jews of the Ottoman Empire, discussing their arrival in Ottoman lands, their place in Ottoman society, the evolution of their communities, and their socio-cultural transformation in the modern period. Vivian B. Mann, Morris & Eva Field Chair in Judaica at the Jewish Museum in New York will talk about clothing worn on ceremonial occasions and its afterlife and will include a slide presentation. Turkish music and food will complete the evening. Reservations for the March 31st opening are required. Admission is complimentary for American Sephardi Federation/Sephardic House members and $15 for others. Please call 212-294-8350. The exhibit will be open to the public, Sunday through Thursday from 10 AM to 5 PM through May 10, 2004. ###

Mar 30, 2004: “THE JEWISHNESS OF THE NEW YORK INTELLECTUALS” Key Intellectuals to Explore the Jewishness of the Partisan Review Founders Celebrating the New Edition of William Philips' Memoir: A Partisan View: Five Decades in the Politics of Literature March 16, 2004 - New York, NY – The Partisan Review was one of the most influential literary and political journals in the United States from 1937 until it ceased publication last year. The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research proudly presents “The Jewishness of the New York Intellectuals: A Symposium.” This symposium also celebrates the republications of the famed William Phillips memoir, A Partisan View: Five Decades in the Politics of Literature (Transaction Books, 2003.) Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 7:30 pm Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City Tickets: $10/$5 Students and Seniors. Reservations: (917) 606-8200 or email at boxoffice@cjh.org Distinguished panelists include: § Nathan Glazer, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, and co-author of Beyond the Melting Pot § Norman Podhoretz, former Editor-In-Chief, Commentary Magazine § Ruth Wisse, the Martin Peretz Professor of Yiddish and Comparative Literature, Harvard University § Moderator - Edith Kurzweil, Former Editor of Partisan Review and the author of The Freudians, The Age of Structuralism, and Nazi Laws and Jewish Lives: Letters from Vienna, she wrote the introduction to the new edition of A Partisan Review. Kurzweil is University Professor Emeritus, Adelphi University and a National Humanities Medal winner (2003). Originally published under the auspices of the John Reed club in 1934 and reestablished in 1937 as an independent, anti-Stalinist quarterly by William Philips and Philip Rahv, Partisan Review was one of the most influential literary and political journals in the United States until it ceased publication in 2003. Most of the founders of the Partisan Review were of Jewish origin. The panelists will examine the emergence of the founders’ Jewish consciousness during the period after World War II. About the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute and headquartered in New York since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (www.yivo.org) is devoted to the history, society, and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry, and the influence of that culture as it has developed in the Americas. As the only pre-Holocaust scholarly institution to transfer its mission to the United States, today YIVO is the preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 350,000 volumes; the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. A founding partner of the Center for Jewish History, YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, adult education and Yiddish language classes, scholarly publications, research opportunities and fellowships. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of New York City, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. ###

Mar 3, 2004: THE JEWS OF IRAN-AN EVENING OF PERSIAN CULTURE FEATURING LITERATURE AND MUSIC AND DELICACIES FROM IRAN Wednesday, March 3rd, 2004 at 6:00 pm New York, NY – February 10, 2004— The American Sephardi Federation/Sephardic House in conjunction with Congregation Beth Simchat Torah will present an evening to celebrate the story of the Iranian-Jewish experience examining its art and history and how these elements became integrated into the culture of the United States. Light refreshments and a sampling of Iranian delicacies will add to the experience of the evening. This event will take place on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2004 at 6:00 pm at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Dr. Houman Sarshar, Director of Publications at the Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History, Los Angeles, and co-editor of three volumes of The Contemporary History of Iranian Jews, and a contributing author to the Encyclopedia Iranica, will present a slide presentation based on his most recent book, Esther’s Children: A Portrait of Iranian Jews (2002). The second half of the evening’s program will be a performance, “Persian Rhapsodies” by pianist and composer Tania Eshaghoff and her ensemble including Edward Smaldone, electric bass; Ali Bello, violin; Sky Steele, violin; Swiss Chriss, percussionist and Christopher Hoffman on the cello followed by a question and answer period. ."The most significant influences in both style and substance of Tania's music stems from the Persian tradition of the santur, with its elaborate rhythmic and melodic figuration, here translated into a distinctive pianistic technique. Her music also embraces the layered ornamentation of the Persian "avaz" tradition, a vocal style of great rhythmic subtley; her right hand "sings" as she plays this music, synthesizing the basic harmonies of the Persian tradition with a heterophonic melodic line, which appears to float with every performance. Her music is a virtual ethnography of Persian culture through the lens of her modern perspective." Anthony DeRitis The cost of admission is $25.00 for adults and $20.00 for members of American Sephardi Federation/Sephardic House, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, students and seniors. Reservations are required. For more information, please call the box office at (917) 606-8200 or visit www.cjh.org. About American Sephardi Federation The American Sephardi Federation is a national Jewish organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardic community and promoting its spiritual, cultural and social traditions. ASF serves as the coordinating body and resource for all of the American Sephardi communities. Since its arrival to the Center for Jewish History, the archival holdings and library of ASF have been enriched with valuable records of personal and community history. For more information, call 212-294-8350 or visit www.sephardichouse.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. For more information on The Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org or call (212) 294-8301. ###

Feb 26, 2004: RELIGION, RESPONSIBILITIES AND RELATIONS:RESPONSES TO MEL GIBSON’S FILM, THE PASSION A Public Forum To Examine the Views and Opinions Of Leaders in the Jewish, Christian, and Academic Communities at the Center for Jewish History Thursday, February 26th, 2004 at 6:30 pm New York, NY – February 2, 2004-- The American Jewish Historical Society, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Fordham University School of Law and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law will present, “Religion, Responsibilities and Relations: Responses to Mel Gibson’s The Passion,” on Thursday, February 26th, 2004 at 6:30 pm to be held at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. The curator of this program is Professor Suzanne Last Stone, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Major support for the Jews & Justice series is provided by the David Berg Foundation. Peter A. Geffen, Executive Director of the Center for Jewish History noted, “Rarely has a film generated more anticipatory fear than The Passion. We see this dialogue as an opportunity to alleviate this anxiety and address rifts that are capable of re-opening this ancient story in our day. The Center is an idea place for such an intellectual, aesthetic, and moral encounter. “Religion, Responsibilities and Relations: Responses to Mel Gibson’s The Passion,” has raised serious issues in the Jewish, Christian, academic and artistic communities. Speakers include, Professor Paula Fredriksen, the William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of the Appreciation of Scripture at Boston University and author of the article, “Mad Mel: The Gospel According to Gibson” featured in The New Republic; Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn, convener of the scholars’ commission to study the screenplay of The Passion and consultant on Jewish-Christian relations; Sister Mary Boys, the Skinner and McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology at the Union Theological Seminary and Dr. Deal W. Hudson, Publisher, Crisis Magazine, Washington, D.C. Among the questions the panelists will discuss: What responsibilities do these communities have regarding the film and the controversy it is generating? What can each community rightly expect of the others? Participants: Paula Fredriksen is a William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of the Appreciation of Scripture at Boston University. She holds a B.A., from Wellesley College (1973), a Theology Diploma from Oxford University (1974) and Ph.D. from Princeton University (1979). She previously taught at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and the University of Pittsburgh. She was the Lady Davis Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem (1994-95). Professor Fredriksen specializes in the social and intellectual history of ancient Christianity, from the Late Second Temple period to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Besides her books on Augustine (Augustine on Romans, 1982) and on Jesus and Christian tradition (From Jesus to Christ. The Origins of the New Testament Images of Jesus, 1988), she has written extensively on conversion, apocalypticism, Paul and his interpreters, and Jewish/Gentile relations in Late Antiquity. In 1999 she received a national Jewish Book Award for her most recent publication, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. A Jewish Life and the Emergence of Christianity (Knopf). Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn is currently the National Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League and Adjunct Professor of Jewish Thought at Seton Hall University. He earned a doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University, and studied the Talmud at Yeshiva University. He has taught at both Columbia University and Yeshiva University and was a Senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is editor of The Edah Journal-A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse, vice-chairman of Edah's Advisory Council and a regular participant of the Orthodox Forum. He is currently writing a book on the ethical and legal significance of Tzelem Elohim in Jewish tradition and editing a book on issues in Jewish-Christian relations. Sister Mary Boys is the Skinner and McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology, She holds a B.A. from Fort Wright College in Spokane, Washington (1969) and an M.A. and Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1975 and 1978 respectively, the latter conferred jointly with Union Theological Seminary. She is past president of the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education (APRRE). Her research interests include the intersection of biblical study and pedagogy and the educational implications of Jewish-Christian dialogue. A Roman Catholic, she has been a member of the Sisters of the Holy Names for over 30 years. Dr. Deal W. Hudson is the publisher and editor of CRISIS Magazine, a Catholic monthly published in Washington, DC. His articles and comments have been published in The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, National Review, Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Village Voice, Roll Call, National Journal, The Economist, and by the Associated Press. He appears regularly on television shows such as NBC Nightly News, One-on One with John McLaughlin, C-Span's Washington Journal, News Talk, NET's Capitol Watch, The Beltway Boys, The Religion and Ethics Newsweekly on PBS, and radio programs such as "All Things Considered" on National Public Radio. He was associate professor of Philosophy at Fordham University from 1989 to 1995 and was a visiting professor at New York University for five years. He taught for nine years at Mercer University in Atlanta, where he was chair of the philosophy department. He has published many reviews and articles as well as four books: Understanding Maritain: Philosopher and Friend (Mercer, 1988); The Future of Thomism (Notre Dame, 1992); Sigrid Undset On Saints and Sinners (Ignatius, 1994); and Happiness and the Limits of Satisfaction (Rowman & Littlefield, 1996). Admission is $10.00/$5.00 for seniors and students and seating is limited. Reservations are required. For more information, visit http://www.cjh.org/, or call (917) 606-8200. About the American Jewish Historical Society With facilities in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field and its programs and exhibitions are highly regarded. About YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute and headquartered in New York since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is devoted to the history, society, and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry, and the influence of that culture as it has developed in the Americas. As the only pre-Holocaust scholarly institution to transfer its mission to the United States, today YIVO is the preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 350,000 volumes; the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. A founding partner of the Center for Jewish History, YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, adult education and Yiddish language classes, various scholarly publications, research opportunities and fellowships. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Feb 26, 2004: Religion, Responsibilities and Relations: Responses To Mel Gibson’s “The Passion.” A Public Forum with Leading Academics, Journalists, and Theologians Peter J. Boyer, Paula Fredriksen, Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn, Sister Mary Boys, Dr. Deal W. Hudson. Moderator: Edward Rothstein DATE AND TIME: Thursday, February 26, 2004 at 6:30 pm ADMISSION: $10/$5 for seniors and students BOX OFFICE: (917) 606-8200 LOCATION: Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011 GUEST SPEAKERS: Peter J. Boyer is a staff writer at The New Yorker. His stories have been included in anthologies, “Best American Crime Writing” and “Best American Science Writing.” As a correspondent for the PBS documentary series, “Frontline,” he earned a Peabody Award and Emmy. Mr. Boyer is currently at work on a non-fiction book for Random House. Paula Fredriksen is a William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of the Appreciation of Scripture at Boston University. Professor Fredriksen’s books include Augustine on Romans and From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Jesus. She has written extensively on conversion, apocalypticism, Paul and his interpreters, and Jewish/Gentile relations in Late Antiquity. In 1999, she received a national Jewish Book Award for her most recent publication, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jew: A Jewish Life and the Emergence of Christianity. Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn is the National Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League and Adjunct Professor of Jewish Thought at Seton Hall University. He is editor of The Edah Journal-A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse, vice-chairman of Edah's Advisory Council and a regular participant of the Orthodox Forum. Rabbi Korn is currently writing a book on the ethical and legal significance of Tzelem Elohim in Jewish tradition and editing a book on issues in Jewish-Christian relations. Sister Mary Boys is the Skinner and McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology. Her research interests include the intersection of biblical study and pedagogy and the educational implications of Jewish-Christian dialogue. Dr. Deal W. Hudson is publisher and editor of CRISIS Magazine, a Catholic monthly published in Washington, D.C. His articles and comments have been appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Village Voice, The Economist, among others. Dr. Hudson has been a guest on NBC Nightly News, News Talk, and All Things Considered, National Public Radio. He is the author of four books: Understanding Maritain: Philosopher and Friend; The Future of Thomism; Sigrid Undset On Saints and Sinners and Happiness and the Limits of Satisfaction. MODERATOR: Edward Rothstein is Critic at Large for the New York Times. Mr. Rothstein writes on music, culture, literature, intellectual life, and technology. His essays and criticism have appeared in The New York Review of Books, The American Scholar, The London Independent, among others. Mr. Rothstein is also the author of three books: Men, Women and Pianos: A Social History, and Emblems of Mind: The Inner Life of Music and Mathematics. Mr. Rothstein holds a doctorate from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. SPONSORS: American Jewish Historical Society, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Fordham University School of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. The Jews and Justice series is funded with the generous support of the David Berg Foundation. ###

Feb 19, 2004: “BETWEEN TWO WORLDS/THE DYBBUK” Begins performances February 19 at The Center for Jewish History Award-winning Adult Puppet Adaptation of Classic Yiddish Folk Tale Three performances only February 19-22 “BETWEEN TWO WORLDS/THE DYBBUK,” an award-winning adult puppet theatre adaptation of the most famous play in Yiddish theatre, will make its New York premiere with a limited engagement from February 19 to 22, 2004 at The Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, NYC. Co-sponsored by the Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History, “BETWEEN TWO WORLDS/THE DYBBUK” was received the UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence in Puppetry, an award established by Jim Henson and considered the nation’s highest honor for adult puppet theatre. “BETWEEN TWO WORLDS/THE DYBBUK,” a co-production of Tears of Joy Theatre and Mark Levenson, is a new adaptation of S. Ansky’s 1920 classic “The Dybbuk,” the most often-performed play in the Jewish theatre. Set in a small, nineteenth century Polish village, it combines a love story with supernatural suspense and courtroom drama to tell the story of a woman possessed by the spirit of her dead lover. “The Dybbuk” has been adapted for film, opera, ballet, and been presented several times on Broadway. This production is the first to use puppets and masked actors to weave together the reality and fantasy of the classic folk tale. “The play is a universal love story so powerful that it triumphs even over death,” said Mark Levenson, producer, who also adapted the text. “The play concerns destiny, justice, and the chance to set right the things that once went wrong. While remaining faithful to this classic and well-loved folktale, we have reconceived the play -- using puppets and masked actors-- to visualize the lyrical mysticism that is usually kept off-stage, (by necessity,) in the human-theatre original.” “BETWEEN TWO WORLDS/THE DYBBUK” is staged using an adaptation of Japanese Bunraku theatre, in which visible puppeteers manipulate their puppets on a full stage. The central, visual metaphor for the play is the puppeteers hovering over and controlling their puppets, just as the spirits and ghosts of the story hover over and control the human characters. The production includes an original score—ranging from klezmer to cantorial—produced by Jack Falk of the Hungarian-based band Di Naye Kapelye. This 80 minute production with music joins a distinguished list of adult puppet theatre productions in New York: Basil Twist’s long-running “SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE” at HERE; the Vineyard Theatre production of Paula Vogel’s “THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME,” and the hit Broadway musicals “AVENUE Q,” “LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS” and “THE PRODUCERS.” “New York theatre-goers have seen puppets used to add dimensions to human drama, to portray what actors can’t, and to spoof children’s television,” said Levenson. “‘BETWEEN TWO WORLDS/THE DYBBUK’ takes this trend in a new direction by using puppets to shed new light on one of the greatest classics of human theatre.” “BETWEEN TWO WORLDS/THE DYBBUK” will be presented on Thursday, February 19 at 8 pm; Saturday, February 21 at 8 PM, and Sunday, February 22 at 3 PM at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Tickets are $22, with $18 tickets for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more and can be ordered from the CJH Box Office, telephone: 917-606-8200; fax: 917-606-8201, e-mail: boxoffice@cjh.org. Directed by Reg Bradley, the drama was adapted by Mark Levenson from the translation by S. Morris Engel with an original score written and performed by Jack Falk and Leroy Critcher, with Andrew Ehrlich on violin and Samuel Falk on cello. Lighting design is by Lance Woolen and Sam Kusnetz with set design by Mary Robinette Kowal and Christopher L. Harris, character and costume design by Mary de la Salandra, character construction by Fred Riley and Lance Woolen, character painting by Mary Robinette Kowal. The play is performed by Nancy Aldrich, Kris Bluett, Brian Keith and Lance Woolen. “Chonnon’s Song” recorded by Jodi Eichelberger with recording and editing by Carl Hinds, Mother Superior Studios. This limited New York engagement is sponsored by a grant from the Union for Traditional Judaism. The original production in Portland and subsequent West Coast tour was underwritten by grants from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Jacob T. Zuckerman fund of The Workmen’s Circle. Tears of Joy Theatre based in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon, is the second largest puppet theatre organization in the United States, presenting hundreds of performances for more than 250,000 people each year. For more info on the Center for Jewish History, call Eric Katzman at (212) 294-8303. For additional info on this production, go to www.tojt.com (Tears of Joy Theatre) and click on “Between Two Worlds/The Dybbuk.”

Feb 12, 2004: EVENT: In the Beginning: Where the Seeds Of Israel Take Root (In Principio: Dove Affondano Le Radici Di Israele (Marsilio Editore) by Francesca Cernia Slovin Hailed by the Italian literary press as a work of passion, Ms. Cernia Slovin examines the origins of Zionism and the “seeds” which helped establish the State of Israel. In reading excerpts from the book that will alternate with commentary, Ms. Cernia Slovin will be joined by Judaic scholar Dr. Allan L. Nadler, and actor George Morfogen, to discuss the circumstances surrounding the birth of Israel and the deep bond Jews have had for several centuries with the land. DATE AND TIME: Thursday, February 12, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. PRESENTERS: Italian-born Francesca Cernia Slovin lives in New York where she teaches philosophy at the New School University. She is a member of the board of the New York Council for the Humanities and a consultant to the Center for Jewish History. Ms. Cernia Slovin writes for Italian and North American Academic journals. Her previous books include “Aby Warburg: A Banker Lent to Art” (1996), and “The Last Walk” dedicated to the last days of Jean Jacques Rousseau. Dr. Allan L. Nadler is the Special Advisor for Academic Affairs, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Director of the Jewish Studies Program and Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, Faulkner House at Drew University George Morfogen, a stage and screen actor whose performance credits include Othello, The Thief Who Came to Dinner, Daisy Miller, Sadat, Law and Order, Oz, among many others. ADMISSION: Free. Reservations are required. CO-SPONSORS: Centro Culturale Primo Levi, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Italian Cultural Institute ###

Feb 10, 2004: VIENNA: JEWS AND THE CITY OF MUSIC, 1870-1938 AT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM FEBRUARY 8-JUNE 30, 2004 New York, NY (December 16, 2003) – From February 8-June 30, 2004, Yeshiva University Museum (YUM) presents Vienna: Jews and the City of Music, 1870-1938. This unprecedented exhibition illustrates through sound and story the major contributions that Jews made to Vienna's music and social life—as musicians, teachers, critics, audiences, and patrons—and the devastating effect that the Nazi's rise to power had on the city of Vienna and the world of music at large. Through piano scores, manuscripts, letters, diary entries, photographs, paintings, and audio recordings, the exhibition captures the cadence of Vienna in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Vienna: Jews and the City of Music travels to Yeshiva University Museum from the Jewish Museum Vienna, where it was curated by Werner Hanak and designed by Christian Prasser. Leon Botstein acted as scholarly advisor. In 1900, Jews constituted only 9 percent of the population of Vienna, yet they made up a substantial percentage of the piano, violin, and vocal students in the city. The audience and patrons of the concert halls and operas were largely Jewish. Many, like Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schönberg, were pioneers of modern music, while others like Emmerich Kálman and Oscar Straus, contributed to Vienna’s reputation as a city of music through their operettas. Vienna: Jews and the City of Music shows how music became the language of assimilation for many Jews in Vienna. New Jewish immigrants sought the most effective and rapid means of establishing themselves in the Viennese fabric of life. Music and its institutions offered a secular means of acculturation that was often not in conflict with maintaining a Jewish identity. Parents dreamed that their child would be the next prodigy, bringing fame and fortune to the family. As Leon Botstein writes in his introduction to the exhibition catalogue: “The Jews of Vienna, in their diverse and complex reactions to the challenge of becoming Viennese in the years between 1867 and 1938, helped create and extend the myth of Vienna’s unique musicality. They made an indelible contribution to the precise civic self-image of Vienna as the city of music par excellence on all fronts, popular and classical, that flourished during the late nineteenth century and has remained intact ever since. Rather than being considered outsiders who corrupted a healthy local pre-modern tradition, Jews were a driving force in creating the illusion of a shared cultural center: a particular Viennese musical sensibility and tradition.” The exhibition highlights major figures that heralded the rise of the modernist movement, such as Arnold Schönberg, composer and promoter of atonal music; Guido Adler, founder of the Institute of Musicology at the University of Vienna in 1897; and Gustav Mahler, composer and director of the Court Opera in 1897. Viewers will get a glimpse of the careers of these men and their seminal contributions to modern music, while learning about their personal struggles with their Jewish identities. Cantor Salomon Sulzer, now regarded as one of the most influential of all composers of synagogue music, is significantly featured in the exhibition. Advocating the renewal of liturgical music, Sulzer was controversial for his synagogue innovations and for including hymns in the vernacular. The flourishing Viennese music scene was brought to an abrupt end when the Nazis expelled and murdered Jewish composers, musicians, patrons, and lovers of music. Showing the limits of music as a language of assimilation, the exhibition documents the expulsion and murder of Jewish musicians between 1938 and 1945, follows them into exile, and takes a critical look at Vienna as a city of music since 1945. Vienna: Jews and the City of Music is divided into thematic sections, outlined below. YUM’s first ever audio guide will provide visitors with a narrative walkthrough of the exhibition, accompanied by an hour of musical footage. City of Music The exhibition opens with a model of the Ringstrasse in late 19th century Vienna, the epicenter of this recently cosmopolitan city. Accompanying objects describe the contributions made by Vienna’s Jews to musical institutions and the importance of these institutions for the Jewish population. Music in private Alongside the public institutions, there was a network of music salons in Vienna. The salon, in a private home, served as a semi-public, semi-private arena. It was both a social meeting place and a venue for learning about, listening to, and playing music. The exhibition recreates the atmosphere of the salon, complete with furnishings. The Modernist Era and its Audience In 1897, Gustav Mahler became director of the Vienna Court Opera; his reign marks a milestone in the history of modern music. The exhibition describes the modernist composers’ struggle for an audience and the public’s overwhelming rejection of modern music. Operetta or the Art of Fictionalizing the City of Music in Song “Of the Viennese operetta composers, e.g. Straus, Kalman, Fall, Granichstaedten, Eysler, … only Lehár and I are Christian. Of the librettists there are none that I know. Similarly there are very few non-Jews among the actors and singers, not to mention directors” (Ralph Benatzky, diary 1928). Jewish composers and librettists fictionalized the city of music in countless operettas and songs about Vienna. Included in this section are a 1910 stage photo that recalls the prevailing conviction of the Jews of Vienna that they were an integral part of the city of music, and a 1923 anti-Semitic magazine cartoon. From City of Music to City of Music. Vienna and Berlin, 1918-1938 To understand the history of Vienna as a city of music between the wars, it is useful to look at the music scene in Berlin at the time. In the 1920s, Berlin also became a meeting place for Viennese classical musicians. The key figure there was Franz Schreker from Vienna, the most successful opera composer of the time. As director of the Musikhochschule in Berlin, he attracted many young musicians such as Max Brand and Ernst Krenek from Vienna. His desk in Berlin, on view in this section of the exhibition, recalls his importance. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Jewish musicians in Berlin were no longer able to perform in public. In Vienna, they were able to continue working unharmed until 1938. Expulsion from Vienna? Expulsion from Paradise? On the walls are the names of musicians who were born in Vienna or studied or worked there, as well as some of the people who worked behind the scenes for the City of Music. They are only a fraction of the Jewish people who were involved in and helped to shape the music scene in Vienna. These names and their professions show the extent to which the Nazis wiped out musical life in Vienna. The audio guide features extracts from the works of some of the names on the list. The chairs in this section, which visitors are invited to sit in, are reproductions of those designed in 1942 for Peggy Guggenheim by Austrian architect Frederic Kiesler, while in exile in America. Exile and Concentration Camps – itineraries and works Where did the musicians end up after they fled from Vienna? Were they able to continue their musical careers? The exhibition recalls the many individuals who were forced to leave the city of music: composers, pianists, violinists, and record sellers. Objects and pictures tell of their exile and their musical activities, as well as those people who were not able to flee Austria in time and who used music to try to survive in the concentration camps. Aryanization – Vienna from 1938 to 1945 This section takes visitors back to Vienna in the years 1938 to 1945 through paper: files, letters, and posters. A report card from the Academy of Music from the year 1941 praises a student’s “good participation” and the fact that he “doesn’t look Jewish”. The following year there was no record of this student in the archive. Vienna After 1945 – The City of Music, A City Without Jews? The City of Music, where once around 200,000 Jews lived, became a “city without Jews.” This situation did not significantly change after the “rebirth” of Austria in May 1945. The Austrian government did not invite the exiles to return to their former home, and prevented or delayed lawsuits on former aryanisation cases, denying for a long time Austria’s share of responsibility in the Third Reich and the persecution of Jews. This section is dedicated to the attempts of some musicians to return to Austria. Only a few of them succeeded. Conductors, such as Karl Böhm and Herbert von Karajan, who rose to prominence under the Nazis, dominated the music scene for decades. Given these facts, it is astonishing that twenty years after the Holocaust, Leonard Bernstein became an absolute favorite of the Viennese audience! CATALOGUE An illustrated scholarly English-language catalogue, edited by Leon Botstein and Werner Hanak, accompanies the exhibition. The catalogue features essays by Otto Biba, Philip Bohlmann, Elisabeth Derow-Turnauer and Elena Ostleitner, Wolfgang Dosch and Sara Trampuz, Albrecht Dümling, Tina Frühauf, Primavera Gruber, Hartmut Krones, and Michael P. Steinberg. Michael Hass has compiled two CDs to accompany the catalogue that include recordings of Lotte Lenya singing two songs by her husband, Kurt Weill, and Richard Tauber’s 1935 recording of “Vienna, City of My Dreams.” PUBLIC PROGRAMS Unless otherwise noted, all programs are held at Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street. Tickets can be purchased through the Box Office at 917-606-8200. Thursday, February 5, 8:00PM The Jewish Community Center of Manhattan presents a special talk and chamber concert with Leon Botstein (President of Bard College; Music Director, American Symphony Orchestra, and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Broadcast Authority) and the American Symphony Orchestra. (JCC, 334 Amsterdam Avenue. Call 646-505-5708) Saturday, February 7, 7:30PM Festive premiere of Vienna: Jews and the City of Music Yeshiva University Museum’s annual gala features an exhibition preview led by Leon Botstein; a musical performance with Christian Immler, baritone, and Silvia Fraser, piano; and a lavish Viennese dessert buffet. ($500/person couvert to the Festive Premiere includes the exhibition catalogue with 2 CDs and a ticket to the American Symphony Orchestra concert, “Jews and Vienna, City of Music,” February 8, 3PM at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.) Sunday, February 8, 3:00PM The American Symphony Orchestra performs musical works by Karl Goldmark, Anton Rubinstein, Franz Schreker, Salomon Sulzer, and Alexander Zemlinsky. (Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. Call 212-868-9AS0) Wednesday, March 10, 7:00PM Hugo Kauder Memorial Concert: Chamber music recital with Norman Dee & Josephine Chan Yung playing works by Bach, Debussy, Kauder, Ibert, and Schumann. Thursday, March 18, 7:00PM Cantorial Concert: “The Cantor as Composer: Treasures of Viennese Liturgical Music” co-sponsored by The Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music, Yeshiva University. Tuesday, April 15, 7:00PM Screening of “My Song Goes Round the World,” a 1934 semi-autobiographical film on the life of Cantor/Opera star Joseph Schmidt. Introduction by George Jellinek and remarks by Diane Spielman. PUBLIC PROGRAMS (continued) Wednesday, April 21, 8:00PM “Lieder, Tchotchkes and a Melodrama,” a concert co-sponsored with Mannes College of Music. Thursday, May 13, 7:00PM “Fin de Siecle: A Conversation” with Leon Botstein, Lawrence Weschler (NY Institute for Humanities, NYU), and Carl Shorske (Author, Fin de Siecle Vienna: Politics and Culture) Tuesday, June 1, 7:00PM Exiled In Paradise: A Conversation with Leon Botstein, Lawrence Weschler, and Anthony Heilbut (Author, Exiled in Paradise: German Refugee Artists and Intellectuals in America From the 1930s to the Present) ABOUT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Since its founding in 1973, Yeshiva University Museum's changing contemporary art and historical exhibits have celebrated the culturally diverse intellectual and artistic achievements of over 3,000 years of Jewish experience. In 2000, Yeshiva University Museum moved to the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City, where it occupies four spacious galleries, a children's workshop center, a docent room, and an outdoor sculpture garden. Other features of the building include a 250-seat auditorium, a shop, and the kosher Date Palm Cafe. Visit www.yumuseum.org for more information about Yeshiva University Museum. # # # YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM GENERAL INFORMATION Location Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) Web Site www.yumuseum.org Telephone 212-294-8330 Fax 212-294-8335 Email info@yumuseum.org Museum Hours Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday:11:00AM to 5:00PM. Admission Adults $6.00 Seniors and students with current valid ID $4.00 Children ages 5-16 $4.00 Children under 5 free Free with Yeshiva University I.D Directions Subway: L/N/R/4/5/6 to 14th Street Union Square A/C/E to 14th Street 1/9 to 18th Street 2/3 to 14th Street F to 14th Street Bus: #2, #3 or #5 on Fifth Avenue to 17th Street #5, #6 or #7 on Sixth Avenue to 17th Street #14 on Fourteenth Street to Fifth or Sixth Avenue For more information please contact the Public Relations Office at 212-294-8330 ext. 8804 or email rmetzger@yum.cjh.org. Information about Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions and public programs is also available online at www.yumuseum.org.

Jan 16, 2004: "Writing As Roots” Series Begins at YIVO “The Jewish Writer in the 21st Century “What’s Left to Say?” Rescheduled from October 2003 (New York City) – YIVO announced a new date for The First Annual Writing As Roots Series, organized by its Leadership Forum. “The Jewish Writer in the 21st Century: What’s Left to Say?” panel discussion, the first in this new series raising funds for the Educational Program on Yiddish Culture (EPYC) and YIVO Fellowships, is sponsored by Morgan Barrington Financial Services, Inc. Laura Shapiro Kramer and Jay Kramer are Event Chairs, and Fanya Gottesfeld Heller is Honorary Chair. "The Jewish Writer in the 21st Century: What’s Left to Say?” – a conversation with authors Helen Epstein, Samuel G. Freedman, Tony Kushner, and Thane Rosenbaum, moderated by Joseph Berger, will take place: Monday, January 26, 2004 - at 7:30 p.m. Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, NYC Single ticket: $25/ Students & Seniors: $10 ** Reservations: Please call 917- 606-8200. About the “Writing As Roots” authors: Helen Epstein is a former journalist, and author of five books of literary non-fiction, the most recent being Where She Came From: A Daughter’s Search for Her Mother’s History. She is on the faculty at of the Prague Summer Seminars and affiliated with Harvard University and Brandeis University. Samuel G. Freedman, an award–winning writer and professor, is a former reporter for the New York Times, and author of four acclaimed books, his most recent Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry. He is a tenured professor at the Columbia University School of Journalism. Tony Kushner is the award-winning playwright of Angels in America. In addition to his work in the theater, he is author of numerous essays on topics ranging from bigotry, to war, to faith, and to love, as well as tackling such contemporary topics as AIDS and gay rights. Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist and law professor, and the author of, most recently, The Golems of Gotham (2002). His articles, reviews and essays appear frequently in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, among other national publications. Joseph Berger, serving as Moderator, is a veteran New York Times reporter, and author of Displaced Persons: Growing Up American After the Holocaust. “This series supports our EPYC program, the new high school level curriculum that explores East European Jewish life and culture before the Holocaust,” Event Chairs Laura Shapiro Kramer and Jay Kramer noted. “EPYC, which debuted last September in 18 schools across the world, reaches out to our youth utilizing the vast materials in the YIVO Archives and Library, along with other materials and the latest multimedia technology to offer first-hand access to materials usually available only to scholars.” Funds will also support YIVO Fellowships. YIVO offers a variety of fellowships to emerging and established scholars in the field of Jewish Studies, in particular to support research conducted at the YIVO Library and Archives. Each scholar receives a stipend for doing research in such fields as Eastern European Jewish Studies, American Jewish history, Polish Jewish history, Lithuanian Jewish history, Latvian Jewish studies, Yiddish literature, Jewish education, and the American Jewish immigrant experience. YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute and headquartered in New York since 1940, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is devoted to the history, society, and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry, and the influence of that culture as it has developed in the Americas. As the only pre-Holocaust scholarly institution to transfer its mission to the United States, today YIVO is the preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 350,000 volumes; the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. A founding partner of the Center for Jewish History, YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, adult education and Yiddish language classes, various scholarly publications, research opportunities and fellowships. ####

Jan 8, 2004: “PARALLEL LIVES: GROWING UP BLACK AND JEWISH IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA IN THE 1950’S”-A CONVERSATION BETWEEN CLIFTON TAULBERT AND EUGENE DATTEL “Two Renowned Authors to Discuss Their Different Lives in the Mississippi Delta A Commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the "Center for Jewish History” Tuesday, January 13, 2004 at 6:30 pm New York, NY – January 8, 2004 -- The American Jewish Historical Society in association with The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding presents the conversation, “Parallel Lives: Growing Up Black and Jewish in the Mississippi Delta in the 1950s”, a commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Tuesday, January 13, 2004 at 6:30 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. Taking part in the celebration are two authors from the Delta region of Mississippi: Clifton Taulbert, an African American author of the best-seller Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored and winner of the NAACP image award, and the Jewish American, twenty-year Wall Street veteran, Eugene Dattel, author of The Sun That Never Rose. They have been performing "Parallel Lives", for over six years, comparing their childhoods and reaching out to diverse audiences. Following their presentation, Taulbert and Dattel will be joined by Peter Geffen, Executive Director, Center for Jewish History; Rabbi Marc Schneier, President and co-Founder, Foundation for Ethnic Understanding; and invited guest C. Virginia Fields, Manhattan Borough President. Other special guests will be announced. Clifton Taulbert, a Pulitzer Prize nominated author and the President and Founder of the Building Community Institute, speaks throughout the world on the critical issues of building community and creating an environment branded by respect, affirmation and inclusion. He is also the author of the internationally acclaimed book, Eight Habits of the Heart, which provides the framework on which to build, maintain, and sustain a powerful, effective, and caring community. Eugene Dattel has maintained a life-long interest in the study of southern, racial, and comparative history. He is the author of The Sun That Never Rose (1994), which investigates the economics and culture of Japan. Gene Dattel’s grandfather immigrated to the Yazoo Mississippi Delta, “the most Southern place on earth”, in the late 19th century, and Dattel, was born and raised in the Delta. He spent 20 years on Wall Street, 15 of which were overseas as the Managing Director at Salomon Brothers. He also served as an independent consultant. His current research/writing project is about the juxtaposition between cotton and race. He has returned to the Delta to sponsor educational and research programs, recently inspiring two Yale undergraduates – one Jewish and one African American – to pursue a joint project. Rabbi Marc Schneier, as President and co-Founder of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, is one of the leading voices in the field of intergroup relations, reconciliation and understanding. He is the author of Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish Community, and is at the forefront of strengthening Black/Jewish relations, Latino/Jewish relations and Christian/Jewish relations. Admission to this event is $7.00/$4.00 for students and seniors and free to members of the American Jewish Historical Society. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field and its programs and exhibitions are highly regarded. About The Foundation For Ethnic Understanding The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding is a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening relations between ethnic communities, committed to the belief that face-to-face dialogue is the most effective path towards the reduction of bigotry and the promotion of reconciliation and understanding. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Jan 4, 2004: On Thursday, January 29, at 8:00pm, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg will discuss his new book, The Fate of Zionism: A Secular Future for Israel and Palestine (HarperCollins, October 2003), in an informed and stimulating conversation with Rabbi William Berkowitz. Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg was formerly the Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Englewood, New Jersey, from 1956 to 1985, where he is Rabbi Emeritus. He is also a Professor Emeritus of Religion at Dartmouth. Rabbi Hertzberg was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1943 and received a Ph.D, in History from Columbia University in 1966 and has taught at Princeton, Rutgers, Columbia, and Dartmouth. Since 1991, Rabbi Hertzberg has served as the Bronfman Visiting Professor of the Humanities at New York University. Rabbi Hertzberg is active in The World Zionist Organization and the American Jewish Congress (He was President of the American Jewish Congress from 1972 to 1978 and Vice President of the World Jewish Congress from 1975 to 1991). Rabbi Hertzberg was a leading advocate during the Civil Rights movement and an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. Rabbi Hertzberg's Books include: Jewish Polemics (1992); The Zionist Idea (1997) and A Jew In America (2002). ADMISSION: Free SPONSORS: Dialogue Forum Series And American Jewish Historical Society ###

Dec 11, 2003: RENOWNED NEW YORK CITY CANTOR JOSEPH MALOVANY, IN DIALOGUE WITH RABBI WILLIAM BERKOWITZ AT THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY “A Celebration of Hanukkah To Highlight the Festive Evening of Song and Discussion of Cantorial, Hasidic, Jewish Folksongs” Monday, December 29, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – December 10, 2003 -- The Dialogue Forum Series and the American Jewish Historical Society present a dialogue and Hanukkah celebration with Rabbi William Berkowitz and Cantor Joseph Malovany at the Center for Jewish History on Monday, December 29, 2003 at 8:00 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. Michael Feldberg, Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society states, “Cantor Malovany is renowned worldwide as a Cantor and soloist. He has the reputation of being an exceptional performer who has showcased his talents globally. He has sung for world leaders and at significant events.” Joseph Malovany has served as the Cantor of New York’s prestigious Fifth Avenue Synagogue since 1973. He is a distinguished professor of Liturgical Music at Yeshiva University. He is the Dean of the JDC Moscow Academy of Jewish Music. Born in Tel Aviv, he served as the Cantor at the “Bilu” synagogue, Cantor of the Israeli Army and at synagogues in Johannesburg, South Africa and London, England. He is the holder of the highest artistic diplomas from the Music Academy in Tel Aviv and From Great Britain’s Royal Academy of Music. He is a “fellow” of the Trinity College of Music and has been awarded with many citations and honors from various national and international organizations, the latest of which is the Tel Aviv University’s Award for “Tolerance and Understanding.” He is Honorary President of the Cantorial Council of America and Past Chairman of the Board of the American Society for Jewish Music. In 1997, the Joseph Malovany Chair for Advanced Studies in Jewish Liturgical Music was established, by New York’s Yeshiva University at its Belz School of Jewish Music. He is the founder and President of the World Jewish Music Foundation, “Understanding, Tolerance, Religious Freedom and Human Rights –Via music.” Mr. Malovany has performed many times as a soloist with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, the Russian State Symphony, the Belgium Radio Symphony and the Romanian Radio and Television Orchestra among others. He possesses a brilliant spinto tenor voice, described by the London Guardian as “most powerful, beautiful and expressive spinto technique…sturdy and heroic” and by the Swedish newspaper Goteborgs Posten as “Judaism’s Jussi Bjorling.” Admission to this event is free. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. The next Dialogue in the series will take place on Thursday, January 29, 2003 at 8 pm with guest Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field and its programs and exhibitions are highly regarded. ###

Dec 1, 2003: Media Contact: Eric Katzman Public Relations Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 ekatzman@cjh.org BRUCE SLOVIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF PROMINENT EDUCATOR PETER GEFFEN TO THE POSITION OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
New York, NY – November 21, 2003 – Bruce Slovin, a Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Center for Jewish History announces the appointment of Peter A. Geffen as the Center’s new Executive Director. The appointment is effective immediately. The Center now entering its fourth year, has experienced tremendous growth in a short period. With combined holdings of 100 million documents of its five partner organizations, it comprises the largest repository of Jewish history and culture outside of Israel and is referred to as “The Library of Congress of the Jewish People.” In selecting Mr. Geffen, Mr. Slovin, stated, “Peter will bring his vast experience, vision, and knowledge of new media to helping the Center strengthen its institutional programs, develop new ideas, as well as play a vital role in setting long-range goals as the Center and its partners move forward collectively into its next phase of exciting growth.” The Center is comprised of five distinguished Jewish organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and to accommodate their expanding collection of documents, the Center is nearing completion of an expansion campaign to add six floors of archival storage scheduled for April 2004. Eli Evans, President Emeritus of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, response to Mr. Geffen’s appointment was not uncommon among Jewish leaders: “What a great leader you will have to take this extraordinary institution of multiple archives, constituencies and dreams and link them to Jewish education all across the country. It is inspiring to see the Center select a person of such eloquence and wisdom, who will seize the opportunity to reshape the Jewish future by engaging the community with the Jewish past.” Mr. Geffen’s reputation and accomplishments spanning over 30 years, led other prominent individuals in the Jewish community to remark on his ‘charisma,’ brilliance,’ ‘and ‘talent.’ In tapping him for the position, the Board of Overseers and the Board Directors of the Center for Jewish History, joined Mr. Slovin in expressing their enthusiasm and confidence that Mr. Geffen’s leadership, skills, and interests, provide the perfect combination for a new era of accomplishment at the Center. Peter A. Geffen is the Founder of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York City, established in 1983. He has worked with The Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education since its inception and has served as educational consultant to many new day schools across the United States and Canada over the past decade. With a lifelong interest in new media and Jewish history, Peter is currently serving as chief consultant to the Heritage Civilization and the Jews DVD-Rom project of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, directing its work in educational applications, teacher training and the development of the PBS web site that will support its use throughout the world. Peter’s has a lifelong involvement in Israel education and Israel experience programs stemming from his first position as a young staff member of a unique Israel experience program (Aliyat Mitzvah) designed by Rabbi Eugene Weiner in 1964, through service in 1967, as a civilian volunteer in Israel during the Six Day War. Since that time he has been involved in many projects promoting a greater understanding between Arabs and Jews in the quest for peace in the Middle East. In 1969, he began summer travel programs for students at the Park Avenue Synagogue High School, where he served as founding Director from 1967-1985. In 1978 and 1980, he designed the first programs to bring Jewish youth into the Arab and the Islamic world (Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, (pre-revolutionary Iran and Turkey). He served as Director of Israel Experience Programs for North America for the Charles Bronfman Foundation from 1990-1997. In 1999, Peter created (and will continue to direct) “Kivunim-Directions” which is the largest Israel-based teacher training seminar from North America. Prior to his work in the Jewish Day School world, Peter served in various leadership capacities in supplementary and informal Jewish education (including decades of senior staff positions with Camps Ramah in Canada, Glen Spey and Israel). His professional training spans the worlds of Religious Education, Jewish history and psychotherapy. His background includes involvement in many of the critical issues of social justice of the past 30+ years, including service as a civil rights worker for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the summers of 1965 and 1966. In 1996, Peter was invited to design and conduct the first college-aged High Holiday Service in the former Soviet Union. He returned to Moscow in September, 1997 and again in 1998 to lead an historic gathering of over 1,200 young Russian Jews on Rosh Hashanah, which has now been replicated in over 70 cities in the former Soviet Union on an annual basis. Peter writes and speaks regularly on the life and work of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and is an acknowledged authority on the application of Heschel’s philosophy to Jewish education. All media inquiries about the appointment should be directed to Michael Glickman, Director of Public Affairs, 212-294-8303, or, email mglickman@cjh.org. ###

Dec 1, 2003: Media Contact: Eric Katzman Public Relations Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 ekatzman@cjh.org www.cjh.org CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY SECOND ANNUAL DINNER OF THE BOARD OF OVERSEERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS. BRUCE SLOVIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD PRESENTATION OF THE SANDRA P.AND FREDERICK ROSE YOUNG HISTORIAN AWARD ENTERTAINMENT WILL BE PROVIDED BY DAVID KRAKAUER’S KLEZMER MADNESS AND SPECIAL GUEST, DJ SOCALLED. PART OF EVENING’S PROCEEDS WILL BE APPLIED TO THE “ONE MILLION TO GO…SIX NEW FLOORS” BUILDING CAMPAIGN. EVENT: THE 2ND ANNUAL DINNER OF THE BOARD OF OVERSEERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY WHEN: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2003 TIME: 6:00 PM RECEPTION 7:00 PM ENTERTAINMENT 8:00 PM DINNER WHERE: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY 15 WEST 16TH STREET (BETWEEN 5TH AND 6TH AVENUE) ###

Nov 5, 2003: Media Contact: Eric Katzman Public Relations Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 ekatzman@cjh.org “AS SEEN BY…”LIFE MAGAZINE’S GREAT JEWISH-AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS” New Photo Exhibit Presented by the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History Celebrates Works of Alfred Eisenstaedt, Nat Fein, and Other Prominent Jewish American Photographers New York, NY – October 3, 2003 -- A new exhibition celebrating the lives and works of Jewish-American photographers from Alfred Eisenstaedt and Joe Rosenthal to Nat Fein and Ralph Morse are currently on exhibit at the American Jewish Historical Society, located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street in New York City. The collection of photographs from Life Magazine are part of the exhibit: “As Seen By…”LIFE Magazine’s Great Jewish-American Photographers.” The exhibition is open to the public without charge Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 11:00-5:00 p.m. on Sundays. These stirring photographs will chronicle the American experience of the tumultuous 20th Century, illuminating who we were, where we were, and what we have become as a nation. With unflinching eyes and steady hands, these groundbreaking forerunners in the field of photojournalism will provide a bird’s-eye view of war in all its unrelenting horror, of breathtaking scientific discoveries, of the legendary figures of Hollywood, sports and politics, and of their fellow Jews around the world in the grip of social change. The “As Seen By…” exhibit will be mounted in a handsomely appointed, 378-square-foot street-level gallery space at the American Jewish Historical Society. The exhibit will run through April 2004The exhibit will feature the work of five legendary Jewish photographers hose works appeared regularly in the pages of LIFE Magazine during its heyday: Margaret Bourke–White (1904-1971). A woman of many “firsts” in the newly emerging field of photojournalism, Margaret Bourke-White (whose father was a Jew of Polish descent) became Fortune Magazine’s first photographer in 1929. In 1930 she was the first Western photographer allowed in the Soviet Union. The cover of the very first issue of LIFE Magazine in 1936 featured her photograph of the Fort Peck Dam. She chronicled the Depression in the classic book Have You Seen Their Faces, with soon-to-be husband Erskine Caldwell. She was the first female war correspondent and one of the first photographers to enter and document the Nazi death camps. Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995). Dubbed the “father of photojournalism, Eisenstaedt created some of the most enduring images of the 20th Century. He began his career in 1928 in his native Berlin as a freelance photographer with Pacific and Atlantic Photos (which was later taken over by the Associated Press). In 1936, a year after emigrating to the U.S., he was hired as one of LIFE Magazine’s original staff photographers. A master of the candid shot, he is perhaps best known for the photo he took on August 15, 1945 - VJ Day - in Times Square, of a sailor kissing a nurse. Nat Fein (1916-2001). Fein was born in Manhattan and became the quintessential New York photographer. In 1933 he launched a 30-year career with the New York Herald Tribune, photographing many of the leading figures: Harry Truman, Bobby Kennedy, Douglas MacArthur and Mickey Mantle, to name but a few. In 1949 he won the Pulitzer Prize for what is still widely regarded as the most celebrated photo in sports history, and the first sports photo to ever receive a Pulitzer: the 1948 shot of Babe Ruth on the field, near death from cancer and shown only from behind, at the ceremony during which the Yankees retired his number. Paul Schutzer (d. 1967). One of LIFE’s best and brightest during the Eisenhower and Kennedy years, Schutzer chronicled the tumultuous 1960s, the Viet Nam War and American icons from Rosa Parks to Elizabeth Taylor. He was a favorite photographer of the Kennedy family and captured many of their candid moments. Schutzer’s career was cut tragically short when he was killed in Israel in 1967, taking pictures during one of the fierce battles of the Six-Day War. Ralph Morse ( 1918- ). He is most famous for his work chronicling America’s Space Program through the decades, but Ralph Morse also photographed the most dramatic events of World War II. He was present for the battle of Midway and the Marine’s first landing at Guadalcanal. He went down with the Navy’s U.S.S. Vincennes when the Japanese bombed it. He was aboard the U.S.S. Hornet for the takeoff of Jimmy Doolittle’s raid over Tokyo, and he was the only photographer present when the Germans surrendered to General Dwight D. Eisenhower on May 7, 1945 in the war room of his headquarters in Rheims, France. For more information on the exhibition, call (212) 294-6160 or visit http://www.cjh.org/. The exhibit will run through April, 2004. For information on the American Jewish Historical Society, call 212-294-6160, and for information on the programs of the Center for Jewish History, call the Public Relations Office, 212-294-8303. ###

Oct 13, 2003: LEGAL EDUCATION PROGRAM TO FEATURE BREAKFAST CLE ON "TOLERANCE IN JEWISH LAW" First In New Series of Symposia Thursday, October 23, 2003 at 8:00 a.m. New York, NY – October 9, 2003 – The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists and Fordham University School Of Law are pleased to announce a series of Continuing Legal Education programs taking place at the Center for Jewish History, New York. The first program, co-presented with the National Association of Muslim Lawyers, will take place Thursday, October 23rd, 2003 at 8 am at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. Professor Suzanne Last Stone, of Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, will be the keynote speaker of the program titled “Tolerance in Jewish Law.” Professor Stone graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude. Before entering law school, she was a Danforth Fellow in Jewish history and classical religions at Yale University. She was a writing and research editor of the Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Ms. Stone clerked for Judge John Minor Wisdom of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and was associated with the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. She teaches procedure, federal courts, and law and religion; her primary area of scholarship is Jewish law. Past speakers in this Continuing Legal Education Program of the Center for Jewish History have included Professor Richard Buxbaum of the University of California at Berkeley and Professor Daniel Friedmann of Tel Aviv University. The Continuing Legal Education programs are a component of the Center for Jewish History’s “Jews and Justice” series. Upcoming Continuing Legal Education programs are as follows: The second program in the series is entitled “The Holocaust: Memory, Justice and Law -- A Kristallnacht Discussion on the Unfinished Business of Nuremberg” on November 11th at 7:30 p.m. Introduced by Professor Keith Nunes of the Institute on the Holocaust & the Law, Touro University School of Law will be speakers Saul Kagan, The Conference on Material Claims Against Germany; Ambassador Herbert Okun, U.S. Department of State, Emeritus; Nicholas Rostow, General Counsel, U.S. Mission to the United Nations; Professor Ruth Wedgwood, Edward B. Burling Professor of International Law and Diplomacy, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C.; Professor Eric Freedman, Université d'Orleans – France; and Eli Rosenbaum, U.S. Department of Justice. Professor Ruti Teitel of The New York Law School will moderate. The third program on Thursday, December 4th 2003 at 8 a.m., "Debating the Role of the Israel Supreme Court," will be led by Abraham Bell of Bar Ilan University, who is currently a Visiting Professor at Fordham University School of Law. The cost of the event is $75.00 allowing registrants to be eligible for two hours of Continuing Legal Education credit. Financial assistance is available. The program on November 11th will be $10.00 for the general public. For more information, call the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or visit www.cjh.org. About American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists represents the American Jewish legal community, defending Jewish interests and human rights in the U.S. and abroad. To fulfill its mission, the AAJLJ works to safeguard the civil and human rights of Jews and others in the U.S. and abroad; sponsors regular programs featuring speakers and discussions on topical legal issues; promotes the study of Jewish law and ethics through law school courses, seminars and publications; works to provide diplomatic and legal assistance to Jews around the world; organizes law-oriented missions to Israel; participates in triennial world Jewish legal congresses in Jerusalem and in annual congresses abroad and conducts special Jewish-content programs at annual ABA meetings. The Association is a national affiliate of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, a democratic organization whose membership is drawn from more than 30 countries. About the National Association of Muslim Lawyers The Mission of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers (NAML) is to be the national representative of the Muslim legal profession. We desire to serve Muslims, the general public and our profession by promoting justice for all peoples and to promote improvements in American laws and the American system of justice. We believe that our sustained involvement in American executive, legislative and judicial decision-making processes is essential to the long term well-being and successful integration of Muslims into American society. Our community's interests are best protected by those with an understanding of and respect for the law, legal process, and the role of the legal profession in developing, enforcing and changing the law. We intend to promote meaningful access to legal representation for Muslims, and in turn to promote full, fair and equal participation by Muslims in American society overall. About Fordham University Founded in 1841, Fordham is New York City’s Jesuit University. Enrolling approximately 15,000 students in its 11 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, Fordham has residential campuses in the north Bronx, Manhattan and Tarrytown, and the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Oct 9, 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Editor’s Note: Photo available upon request DANIEL AYALON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES VISITS CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY FOR DISCUSSION DIALOGUE WITH RABBI WILLIAM BERKOWITZ Topics Will Focus On The Correlation Of Recent Events In Israel And Its Effects On The United States Wednesday October 29, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – September 15, 2003 -- The Dialogue Forum Series and the American Jewish Historical Society will present a dialogue between Rabbi William Berkowitz and Ambassador Danny Ayalon at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 at 8:00 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. Ambassador Daniel Ayalon has played an instrumental role in Israel’s foreign policy during the last three consecutive Israeli Administrations. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador to the United States, Daniel Ayalon was the Foreign Policy Adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He is a graduate of Tel Aviv University's Economics Department and holds an MBA from the University of Bowling Green in Ohio. Ambassador Daniel Ayalon’s role in the Israeli government has been varied in the roles he has taken on. He began his career in New York from 1993-1997 as the Director of the Bureau of Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. In addition at the same time, Ayalon is a member of the Israeli Delegation to the U.N. and Israel’s representative on the General Assembly’s Committee for Peace Keeping Operations and the UN Development Fund (UNDP). His professional career continued as a Foreign Service diplomat serving diplomatic missions abroad including Panama and Israel. Ambassador Ayalon was influential in binding ties for political, economic and culture matters. From 1997-2003, Ambassador Ayalon worked successfully under both conservative and reform leaders. He was appointed Deputy Foreign Policy Advisor to former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Benjamin Natanyahu. While serving his advisor position, he also had the honor of holding membership to the Sharm El-Sheikh (1997), Wye Plantation (1998) and Camp David (2000) summits. Israel's representative on the General Assembly's Committee for Peace Keeping Operations and the UN Development Fund (UNDP). Admission to this event is $10.00 for the general public, and free to AJHS members. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. The next dialogue in the series will take place on Thursday, November 13, 2003 at 8 pm. The guest will be Peter Z. Malkin, the Israeli intelligence legend who with the Mossad is largely regarded as the man who captured Adolf Eichmann in 1960 in Argentina. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field and its programs and exhibitions are highly regarded. ###

Oct 9, 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPHARDIC COOKING IN AMERICAN-HISTORY AND ROOTS: WITH JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNING COOKBOOK AUTHOR JOAN NATHAN “Sephardic Food Was The First Jewish Food To Come To America,” Explains Joan Nathan. “Now, 350 Years Later It Is More In Than Ever And Seems Amazingly Modern.” New York, NY – October 9, 2003 -- The American Sephardi Federation/ Sephardic House present Joan Nathan, PBS host and executive producer of Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, conducting a cooking class entitled “Joan Nathah Cooks Sephardic.” The event will be held on Tuesday, October 28, 2003 at 7 pm at the Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street, New York. Admission to this event is $15.00 and $10.00 for members of American Sephardi Federation/Sephardic House. In her talk, Ms. Nathan will bring you to understand her “modus operandi” as a cookbook writer as she connects the early history of Jewish cooking in America with the arrival of the first Jewish families. She will show how Sephardic cooking, through the integration and assimilation of Jews from many countries including Greece, Turkey, Israel, Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, has become an integral part of American cuisine. Ms. Nathan is an internationally recognized expert on food culture and a recent inductee into Who’s Who in Wine and Food by the James Beard Foundation. Ms. Nathan’s personal history provides what is perhaps the best explanation for her expertise. As a child, Nathan often traveled to other countries with her father, a German businessman, and made the connection early on between culture and food. With a Masters Degree in French Literature from Harvard, she took a job as a foreign press officer to Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek, a leader who often combined meetings and meals. The experience inspired Ms. Nathan to write her first book, The Flavor of Jerusalem. In 1994, she published Jewish Cooking in America, an instant classic that received numerous accolades from food organizations. The Foods of Israel Today, is a compilation of recipes from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Traditions. A founder of New York’s Ninth Avenue Food Festival, Nathan has appeared on TV ranging from Today to Martha Stewart. In 1995, she received the Golda Award from the American Jewish Congress for her creative contribution to the quality of life in Washington D.C. About American Sephardi Federation The American Sephardi Federation is a national Jewish organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardic community and promoting its spiritual, cultural and social traditions. ASF serves as the coordinating body and resource for all of the American Sephardi communities. Since its arrival to the Center for Jewish History, the archival holdings and library of ASF have been enriched with valuable records of personal and community history. For more information, call 212-294-8350 or visit http://www.asfonline.org/. ###

Oct 9, 2003: “A Battle for the Soul of New York” Booklist -- Battle for the Soul of New York “ is a wonderfully narrated history… that could only be found in New York,” Choice magazine --This is a terrific story that reads… like an E. L. Doctorow novel.” Author Warren Sloat Discusses His New Work with Veteran Journalist Jack Newfield Sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History Wednesday, October 22, 2004 7:00 p.m. Admission: $10.00 adults $7.00 seniors, students $5.00 AJHS members New York, New York October 8, 2003 - Warren Sloat, journalist and author of A Battle for the Soul of New York: Tammany Hall, Police Corruption, Vice, and Reverend Charles Parkhurst’s Crusade Against Them, 1892-1895, will engage in a lively, stimulating discussion with veteran journalist Jack Newfield at the Center for Jewish History, 15 WEest 16th Street, on October 22nd, 2003 at 7:00 PM. Warren Sloat, writer and journalist whose reporting in the 1970s exposed several New Jersey political scandals, has written a chilling tale of political corruption in his new work, A Battle for the Soul of New York (Cooper Square Press). In using biographical material, Mr. Sloat tells the tale of Reverend Charles Parkhurst and his public battle against the corrupt political machine that ran New York City at the end of the last century. A Battle for the Soul of New York offers a panorama of the anarchists, gangsters, swaggering cops, prostitutes, and saloon owners of old New York. It tells of the hard-fought campaigns and stunning victory of Parkhurst and his grassroots movement—a movement that found extensive support among Eastern European Jews, who, as new arrivals to New York, were most fiercely subjected to police shakedowns and extortion. It is the dramatic, previously untold story about how democracy was reborn in post-Civil War industrial America-and the crusader who was key in effecting dramatic political changes. Jack Newfield, author of several acclaimed books including a memoir Somebody’s Gotta Tell It, worked as a columnist for the Village Voice, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post. He is the recipient of the George Polk Award for Investigative Journalism, an Emmy for his documentary on Don King, and numerous other awards. The discussion on Parkhurst and how his groundswell movement changed New York, ushering in the country’s Reform Era will take place after an introduction and reading by Warren Sloat. Ticket information: 917 606 8200; fax: 917-606-8201,or,email boxoffice@cjh.org.

Sep 9, 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY IS RAISIN’ THE ROOF ‘The Library of Congress of the Jewish People’ Plans Six New Floors For Rapidly Growing Collection of Rare Documents, Photographs, Artifacts, Books, and Records of the Modern Jewish Diaspora Honored Guests: C. Virginia Fields, Manhattan Borough President and Eva Moskowitz, New York City Council Member, Fourth District Monday, September 29, 2003 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Bruce Slovin, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Jewish History announces an ambitious expansion plan for the Center for Jewish History and its five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In undertaking the building of six new floors for expanded archival space -- three years after its opening -- Mr. Slovin states, “we are realizing the dream of creating the first “Library of Congress of the Jewish People,” the largest repository to preserve Jewish culture and history outside the State of Israel. “ Mr. Slovin further notes that, “In achieving this long awaited goal, the Center will begin to emphasize its dual role on the American Jewish landscape – as a place that preserves documents of world Jewry and presents arts and ideas through its cultural programs. The Center transcends denominational boundaries, where all points of view are welcome, where cultural and intellectual issues are freely explored in seminars and lectures and where an array of talent can be found in its cultural programs.” On Monday, September 29, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at a celebratory groundbreaking ceremony, Mr. Slovin and the Board of Overseers will thank and honor Virginia Fields, Manhattan Borough President and Eva Moskowitz, New York City Council Member of the Fourth District. Their commitment to the mission of the Center and recognition of its immediate success, has played a significant role in helping the Center secure grants totaling nearly $3 million of the building costs from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Manhattan Borough President’s office. In building “up,” Richard Blinder, partner in the prominent architectural firm of Beyer Blinder Belle, and chief architect of the project noted, “the new six floor addition will put the finishing touches on the dream of the project as it was originally conceived. It will give each of the constituent organizations additional archival storage, and restore public meeting and classroom spaces that were temporarily used as offices…” A chief result of the expansion will be a greater focus on the Center’s growing worldwide reputation as a leading repository for documents, as well as bringing public attention to its unique position in New York City as a “museum of ideas,” for intellectual thought and debate. In the archives, key stories that have defined the Jewish experience come to life in records that number 100 million archival documents spanning centuries, 500,000 library volumes, as well countless photographs, posters, artifacts, and works of art. The addition of six floors of archival space will allow the nearly 8,000 visitors, who come to the Center to research, study, and view records which have become a “public window”, to learn more about Jewish history and culture – past and present. Joshua Plaut, Executive Director of the Center for Jewish History, “… The archives are bursting at the seams with treasures and rich documents and books of the precious Jewish legacy. And the public is eager to access these resources. The additional space will enrich the five partners even further.” The Center for Jewish History, located in the heart of Chelsea, offers exhibitions, lectures, films, and literary evenings that highlight its vast collection of Jewish documents, art, and artifact. ###

Sep 9, 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THE IMPACT OF JUDIASM ON WESTERN DEMOCRACY VIEWS ON RELIGION, POLITICS, AND ETHICS DISCUSSION AND DEBATE BY LEADING SCHOLARS AND WRITERS Rabbi David Ellenson, Fania Oz-Salzberger, Edward Rothstein, Michael Walzer AT THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY Wednesday, October 1, 2003 at 6:30 pm The Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society will present the fifth event in the distinguished Jews & Justice series, “How Judaism Shaped Western Democracy,” which will take place on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, New York. Co-sponsors are: Fordham University School of Law and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; curator of this program is Russell G. Pearce, Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law. Major support for the Jews & Justice series has been provided by the David Berg Foundation. “How Judiasm Shaped Western Democracy,” will mark the first New York appearance of Fania Oz-Salzberger, Senior Lecturer at the School of History and the Faculty of Law, Haifa University and a member of a distinguished literary family, who is a leading public intellectual in Israel as well as a best-selling author in Europe. Respondents include Rabbi David Ellenson, President, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and Michael Walzer, Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study Princeton University. Edward Rothstein, Critic at Large, New York Times will preside as Moderator for the evening. Panelists will focus the discussion on how Jewish ideas, texts, and thinkers of the period were crucial to the development of modern European political thought. Integral to this examination of “ideas” will be an overview of Jewish culture, one that participated actively as a co-architect of modern Europe, leading to the emergence of a more free thinking intellectual society in European circles. Participants: Fania Oz-Salzberger is Professor and Senior Lecturer at the School of History and Faculty of Law at Haifa University. She received her Ph.D. from Oxford in 1991, where she also served as a senior scholar at Lincoln College (1988-1990) and as a Hornik Junior Research Fellow in Intellectual History at Wolfson College (1990-1993). Her professional experience includes serving as a member of the Israel Democracy Public Council and as a past participant in the European Commission’s “Intellectual Dialogue” discussions between Europe and the Middle East. Dr. Salzberger has authored many articles as well as being a best selling author in Israel of three books: Translating the Enlightenment: Scottish Civic Discourse in the Eighteenth Century Germany (1995), Israelis in Berlin (2001) and (ed. and intro) Adam Ferguson, An Essay on the History of Civil Society (2001). Edward Rothstein writes on music, culture, literature, intellectual life, and technology as the present Critic at Large for the New York Times. His essays and music criticism have appeared in The New York Review of Books, Commentary, The American Scholar, and The London Independent. Mr. Rothstein is also the author of three well-known books: Men, Women and Pianos: A Social History (1991), Emblems of Mind (1995), and Emblems of Mind: The Inner Life of Music and Mathematics (named one of the top twenty-five best books in 1995 by the New York Public Library). He is a two-time winner of the ASCAP Deems-Taylor Award for music criticism, was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 1991, and has been awarded a doctorate from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. Rabbi David Ellenson is President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He holds the Gus Waterman Herrman Presidential Chair and is the I.H. and Anna Grancell Professor of Jewish Religious Thought at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. Dr. Ellenson is also a Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem and Fellow and Lecturer at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Dr. Ellenson has published and lectured extensively on diverse topics in modern Jewish history, ethics, and thought, and is the author of Tradition in Transition: Orthodoxy, Halakhah and the Boundaries of Modern Jewish Identity (1989), Rabbi Esriel Hildesheimer and the Creation of a Modern Jewish Orthodoxy (1990) (nominated for the National Jewish Book Council’s Award for outstanding book in Jewish History), and Between Tradition and Culture: The Dialectics of Jewish Religion and Identity in the Modern World (1994). He is currently at work on another book-length collection of his essays. Michael Walzer is a Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. He has written on a wide variety of topics in political theory and moral philosophy, including political obligation, just and unjust war, nationalism and ethnicity, economic justice, and the welfare state. Dr. Walzer has played a part in the revival of practical, issue-focused ethics and in the development of a pluralist approach to political and moral life. He is currently working on the toleration and accommodation of "difference" in all its forms, and also on a collaborative project focused on the history of Jewish political thought. The Jewish Political Tradition: Membership, the second volume of four projected in this series, was published this month by Yale University Press. He is the author of Political Action (1971), Just and Unjust Wars (1977), Spheres of Justice (1983) and The Thread of Politics: Democracy, Social Criticism and World Government (2002). About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field and its programs and exhibitions are highly regarded. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. Admission is $10.00 and seating is limited. Reservations are required. For more information, visit http://www.cjh.org/, or call (917) 606-8200. ###

Sep 9, 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Editor’s Note: Photo available upon request RABBI WILLIAM BERKOWITZ, HOST OF DIALOGUE FORUM SERIES INTERVIEWS RABBI IRVING (YITZ) GREENBERG Discussion to Focus On Enriching the Religious, Cultural and Institutional Aspects of American Jewry Monday, September 15, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – August 25, 2003 -- The Dialogue Forum Series and the American Jewish Historical Society will present a dialogue between Rabbi William Berkowitz and Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium on Monday, September 15, 2003 at 8:00 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. The Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Michael Feldberg notes, “Yitz Greenberg brings a wealth of knowledge gained throughout his academic and professional career. He is one of the leading thinkers in contemporary Judaism.” Mr. Greenberg follows such renowned Dialogue Forum interviewees as TV anchor Mike Wallace, actress Tovah Feldshuh, author Elie Wiesel, former Foreign Minister of Israel Shimon Peres, actor Tony Randall, artist and activist Theodore Bikel, and Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg.” Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg is the President of Chaverim Kol Yisrael/Jewish Life Network (CKY/JLN), a Judy and Michael Steinhardt Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to create new institutions and initiatives to enrich the inner life of American Jewry. He is an ordained Orthodox rabbi and a Harvard Ph.D. Rabbi Greenberg is a seminal thinker in confronting the Holocaust as a historical event and in defining the place of Israel at the beginning of a third era in Jewish history. Admission to this event is free. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. The next dialogue in the series will take place on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 at 8 pm. The guest will be Daniel Ayalon, Israeli Ambassador to the United States. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field and its programs and exhibitions are highly regarded. ###

Aug 22, 2003: Thanks to a generous donation from the Jewish Genealogical Society, the Center for Jewish History (CJH) has acquired the "Jewish Biographical Archive. "This important biographical reference resource was purchased on recommendation of the CJH Collection Development Committee. Additional funding was provided by the 5 partner organizations. The Jewish Biographical Archive is a compendium of hundreds of the most important biographical reference works covering ca. 300,000 Jewish individuals. The full text entries from these sources have been arranged alphabetically on microfiche. Due to the nature of Jewish history and the accomplishments of Jewish individuals throughout the world during all ages, the Jewish Biographical Archive has no national, geographical, or chronological limits. It presents a comprehensive picture of the international role played by Jews in religion, culture, economics and politics throughout the ages. A 4-volume printed "Jewish Biographical Index" offers quick access to the biographical and bibliographical information of the microfiche archive. The printed index is available in the Reading Room reference collection, call number DS 115 J84. The reference staff in the reading room provides access to the microfiche archive. We are grateful for this wonderful gift which enhances our reading room reference resources, and also pleased that this significant and meaningful donation of the Jewish Genealogical Society made possible the first shared purchase of reference works among the 5 partner organizations.

Jul 30, 2003: RABBI WILLIAM BERKOWITZ Host of Diaglogue Forum Series To Interview AVI HOFFMAN, STAR OF TOO JEWISH? Hoffman to Perform Parts of “Too Jewish…” Discussion to Focus on Hoffman’s Career in Television, Stage, Music Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – July 30, 2003 -- The Dialogue Forum Series and the American Jewish Historical Society will present a dialogue between Rabbi William Berkowitz and actor Avi Hoffman at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at 8:00 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. The Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Michael Feldberg notes, “Avi Hoffman has established himself in the entertainment industry with his stage acting and roles in concerts and television. Mr. Hoffman follows such renowned speakers as TV anchor Mike Wallace, actress Tovah Feldshuh, author Elie Wiesel, former Foreign Minister of Israel Shimon Peres, actor Tony Randall, artist and activist Theodore Bikel, and Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg.” Avi was born 'Avrum Ber', son of Mendl and Miriam Hoffman, in 1958 in the Bronx, NY. He performed in dozens of Hebrew and English plays, as well as two Israeli television series and a film, Bloomfield, directed by and starring the late Irish actor, Richard Harris. As a stage actor he has performed in several Off-Broadway productions including his one man shows Too Jewish? & Too Jewish Two !, both of which were highly acclaimed and for which he was named Performer of the Year '95 by NY Press Magazine, as well as receiving the prestigious Los Angeles Ovation award as Best Actor In a Musical 2001 . He was also nominated for both the NY Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards. He directed and performed in the Joseph Papp production of Songs Of Paradise at the NY Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, which was also featured at major festivals in Munich and Amsterdam. He was seen in the revival of Jerry Herman's Milk And Honey, the title role in The Rise Of David Levinsky, A Rendezvous With God, The Golden Land and Finkel's Follies with the Emmy award winning veteran actor Fyvush Finkel (Picket Fences). On TV, Mr. Hoffman was featured as 'Teddy Wayne' in the NBC series Law And Order. He starred in the motion picture - The Imported Bridegroom, which received critical acclaim nationwide and was featured at the Montreal and Boston Film Festivals. Avi was also seen in the PBS documentary, They Came For Good: A History Of The Jews In The U.S. In the music and recording industry, Avi was the lead singer of the 10 piece Don Byron Klezmer Orchestra (Elektra/Nonesuch). Playing the music of Mickey Katz, they have performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brian (NBC), at Avery Fisher Hall, Summerstage in Central Park, the Montreal, Quebec and JVC Jazz Festivals, among other tours.. As the artistic director of 'The New Raft Theater Company' in New York, Avi developed and produced several projects as well as dozens of staged readings at the Houseman Theater and the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center. As the artistic director of the Joseph Papp Yiddish Theater, Avi promoted and preserved the rich heritage of the Yiddish language and culture through original theatrical productions. He is currently producing and directing a documentary film about the Jews in Poland today, and is the founder and executive director of the not- for- profit, National Center for Jewish Cultural Arts, Inc.. Admission to this event is free. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field. ###

Jul 1, 2003: RABBI WILLIAM BERKOWITZ TO INTERVIEW RENOWNED ACTRESS TOVAH FELDSHUH IN DIALOGUE FORUM SERIES Discussion to Focus on Feldshuh’s Storied Acting Legacy And the Influence of Judaism on her Career Monday, July 14, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – July 1, 2003 -- The Dialogue Forum Series and the American Jewish Historical Society present a dialogue between Rabbi William Berkowitz and actress Tovah Feldshuh at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium on Wednesday, July 14, 2003 at 8:00 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. Said Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Michael Feldberg, “Tovah Feldshuh has established herself in the acting industry with her diverse slate of roles in both movies, television and Broadway.” For her work on the New York Stage, from "Yentl" to "Sarava" to "Lend Me A Tenor," Tovah Feldshuh has won 3 Tony Nominations for Best Actress, 4 Drama Desk Awards, 4 Outer Critics Circle Awards, The Obie, and the Theatre World Awards. Some of her other New York credits include the title roles in the Roundabout Theatre's "She Stoops to Conquer" and "Mistress of the Inn", BAM's "Three Sister's with Rosemary Harris and Denhem Elliot, and roles on Broadway in "Cyrano" with Christopher Plummer, "Rodgers and Hart", and "Dreyfus in Rehearsal". She starred off-Broadway as Tallulah Bankhead in a piece she wrote entitled "Tallulah Hallelujah!” which ran four months on 42nd Street. "Tallulah Hallelujah!" was chosen as one of the ten Best Plays of the Year by USA Today, and Miss Feldshuh received the Best Actress Award from the Connecticut Critics Circle and a nomination for Best Solo Performance from New York's Outer Critic's Circle. Among other roles, Ms. Feldshuh has portrayed: Sarah Bernhardt, Stella Adler, Sophie Tucker, Katharine Hepburn, three queens of Henry VIII, and nine Jews from birth to death in off-Broadway's "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh." She most recently appeared off-Broadway in the long-running hit "The Vagina Monologues" and currently stars as Golda Meir in William Gibson's "Golda's Balcony." For her television work, she received the Emmy nomination for "Holocaust." She has starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in "The Amazing Howard Hughes", James Woods in "Citizen Cohn", and Bill Cosby on "The Cosby Mysteries" and "The Cosby Show", to name a few. She has a recurring role as Danielle Melnick on "Law and Order", played Richard Dreyfus' younger sister Sharon in "The Education of Max Bickford", Robert Loggia's love interest Marie Badalamenti in the upcoming series "Queens Supreme" and played Dr. Bethany Rose on "As the World Turns" for over a year. Her films include: the recently released Fox Searchlight picture "Kissing Jessica Stein" ("Feldshuh gives an achingly poignant and multilayered performance." -- Variety) for which she won the Golden Satellite Award as Best Supporting Actress; "A Walk on the Moon" for Miramax for which she received rave reviews; "Happy Accidents" with Marisa Tomei, "Friends and Family", "3 Little Wolffs", "Toll Booth", and "Old Love". She also appeared in "The Corruptor" with Mark Wahlberg, "Nunzio", "Cheaper to Keep Her", "Daniel", "Brewster's Millions", "The Idolmaker", "The Blue Iguana", "A Day in October", and "The Believer". Tovah Feldshuh made her cabaret debut at the famed Algonquin Oak Room in her act, "Tovah: Crossovah! From Broadway to Cabaret," followed by 8 sold-out weeks off-Broadway of her one-woman show "TOVAH: OUT OF HER MIND!” In April 1999, she opened at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia and has sung in Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Hong Kong, and Sydney, Australia, among others. In New York, she performed for "Lyrics and Lyricists" with Liza Minnelli, and in Washington, D.C. was Mistress of Ceremonies for the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center. The Boston Globe selected her as best Cabaret Artist of 2000. She made her London West End debut with "Tovah: Out of Her Mind!" October 27 at the Duke of York's Theatre and will sing in concert with Billy Crystal, March 4, 2003 in Los Angeles. Saturday November 16th she debuts at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. For her charity work, she is the recipient of the 2002 Jewish Image Award from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, Hadassah's Myrtle Wreath and the Israel Peace Medal. The Dialogue Forum Series is in its 51st year. Recent guests have included TV anchor Mike Wallace, renowned author Elie Wiesel, former Foreign Minister of Israel Shimon Peres, actor Tony Randall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, artist and activist Theodore Bikel, Ambassador Ilon Pinkus, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Malcolm Hoenlein and Dr. Norman Lamm. Admission to this event is free. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field. ###

Jun 18, 2003: MANHATTAN BORO PRES. C. VIRGINIA FIELDS TO HOST COMMEMORATION OF JEWISH HERITAGE Invitation-Only Event To Honor Zev Brenner, Rabbi Dr. Elie A. Abadie and Adrienne Cooper Thursday, June 19, 2003 at 5:30 pm New York, NY – June 18, 2003 -- The Borough President of Manhattan, C. Virginia Fields today announced “A Commemoration of Jewish Heritage” at the Center for Jewish History on Thursday, June 19, 2003. The event will honor: Rabbi Dr. Elie A. Abadie, spiritual leader of Edmund J. Safra Synagogue and a prominent gastroenterologist (Beth Israel and Maimonides Medical Centers); Zev Brenner, host of Talkline with Zev Brenner, WMCA and WSNR Radio; and Adrienne Cooper, cultural activist and noted musician. C. Virginia Fields, Manhattan Borough President said, “The Center for Jewish History represents a valuable resource that welcomes all New Yorkers to discover the breadth and texture of Jewish history and culture. We are delighted to honor a number of important voices of the Jewish community at this Center event.” Bruce Slovin, Chairman of the Center for Jewish History said, “It is gratifying to be able to host an event that celebrates the mission of the Center for Jewish History to preserve and educate the Jewish community and the public at large on the legacy of the Jewish people.” The invitation-only event will be attended by a diverse group of community and cultural leaders from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. The exhibits will be open for viewing at 5:30 and the program will begin at 6:30 pm. Throughout the evening, the galleries of the Yeshiva University Museum will remain open for viewing. Exhibits available to attending guests will include: “A Portion of the People: 300 Years of Southern Jewish Life”; “Stage and Page: Jewish Theater and Book Designs of Emanuele Luzzati”; "Children of the Lost Tribe of Dan: Portraits of Ethiopian Jewry” by Photographer Win Robins; and “Threads of Light: A Memorial to Lost Souls”, an installation by Luise Kloos. Media outlets seeking more information on the event are asked to call Eric Katzman at (212) 294-8352. On The Honorees: Zev Brenner is the President of Talkline Communications Network, America’s leading Jewish radio and television network, which he formed in 1981. He is the Executive Producer and Host of the popular “Talkline with Zev Brenner” which airs in New York City on WMCA and WSNR. Brenner has devoted his creative energies toward expanding the vistas of the Jewish community and forging better ties between Jews and other ethnic groups. Rabbi Dr. Elie A. Abadie is a specialist in gastroenterology and a member of the American College of Gastroenterology. He is associated with Beth Israel Medical Center and the Maimonides Medical Center. He is a spiritual leader of the Sephardic community and a member of the Rabbinical Council of America, the World Jewish Congress, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Sephardic Rabbinical Council of the Syrian and Near Eastern Jewish Communities in America, which is based in Brooklyn. He is the spiritual leader of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in Manhattan, which he helped to found and dedicate in December 2002. Adrienne Cooper is a musician and cultural activist. She is one of the most influential performers of Yiddish vocal music today, appearing on concert, theater, and club stages around the world. Her voice has been featured on film, radio, television and some twenty recordings including Partisans of Vilna, the only Yiddish recording ever nominated for a Grammy. As Assistant Director of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, she co-founded the Yiddish Folk Arts Program, popularly known as KlezKamp, the internationally recognized model for multi-generational folk art education now in its 14th year. She designed and hosted the Merkin Concert Hall's children's concert series on ethnic diversity within Jewish music. Ms. Cooper co-wrote and starred in The Memoirs of Gluckl of Hameln, presented to acclaim in New York at the legendary La Mama Annex. Ms. Cooper was a founding member of the Joseph Papp Yiddish Theater and veteran of its long-running off-Broadway production, Songs of Paradise. She received her musical training at the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem, and holds B.A and M.A. degrees in history from Hebrew University and the University of Chicago. Ms Cooper is currently Director of Program Development for the Workmen's Circle / Arbeter Ring. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Jun 12, 2003: PRESERVATION WORKSHOP AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY TO TEACH CONSERVATION METHODS FOR PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Sunday, June 22, 2003 at 10:00 am at the Center for Jewish History New York, NY – June 12, 2003 – The Center for Jewish History will be hosting a preservation workshop for the personal collections everyone has in their attics on Sunday, June 22, 2003 at 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. The workshop will be in the Preservation Lab at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. Said Stanley Bergman, Director of Preservation and Digitization, “In every home, there are precious, personal collections of photographs, books and memorabilia. This workshop will provide those family members with helpful on basic preservation methods in mending, cleaning and preserving those private collections. And we will also provide information on how you can determine how to determine whether your personal collection is a good candidate for contribution to museums, archives and libraries.” The cost of the workshop is $100.00. For more information, contact Stanley Bergman at (212) 294-6136 or by e-mail at sbergman@cjh.org. Only 5 spaces are available. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Jun 9, 2003: RABBI WILLIAM BERKOWITZ TO INTERVIEW WABC RADIO HOSTS OF “THE GOD SQUAD” FOR DIALOGUE FORUM SERIES Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman to Explore Jewish-Catholic Relations Wednesday, June 18, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – June 9, 2003 -- The Dialogue Forum Series and the American Jewish Historical Society present a dialogue between Rabbi William Berkowitz and “The God Squad”-Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman of WABC at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 at 8:00 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. Said Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Michael Feldberg, and “Rabbi Gellman and Monsignor Hartman exemplify the exploration of common ground that is the hallmark of successful Jewish-Catholic dialogue.” Their broad reach includes TV appearances, radio shows, newspaper columns and published books. Rabbi Gellman and Monsignor Hartman collaborate on a nationally syndicated newspaper column on faith and values, host the syndicated the TV program called the “God Squad” and appear regularly as religious consultants for many television and radio programs including Imus in the Morning. Monsignor Hartman directs the diocesan television station, Telecare, for the Diocese of Rockville Center on Long Island and celebrates mass at Holy Trinity High School and St. Vincent de Paul Church. Rabbi Gellman is the senior rabbi of Temple Beth Torah in Melville, NY. He is a past president of the New York Board of Rabbis. The duo’s children’s book How Do You Spell God”, aired on HBO, won the Peabody Award. They have also written Where Does God Live?, Lost and Found and Bad Stuff in the News. Monsignor Hartman’s books include, A Matter of Life and Death and Just a Moment. Rabbi Gellman has written two volumes of modern Bible interpretations (midrashim) for children: Does God Have a Big Toe and God’s Mailbox. Other books include Always Wear Clean Underwear, And God Cried Too: A Child’s Book of Healing and Hope. The Dialogue Forum Series is in its 51st year. Recent guests have included TV anchor Mike Wallace, renowned author Elie Wiesel, former Foreign Minister of Israel Shimon Peres, actor Tony Randall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, artist and activist Theodore Bikel, Ambassador Ilon Pinkus, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Executive Director of the Conference of Major Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Holmhne and Dr. Norman Lamm. Admission to this event is free. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field. ###

Jun 3, 2003: JEWISH PERSPECTIVE ON THE ETHICS OF WARFARE TO BE TOPIC AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY Wednesday, June 4th, 2003 at 6:30 pm New York, NY – May 22, 2003 -- The Center for Jewish History in association with the Leo Baeck Institute present a panel discussion entitled “The Ethics of Warfare: A Jewish Perspective” as part of its continuing Jews and Justice Series on Wednesday, June 4th, 2003. Fordham University School of Law and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law are proud to co-sponsor this discussion. Panelists include, Dr. Michael Walzer, Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study Princeton University, Rabbi Saul Berman, Adjunct Professor of Law, Columbia University School of Law and Rabbi J. David Bleich, Herbert and Florence Tenzer Professor of Jewish Law and Ethics, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law The discussion begins with a lecture at 6:30 p.m. in the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. The Jews and Justice Series is curated by Russell G. Pearce, Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law. This evening’s program is curated and moderated by Suzanne Last Stone, Professor of Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and is made possible through the support of the David Berg Foundation. Admission is $10.00. Reservations are required. For more information, visit http://www.cjh.org/, or call (917) 606-8200. Participants Include: Dr. Michael Walzer is a Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. Michael Walzer has written about a wide variety of topics in political theory and moral philosophy: political obligation, just and unjust war, nationalism and ethnicity, economic justice, and the welfare state. He has played a part in the revival of practical, issue-focused ethics and in the development of a pluralist approach to political and moral life. He is currently working on the toleration and accommodation of "difference" in all its forms, and also on a collaborative project focused on the history of Jewish political thought. The Jewish Political Tradition: Membership, the second volume (of four projected) in this series, was published this month by Yale University Press. He is the author of Political Action (1971), Just and Unjust Wars (1977), Spheres of Justice (1983) and the Thread of Politics: Democracy, Social Criticism and World Government (2002). Rabbi Saul J. Berman is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar in Jewish Law. He was ordained at Yeshiva University and at Tel Aviv University. He was an early leader in the Soviet Jewry movement, and an active participant in the Civil Rights movement. He was present at the demonstrations in Selma, Alabama in 1965. In 1997, Rabbi Berman became Director of Edah, a new organization devoted to the invigoration of modern Orthodox ideology and religious life. Rabbi J. David Bleich is professor of Talmud (Rosh Yeshiva) at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, an affiliate of Yeshiva University, and is head of its postgraduate institute for the study of Talmudic jurisprudence and family law. He writes extensively on Jewish law and ethics; among his published works are: Jewish Bioethics; With Perfect Faith: Foundations of Jewish Belief; Contemporary Halakhic Problems (four volumes); Time of Death in Jewish Law; Judaism and Healing; and Bioethical Dilemmas: A Jewish Perspective, as well as the Hebrew-language Be-Netivot ha-Halakhah. He was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a postdoctoral fellow at the Hastings Center. He is a fellow of the Academy of Jewish Philosophy and a member of the Governor's Commission on Life and the Law. About Fordham University Founded in 1841, Fordham is New York City’s Jesuit University. Enrolling approximately 15,000 students in its 11 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, Fordham has residential campuses in the north Bronx, Manhattan and Tarrytown, and the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y. About the Leo Baeck Institute Since its founding in 1955, the Leo Baeck Institute has become the premier research library and archive devoted exclusively to documenting the history of German-speaking Jewry. The collections reflect a heritage of triumphs and tragedies that must never be forgotten. The Institute’s activities include lectures, seminars, exhibits, and publications. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Jun 3, 2003: A collaborative literary production of Center for Jewish History, American Sephardi Federation and Jewish Heritage On Bloomsday - June 16 - 2003 “MANHATTAN IN FULL BLOOM” CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY PLANS BLOOM GALA Center For Jewish History Plans "Bloom" Gala Literary evening To Celebrate Irish - Jewish Cultural Connection. "Bloomsday" Production Adapts Ulysses With Stars Of Stage And Screen A contemporary, unconventional, upbeat presentation! May 27, 2003 - New York - The Jewish Heritage Project in collaboration with the Center for Jewish History (CJH), the American Sephardi Federation (ASF), and the Jewish Community Center of New York will present "Bloom," a gala theatrical reading focusing on the peculiarly endearing character of Leopold Bloom, James Joyce’s Jewish protagonist in his epic novel Ulysses. Theatrical readings by a distinguished cast of Broadway actors, including actress Kathleen Chalfant, star of the Off-Broadway hit "Wit" and "Angels in America", will be presented at 8 pm, Monday, June 16, 2003, at the Center for Jewish History, located at 15 West 16th street in New York City. Ms. Chalfant is currently appearing in "Talking Heads" at the Minetta Lane Theater and will shuttle between simultaneous productions at the Center and the Minetta Lane. At least eight actors will assume the role of Leopold Bloom, some describing his speech and actions, others giving voice to Bloom's thoughts, including his unconscious: Chris Ceraso, Rufus Collins, Jerry Matz, Paul McIsaac, and Robert Zukerman. The one-night performance will celebrate the Irish/Jewish cultural connections explored in Joyce’s novel. The performance will be simultaneously webcast and taped for future television and radio broadcast. The literary evening, part of the CJH’s “Writers at the Center” program, will present Joyce’s novel from a Jewish perspective, while taking its place among the many readings of Ulysses being held around the world on Bloomsday, the anniversary of the day the novel takes place, ninety nine years ago on June 16, 1904. The "Bloom" gala is being organized by Natalia Indrimi, Curator of the Center for Jewish History, and Alan Adelson, Executive Director of the Jewish Heritage, the gala’s co-sponsor and producer/director of the performance. A consortium of other Irish and Jewish organizations will assist in organizing and promoting the Bloomsday celebration. "Literate America seems to break down into two groups," says Adelson: "Those who’ve read and loved Ulysses, and those who haven’t dared. We’re emphasizing the most human side of the story told in this surprisingly poignant novel. Our performance will follow a Jewish man through a day of good works and failed business efforts--even as he lives with the knowledge that his wife Molly, a music hall singer, is with her lover. This will be nothing like a conventional literary reading. We will incorporate set, sound, and lighting design in an attempt to innovate staging devices evoking Joyce’s revolutionary "stream of consciousness" - the inner monologues of his characters," said Adelson. Kathleen Chalfant will perform the most famous of these–Molly Bloom’s reverie reliving her sex life, the closing passages of the novel. Throughout Joyce’s life as a writer, and particularly with his novel Ulysses, he was attracted to exploring the cross-overs between Irish and Jewish cultures. "By focusing on Leopold Bloom, the most celebrated Jew in Irish literature, and many would agree the greatest Jewish character in modern literature, we hope to present a program which will stimulate far more awareness of those commonalities," says Adelson. Surprising similarities exist between Irish and Jewish cultures. The stages of exodus, exile and diaspora are major themes addressed by Joyce as he observed the common nature of both Jewish and Irish heritage, Adelson observes. And like a Talmudic scholar, Joyce continued to analyze, revise and comment upon his own holy text: Ulysses. Highlights of the history of Jews in Ireland include: 1079: The earliest references to Jews in Ireland appear in the Annals of Innisfallen as the arrival of five Jews from overseas, most probably merchants from Rouen in France, is noted. 1496: Following the expulsion of the Jews from Portugal, some arrive on Ireland's south coast. 1556: The first Jewish Lord Mayor is elected in Ireland. 1660: The first synagogue in Ireland is established--a prayer room in Crane Lane, opposite Dublin Castle. 1700 ca. Founding of the oldest Jewish cemetery in Ireland, situated near the Ballybough Bridge in Clontarf, Dublin. 1880-1910: The most intensive wave of Jewish immigrants arrive; approximately 2,000 Jews emigrate from Eastern Europe and settle in Belfast, Cork, Derry, Drogheda, Dublin, Limerick, Lurgan, and Waterford. They participate fully in the professions, trades, and manufacturing. It should be noted that three seats in Ireland’s current parliament are held by Jews and Dr. Chaim Herzog, the former President of Israel was born in Dublin and opened the first Jewish-Irish Museum during his state visit there in 1985. Even Dublin and Cork have had two former Jewish Lord Mayors. The Jewish Heritage Project, located at 150 Franklin Street in New York City was founded by its director, Alan Adelson, who is collaborating with the Center for Jewish History to produce the series of “Writers at the Center” literary galas. Adelson was the producer of the successful "Tribute to Bruno Schulz" this past November, which was featured on page one of the the New York Times Arts section. For more information about the Jewish Heritage Project, please call (212) 925-9067 or email the project at jhpffj@jps.net. The Center for Jewish History is a major repository of Jewish artifacts, archives and historical materials in this country. A center of scholarly and educational initiatives, the Center’s mission is to preserve the Jewish heritage through its five partners of Jewish learning, history and art including the American Jewish Historical Society, Leo Baeck Institute, American Sephardi Federation, Yeshiva University and Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. For more information on "Bloom" or the Center’s calendar of events and exhibition schedules, please call (212) 294-8301 or visit the Center’s website at www.cjh.org. ###

Jun 2, 2003: PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR & FORMER SENATOR TO JOIN ARCHIVIST AWARD CEREMONY Writer Robert Caro and Sen. Bob Kerrey To Speak at American Jewish Historical Society Presentation of Distinguished Archivist Award to John H. Taylor Tuesday, June 10, 2003 at 6:30 pm Center for Jewish History New York, NY – May 29, 2003 – The American Jewish Historical Society announced a public talk and awards ceremony, the “Archives and the Historian’s Craft” on Tuesday, June 10, 2003 at 6:30 in the Forchheimer Auditorium the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. An illustrious line-up of speakers will include Pulitzer Prize Winning author, Robert Caro, President of the New School University and Former Governor and Senator of the United States, Bob Kerrey and author and journalist, David Kahn. At the event, The American Jewish Historical Society will present its Distinguished Archivist Award to John H. Taylor, Archivist of the United States of America, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Said Michael Feldberg, Executive Director, American Jewish Historical Society, "The Distinguished Archivist Award is being presented for the first time to John Taylor for his lifetime career as an archivist. Mr. Taylor is known for his resourceful and dedicated assistance to authors, scholars and historians. The Distinguished Archivist Award reflects the mission of the American Jewish Historical Society to foster awareness and appreciation of the American Jewish heritage through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American Jewish history. This new award will be presented bi-annually.” Admission to the ceremony is free, reservations are required and space is limited. To order tickets, call (917) 606-8200 or email boxoffice@cjh.org. Speaker Profiles: Robert Caro is a Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author and the biographer of Former President, Lyndon Johnson. He is a graduate of Princeton University. He was an award-winning reporter for Newsday and a Niemann Fellow at Harvard University. His first book, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (1974) won a Pulitzer Prize and the Francis Parkman Prize (awarded by the Society of American Historians to the book that, "best exemplifies the union of the historian and the artist"). Both the first and second volumes of The Years of Lyndon Johnson received the National Book Critics Circle Award, "for the Most Distinguished Non-Fiction Work of the Year," the first for 1982, the second for 1990. Mr. Caro, who had served as President of the Authors Guild of America and as Vice President of PEN, is now at work on the fourth volume of The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Presidency. Bob Kerrey is the President of the New School University in New York City. For twelve years prior to becoming President of New School University, Bob Kerrey represented the State Nebraska in the United States Senate. Before that he served as Nebraska's Governor for four years. Educated in pharmacy at the University of Nebraska, Bob Kerrey served three years in the United States Navy. David Kahn is an expert and scholar on military intelligence and is the author of the best selling The Codebreakers, Hitler's Spies, Seizing the Enigma, and Kahn On Codes. The author of numerous articles on cryptology and intelligence in such publications as The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, the Journal of Strategic Studies, and the Encyclopedia Americana, he has just completed a biography of Herbert O. Yardley, America's first codebreaker. With a Ph.D. in modern history from Oxford (England) University, he has taught courses on political and military intelligence at Yale and Columbia Universities, has spoken widely on intelligence, has testified before Congress on policy matters dealing with cryptology. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

May 29, 2003: EXHIBIT OPENING: A COMMEMORATIVE EXHIBITION ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KISHINEV POGROM OF 1903 Exhibit at The YIVO Exhibition Gallery at Center for Jewish History Marks Turning Point New York, NY – May 29, 2003 –A new exhibit sponsored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research entitled “The Kishinev Pogrom of 1903: A Commemorative Exhibition on the 100th Anniversary” is currently on display at the Center For Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. The Kishinev pogrom and the hundreds of pogroms in Southern Russia, which followed from 1903 to 1906, marked a turning point in Jewish history, as the historian Simon Dubnow wrote in his memoirs. These pogroms demonstrated beyond a doubt that Tsarist Russia could not and would not afford any protection for its Jews. Immediately after the Kishinev Pogrom, a self-defense movement sprang up, with individual groups formed in communities throughout the Russian Empire. A sharp rise in emigration from Russia to America followed the pogrom, similar to the mass departures of the early 1880s. The Zionist movement, as well, gained in impetus after the events of 1903 as many people came to the conclusion that Jews could only be secure in a homeland of their own. Finally, Jewish revolutionaries, especially those in the Jewish Labor Bund, became convinced that only the overthrow of the Tsarist government could prevent atrocities of the kind, which occurred in 1903. The increase of revolutionary activity culminated in the Revolution of 1905. The exhibit is open through the summer of 2003. Admission is free. For more information, call (212) 294-8301 or visit, http://www.cjh.org/. The Kishinev Pogrom of 1903, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the pogrom, is an exhibition that explores the facts of this important event and its aftermath with original documents, photographs, leaflets, books and posters of the time. All books and documents exhibited are taken from the YIVO Library and YIVO Archives. About YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Lithuania, to collect the documents and records of hundreds of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, YIVO remains the preeminent research institute and academic center for Eastern European Jewish studies and the American Jewish immigrant experience. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

May 23, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene The Center for Jewish History Telephone: (212) 294-8303 New York, NY – May 23, 2003 -- The Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society today announced the extenstion of the deadline for applications to its the new summer program for New York area teens seeking to explore their roots and family history. Applications are due June 1st, 2003. The Samberg Family History Program is a two-week, interdisciplinary seminar for junior and senior high school students in which each participant learns to discover his or her family history, to connect his or her family history to Jewish history, and to tell the story in his or her own way. According to Rachel Fisher, Director of the Genealogy Institute, “This new summer program is an exciting new way in which we are responding to the interest and demand we are seeing at the Genealogy Institute. Every week, young people are coming to us to learn about their family histories and find creative new ways to explore that history. We are gratified that the Samberg Foundation has recognized the value of these resources and our upcoming summer program.” The program combines two modules: On the Move: A Course on Immigration Intensive group and individual study of original historical materials related to Jewish immigration from the Center’s archive, library and museum collections in which participants reconstruct immigrant experiences from primary sources. Genealogy Searches for one’s own family history using resources at the Center and beyond in which each participant designs his or her own family research program with mentoring from Program Staff. The new program will be offered twice each summer during the first two weeks of July and the last two weeks of July. The programs will also include field trips and group activities in which participants will visit neighborhoods where Jewish immigrants settled and will take special tours of museums and other archives. The Samberg Family History Program will be offered twice each summer during the first and last two weeks of July. Program applications and additional information are available at http://www.cjh.org/family/samberg.cfm. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by May 30. The program fee is $500, including materials and field trip costs. Need-based financial aid is available. For more information, call (212) 294-8324 or email samberg@cjh.org. About the Genealogy Institute The Genealogy Institute helps new and experienced family history researchers learn about the world of their ancestors. We help you learn about your ancestors by providing reference and educational services, and creating programming on family history and its connections to the broader sweep of Jewish history. The Institute also leads researchers to the primary sources at the Center: Yizkor books and landsmanshaft records at YIVO, family and community histories at the Leo Baeck Institute, and military records at the American Jewish Historical Society are just a few of the rich primary sources open to researchers. About the American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892 as a membership organization, research library, archives and museum, the American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. The Society was the first systematic collector of archival, published and artifactual sources depicting the religious, communal, cultural and political life of American Jewry, and the ways in which that community has contributed to the wider society. Often referred to as the "national archives" of American Jewry, its holdings are the preeminent resource for scholars, students, genealogists, curators, filmmakers and publishers who want to document American Jewish life from the 1500s to the present. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. For more information on The Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org or call (212) 294-8303.

May 22, 2003: Rabbi William Berkowitz To Interview Rabbi Isaac Jacob and Rabbi Simon Jacobson In Dialogue Forum Series Jacobson To Discuss The History and Future of the Chasidic and Lubavitch Movement Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – May 22, 2003 -- The Dialogue Forum Series and the American Jewish Historical Society present a dialogue between Rabbi William Berkowitz and Rabbis I.J. and Simon Jacobson at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 at 8:00 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. Said Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Michael Feldberg, "Rabbi I.J. and Rabbi Simon Jacobson will look back and look intot the future of the Lubavitch and Chasidic movement.” The dialogue is devoted to the Lubavitch Phenomenon and the world of Chasidism In Song, Story, Teaching and Philosophy. Rabbi I.J. Jacobson is a Chasidic thinker, renowned author and international lecturer. Rabbi Simon Jacobson is the author of the best selling book Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdoms of the Sages. The Dialogue Forum Series is in its 51st year of existence. The most recent guests of Rabbi Berkowitz have included TV anchor Mike Wallace, renowned author Elie Wiesel, former Foreign Minister of Israel Shimon Peres, actor Tony Randall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, artist and activist Theodore Bikel, Ambassador Ilon Pinkus, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Executive Director of the Conference of Major Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Holmhne and Dr. Norman Lamm. Admission to this event is free. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field. ###

May 22, 2003: PUBLIC PROGRAMS A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life Yeshiva University Museum (YUM) is pleased to present a series of special public programs in conjunction with the groundbreaking exhibition, A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life. A PORTION OF THE PEOPLE: THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOUTHERN JEWISH LIFE Gallery Tour with Dale Rosengarten, Curator of the Jewish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston Libraries Sunday, May 18, 2:00 – 3:00 PM AND 4:00 – 5:00 PM The Curator of this groundbreaking exhibition will share her investigation of southern Jewish history illustrated by the wonderful paintings, photographs, artifacts and family stories she discovered during seven years of fieldwork and research in South Carolina. Free with Museum Admission SOUTHERN COMFORT: SOUTH CAROLINA JEWRY IN SONG & STORY Lecture & Recital by Sarah Tilevitz, YUM lecturer and vocalist with accompanist Thomas Goudie Tuesday, May 27, 7:00 – 8:30 PM For over three centuries, Jewish people have made their homes in the South, successfully juggling their multiple identities as Americans, Jews, and Southerners. YUM lecturer and vocalist Sarah Tilevitz will explore musical and historical highlights from the history of the Jewish people in South Carolina. Cosponsored by YUM and Sephardic House, the Programming and Publication Division of the American Sephardi Federation Admission: $ 10; $8 for YUM, Sephardic House and ASF members (includes same day museum admission). Galleries will remain open until 6:30pm. FIRST PERSON SINGULAR: A SYMPOSIUM FEATURING A PANEL OF SOUTHERN JEWISH AUTHORS Tuesday, June 3, 6:30 – 8:00 PM This literary roundtable will focus on the recent renaissance in Southern Jewish letters. Writers Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy), Tova Mirvis (The Ladies Auxiliary), and Harlan Greene (Mr. Skylark: John Bennet and the Charleston Renaissance) will discuss this burgeoning phenomenon, analyze its wide-ranging subject matter, and speculate on its future. The panel will be moderated by Joyce Antler (Samuel Lane Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University). This program is supported by the New York Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Free with Museum Admission. Galleries will remain open until 6:30pm. STRUGGLES IN THE PROMISED LAND: SLAVERY, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOUTHERN POLITICS Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 – 8:00pm This thought-provoking roundtable discussion will tackle some of the thorny issues that at times divide African Americans and Jews, and will recount periods when the groups acted in accord. Using objects and photographs from the exhibition, scholars will explore issues of slavery in America, Civil Rights struggles, and Jewish involvement in Southern politics. Panelists include Robin Kelley (Chair, Department of History, NYU), Theodore Rosengarten (Historian and MacArthur fellow), and Hasia Diner (Paul & Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History, NYU). This panel is in formation, please call ahead for details. This program is supported by the New York Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Free with Museum Admission. Galleries will remain open until 6:30. * * * Through more than 200 ritual, decorative, and domestic objects, paintings and photographs, documents and testimony, A Portion of the People brings to life three hundred years of a still-evolving Jewish culture. The cast of characters includes the southern Jewish gentry, religious reformers and poets, loyal Confederates and radical Reconstructionists, backcountry peddlers and Main Street merchants A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life is a nationally traveling exhibition, organized and circulated by McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina, in association with the Jewish Heritage Collection, College of Charleston Library. The exhibition remains on view at Yeshiva University Museum, its only New York venue, through July 20, 2003. # # #

May 14, 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Tamara Moscowitz, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (917) 606-8288 Steven E. Greene, Center for Jewish History (212) 294-8303 sgreene@cjh.org Four-Day International Conference on Anti-Semitism Wraps up in Lower Manhattan Is anti-Zionism a new form of the old anti-Semitism? Is the Vatican anti-Jewish? Who is ideologically responsible for the thousands of anti-Semitic acts in Europe over the past two years? These are a few of the questions that drew 36 top-level scholars, writers and other intellectuals from a dozen countries to New York for a four-day international conference on anti-Semitism in the West. The event ended on Wednesday. Speaking of more than 1,300 attacks on Jews and Jewish property in France and an equal number of incidents in Britain over the past two years, Mortimer B. Zuckerman, president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and publisher of the Daily News said. “The physical acts are committed by Moslems, but the rhetoric that made them acceptable comes from the European political elite.” The conference, entitled “Old Demons, New Debates: Anti-Semitism in the West,” was sponsored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research at the Center for Jewish History. Canadian human rights lawyer and Member of Parliament Irwin Cotler said that subject of the conference was important to the survival of humanity because “anti-Semitism is the proverbial canary in the pantheon of evil.” The speakers were almost evenly divided between North Americans and Europeans, with others from Israel, Iran and Mexico. Participants included public intellectuals and representatives of activist Jewish organizations. Islamic anti-Semitism and its spread to the West was a repeated theme. “The first step to overcoming this plague and to the treatment of this disease which threatens civilization and the Jewish People must be the lucid, relentless, implacable exposure of its roots and that has been the raison d’etre of this conference,” explained Hebrew University Professor Robert Wistrich. “Thousands attended the conference throughout its four days,” said Bruce Slovin, chairman of YIVO. “We have opened discourse on anti-Semitism at a higher, intellectual level that will influence the debate for decades to come.” The conference was organized in the wake of resurgent anti-Semitism in Europe following the attack on the World Trade Center, which took on new urgency with the Iraq War. Among the organizers of the conference were YIVO and Center for Jewish History Chairman Bruce Slovin and YIVO Board members Joseph Greenberger, Martin Peretz, Dr. Leon Botstein, Max Gitter, Dr. Arnold Richards and Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor of The New Republic. ###

May 11, 2003: THE SESSIONS SUN, MAY 11TH 7pm-10pm Plenary Session Welcome Speakers Bruce Slovin, Carl Rheins Alain Finkielkraut, Simon Schama, Leon Wieseltier MON, MAY 12TH 9:30am-11:30am What’s Old, What’s New–Continuities and Discontinuities Moderator Speakers Jehuda Reinharz Pierre Birnbaum, Hillel Halkin, Tony Judt 1:30pm-3:30pm Anti-Semitism in the Americas* Moderator Speakers David Remnick Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Nathan Glazer, Enrique Krauze 4:30pm-6:30pm Anti-Semitism, Anti-Americanism, and Anti-Democracy Moderator Speakers Todd Gitlin Paul Berman, Christopher Caldwell, Josef Joffe 8pm-10:30pm Anti-Semitism, Anti-Immigration, and the Problem of Otherness Moderator Speakers Roger Cohen Ian Buruma, Jane Kramer, Azar Nafisi TUE, MAY 13TH 10am-12pm Anti-Semitism and European Intellectuals Moderator Speakers Leon Wieseltier Jaroslaw Anders, Anthony Julius, Mark Lilla 1pm-3pm Jewish Responses to Contemporary Anti-Semitism Moderator Speakers Allan Nadler Abraham Foxman, Konstanty Gebert, David A. Harris, Mortimer B. Zuckerman 3:30pm-5:30pm Anti-Semitism after the Holocaust Moderator Speakers Deborah Dwork Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, David Kertzer, Deborah Lipstadt WED, MAY 14TH 9:30am-11:30am Anti-Semitism, Anti-Zionism, and Israel Moderator Speakers Martin Peretz Irwin Cotler, Fiamma Nirenstein, David Pryce-Jones, Robert Wistrich Programs subject to change. * This session is co-sponsored by the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research at Harvard University TICKETS ALL TICKETS SOLD OUT. PRESENTED BY YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH A four-day conference with 34 internationally recognized scholars, journalists andpublic intellectuals from Europe, Israel and North America. SUN, MAY 11TH – WED, MAY 14TH | Center for Jewish History 15 West 16 St NYC WWW.ANTISEMITISM-DEBATES.ORG

May 10, 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Tamara Moscowitz, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (917) 606-8288 Steven E. Greene, Center for Jewish History (212) 294-8303 e-mail: yivonewdebates@yivo.cjh.org International Conference on Rise in Western Anti-Semitism Draws Scholars and Writers from 11 Countries to New York More than 30 internationally recognized authors, scholars and journalists from North America, Europe and Israel will gather at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in Lower Manhattan for a four-day conference on rising anti-Semitism. The May 11-14 event, titled "Old Demons, New Debates: Anti-Semitism in the West," will examine recent anti-Jewish attacks in Western countries-some just prior to the war in Iraq and others since the start of the conflict. "Jews have been slandered and their institutions have been attacked," declared Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor of The New Republic, a speaker and a key member of the conference planning committee. "Europe seems once again disfigured by its ancient and most ignoble prejudice." "By exposing and debating anti-Semitism," said Bruce Slovin, who chairs both YIVO and The Center for Jewish History, "we help root it out." The panelists-all internationally recognized for their incisive analysis of world events-are from the United States, Britain, Canada, Israel, Iran, Mexico, The Netherlands, Poland, France, Italy and Germany. Among them are: cultural and political essayist, Paul Berman; French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut; Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman; Chair of the Harvard University Afro-American Studies Department, Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; Executive Director and CEO of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris; the European correspondent for The New Yorker, Jane Kramer; author of the just published "Lolita In Tehran," Azar Nafisi and historian Simon Schama. "YIVO's mission is to study and document the history, society and cultures of East European Jewry," explained Executive Director Dr. Carl Rheins. "That gives us a special responsibility to learn from our tragic past and help the world understand the complex issue of anti-Semitism so no one will ever be able to say 'I didn't know.'" YIVO was founded in 1925 in Vilna, Poland (now Lithuania) and has been headquartered in New York City since 1940. It is located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, New York. The conference was organized after several members of YIVO's Board of Directors visited Europe and were alarmed by the wave of attacks on synagogues, rabbis and other Jews and Jewish institutions. While many of the assaults were carried out by Europe's growing Muslim community in an apparent attempt to export the Middle East conflict, they occurred amid increased support for anti-Semitic parties in some elections. New reports also show a steep rise in anti-Semitic incidents on university campuses in the United States, and some leading American politicians have even blamed "the Jews" for the invasion of Iraq. This landmark conference will reach beyond headlines to critically examine the current strains of anti-Semitism with an eye to the varied political, sociological and academic phenomena that surround them. Steering clear of rhetoric and advocacy, the conference will be a forum for lively debate and discussion. The lectures will be viewable in person and via a live web cast at www.antisemitism-debates.org. -end

May 6, 2003: Media Contact: Eric Katzman/Steven Greene Communications Department (212) 294-8352 or (212) 294-8303 ekatzman@cjh.org or sgreene@cjh.org CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2003 FELLOWS SIX DOCTORAL CANDIDATES FROM UNITED STATES AND EUROPE ACCEPT FELLOWSHIP AND EXPLORE FACETS OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD New York, NY – May 6, 2003 – The Center for Jewish History announced today that six doctoral candidates from the United States and Europe have completed their requirements and have been awarded research fellowships. The fellows have been named by a committee of the Center Academic Advisory Council, which represent the five partner organizations of the Center for Jewish History. The five partner organizations are the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The fellows are as follows: Said Diane Spielmann, Ph.D., Director of Public Services for the Center for Jewish History, “These new fellows were selected based on their high level of academic scholarship as well as the degree to which they draw on the Center’s collection to provide a deeper understanding of Jewish culture and history. Together, the topics of their fellowships reflect the diversity of affiliation and depth of study in which is at the core of the mission of the Center for Jewish History.” The appointed fellows are as follows: NAME AFFILIATION TOPIC COLLECTION FOCUS Marcy Brink Stanford University “Mother Tongue: Turkish-Jewish Ideologies of Language and Kinship” YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, American Sephardi Federation, Center Genealogy Institute Maria Ecker University of Salzburg (Austria) The integration of Jewish Holocaust survivors in the US who emigrated between 1945-1950 in comparison with Holocaust survivors in Israel Leo Baeck Institute, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, American Jewish Historical Society Noah L. Gelfand (Genealogy Fellow) New York University “A People Within and Without: Sephardic Jewish Communities and Commerce in the 17th & 18th Century Dutch Atlantic World” American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation Pawel Maciejko St. Hugh’s College, Oxford The Development of the Religious Doctrine of Jacob Frank. History & Phenomenology of Jewish Thought and Messianism Leo Baeck Institute, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Noam F. Pianko Yale University “Reconstructing America: Diaspora Jewish Nationalism in American Jewish Thought” (Jewish vs. American identities 1900-1950 challenging paradigms concerning definitions of Zionism) Leo Baeck Institute, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research David Ira Snyder Princeton University “The Enduring Ghetto: Urban Renewal & the Jews in Modern Prague & Warsaw (Bridging Jewish & architectural history that probes the perceived role of the Jews & the actual impact of the Ghetto on the shaping of the modern city) Leo Baeck Institute, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research In addition, fellows will avail themselves of the rich holdings found in the Yeshiva University Museum collection at the Center for Jewish History. Each award carries a stipend of $10,000 for a 10-month period beginning in September 2003 that will be paid directly to the fellows in installments over that period. Fellows are expected to spend two full days per week conducting research for their respective dissertations in the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History for the duration of the 10-month period. In addition to their research, the fellows are expected to deliver a one-hour seminar presentation that will also include a bibliography of the resources they have consulted in the course of their research. All activities will be coordinated through the office of the Director of Public Services. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. For more information on The Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org or call (212) 294-8301. ###

Apr 25, 2003: Media Contact: Eric Katzman/Steven Greene Communications Department (212)294-8352 or (212)294-8303 ekatzman@cjh.org or sgreene@cjh.org TWO CONCERTS CELEBRATING ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE DAY FEATURING THE HAZAN MOSHE TESSONE ENSEMBLE, KENNY KAREN AND ISSACHAR MIRON Songs Of The Middle East, Andalus And Sephardic Oriental Communities At Center For Jewish History Thursday, May 1st at 7 pm and Tuesday, May 6th 2003, 6:30 pm New York, NY -- April 25, 2003 -- In honor of Israel Independence Day, the Center for Jewish History will play host two concerts celebrating Yom Ha’atsmaut. Kenny Karen and Isaachar Miron in Concert, a joint program of YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Sholom Aleichem Memorial Foundation, will take place on Thursday, May 1st at 7 pm. Sephardic House, The Cultural Division of the American Sephardi Federation in association with Yeshiva University Museum sponsor the concert “Celebrating Yom Ha’atsmaut: Songs of the Middle East, Andalus and Sephardic Oriental Communities on Tuesday, May 6th 2003 at 6:30 pm.” This concert will feature Hazan Moshe Tessone and his Ensemble. Both concerts are at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City. Kenny Karen and Isaachar Miron in Concert consist of English, Yiddish and Hebrew inspirational anthems, love songs, dance music, children’s songs and poems. It is drawn from the music of Isaachar Miron, noted composer of Israel’s first international hit song, Tzena Tzena. Singer Kenny Karen, a cantor and “King of the Jingles,” is the only male studio singer inducted into the recording industry’s Hall of Fame. Longing for Jerusalem, Sephardic Jews have always aspired to bond with the Almighty through liturgical poetry and song, best reflected in the immortal selections of the great Sephardic poets Yehuda Halevy, Abraham Ibn Ezra and their contemporaries. “Celebrating Yom Ha’atsmaut” strives to authentically recreate those enchanting and fervent melodies that express the poetic devotion to Jerusalem and the modern State of Israel. Moshe Tessone, Hazan at Ahi Ezer Congregation, Brooklyn, NY, is Director of Sephardic Community Programs and a faculty member of the Belz School of Jewish Music, Yeshiva University. The cost of admission for the May 1st concert is Free and $10.00 for the May 6th concert. For more information, call (917) 606-8200 or visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Sephardi Federation The American Sephardi Federation (ASF) is an umbrella organization that represents the diverse spectrum of Sephardic Jews in the United States. For over 25 years the organization has served as a coordinating and resource body for all Sephardic communities including Jews whose country of origin is Syria, Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Turkey, Greece and Iran. We are dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardi community through educational, cultural and social programs. As a representative of more than 25 organizations the ASF is the mobilizing force on issues of advocacy and community action within the Sephardic community. The ASF is a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the World Zionist Organization, the American Zionist Movement, and the World Sephardi Federation. Over 15,000 families and organizations receive our quarterly newsletter, the ASF Update. About YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Founded in 1925 in Vilna, Lithuania, to collect the documents and records of hundreds of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, YIVO remains the preeminent research institute and academic center for Eastern European Jewish studies and the American Jewish immigrant experience. ###

Apr 8, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric Katzman Communications Department (212) 294-8303/(212) 294-8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org NEW PHOTO EXHIBIT CELEBRATING WORKS OF ARTHUR MILLER AND OTHER PROMINENT JEWISH AMERICAN WRITERS “Not For Myself Alone: Celebrating Jewish-American Writers” Showcases The Work Of 75 Cultural Icons Across Two Centuries New York, NY – March 19, 2003 -- A new exhibition celebrating the lives and works of Jewish-American writers from Arthur Miller and Isaac Leeser to Chaim Grade and Hannah Arendt will open at the American Jewish Historical Society, located at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. Originally organized by Princeton University’s Firestone Library, “Not For Myself Alone: Celebrating Jewish-American Writers” draws together poetry, fiction, drama, essays, artwork, and correspondence from some 75 men and women who have enriched American culture across two centuries. The exhibition is open to the public without charge Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 2:00-5:00 p.m. on Sundays. The exhibition features selected works from the Leonard L. Milberg (’53) Collection of Jewish-American Writers in Honor of Harold T. Shapiro, Princeton University’s president from 1988 to 2001. The exhibition includes Yiddish and English-language writers and embraces both the famous and obscure. Visitors will encounter nineteenth-century writer Rebecca Gratz, who is reputed to have served as the model for the character of Rebecca in Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe, as well as Emma Lazarus, whose sonnet, “The New Colossus,” is engraved on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The original handwritten version of Lazarus’s poem resides in the collections of the American Jewish Historical Society. Twentieth-century writers are also well represented, such as Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, Norman Mailer, and Cynthia Ozick. Photographic portraits of the writers and eight original caricatures by David Levine, coupled with a wide array of letters and manuscripts, complement the published works in the exhibition. These include such treasures as the first edition of Henry Roth’s novel, Call It Sleep, complete with its dust jacket. Two major publications accompany the exhibition. The first is a special issue of the Princeton University Library Chronicle, featuring 27 previously unpublished original essays and short stories and 46 original poems by and about American Jewish writers, including Henry Roth and Isaac Bashevis Singer. This 392-page issue also includes facsimiles of unpublished correspondence by such important literary figures as Saul Bellow, Stanley Kunitz, Norman Mailer, Arthur Miller, Susan Sontag, Lionel Trilling, Hannah Arendt and Philip Roth. The other is a catalog of the exhibition. Copies of either work may be purchased from the Center for Jewish History’s bookstore. Founded in 1892, The American Jewish Historical Society is the nation’s oldest ethnic historical organization. Its library and archives house the largest collection of materials documenting the Jewish experience in the United States from the 1500’s to the present. For more information, call (212) 294-6160 or visit http://www.cjh.org/. The exhibit will run through September 4th, 2003. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Apr 8, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric Katzman Communications Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY LAUNCHES GRADUATE SEMINAR PROGRAM Next Session, April 11th New York, NY – April 8, 2003 – The Center for Jewish History announced the successful completion of its inaugural Graduate Seminar Program/Public Services Staff Cross-Training Program on March 28th, 2003. At the first program, Avinoam J. Patt, Center for Jewish History Fellow presented: Jewish Youth and Zionism Among the Displaced Persons in Post-War Germany. Marion Kaplan, Skirball Professor of Modern Jewish History, New York University, Academic Coordinator of the Seminar for the Spring 2003 semester and leading scholar in History and Jewish Studies, conducted the seminar with an introduction to Mr. Patt, a Ph.D. candidate in Jewish History and Modern European History and teaching assistant at New York University. Said, Diane R. Spielmann, Ph.D., Director of Public Services for the Center for Jewish History, “The expressed need for an academic seminar by the Academic Advisory Council and academics at the Center and the readily available resources in the Center’s Reading Room, provided the roadmap for the Graduate Seminar. In the seminars, the fellows present their research as well as a bibliography consistent with NHPRC (National Historical and Public Records Commission) standards. These presentations provide the basis for ongoing debate and discussion.” During his presentation, Mr. Patt described a general history of the Zionist agricultural training farms formed in Germany after the end of World War II and focused on the collective written diary of Kibbutz Lochamei HaGettaot al shem Tosia Altman. He reviewed Zionism and its relationship to the Holocaust and the resulting refugee situation. The next Graduate Seminar/Cross-training Session will take place on Friday, April 11th, 2003 at 10:15 am in the Periodical Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. Center for Jewish History Fellow, Alisa Braun will present Researching American Jewish Literature: The Case of Henry Roth. If you would like to attend, contact Rachel Cohen at rcohen@cjh.org. The deadline for reservations is April 7th, 2003. The third Graduate Seminar/CrossTraining Session of the semester will take place on Friday, June 13th. This seminar will feature James Loeffer, CJH Fellow, Columbia University. His presentation is entitled The Boundaries, Borders and Bibliography of Jewish Music: An Introduction. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Apr 4, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric Katzman Communications Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org AMERICAN SEPHARDI FEDERATION TO SPEARHEAD COLLECTION OF CLAIMS FROM JEWS FORCED TO FLEE ARAB COUNTRIES ASF to Work with Israel Government, World Jewish Congress and Justice For Jews From Arab Countries To Secure Justice New York, New York – April 4, 2003 -- The American Sephardi Federation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of the State of Israel, the World Jewish Congress and Justice for Jews From Arab Countries announced that it will be spearheading a national effort to collect testimonials and information on lost property and possessions left behind by nearly one million Jews forced to flee Arab countries. Said Vivienne Roumani-Denn, Executive Director of the American Sephardi Federation, “Time is running out on this aging generation of Jewish refugees. The population that was once in the hundreds of thousands in some countries have dwindled to as little as a few hundred. The ASF is determined to identify and urge these refugees to file claims as well as educate the general public about their plight.” These countries include Iraq, Egypt, Aden, Syria, Yemen, Aden, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. “This is not a Sephardic issue. This is a Jewish issue for justice,” said Leon Levy, Honorary President of the American Sephardi Federation.” The claims questionnaire is now available on the ASF website (www.asfonline.org), and multi-lingual versions will soon be available. About the American Sephardi Federation The American Sephardi Federation (ASF) is an umbrella organization that represents the diverse spectrum of Sephardic Jews in the United States. For over 25 years the organization has served as a coordinating and resource body for all Sephardic communities including Jews whose country of origin is Syria, Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Turkey, Greece and Iran. We are dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardi community through educational, cultural and social programs. As a representative of more than 25 organizations the ASF is the mobilizing force on issues of advocacy and community action within the Sephardic community. The ASF is a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the World Zionist Organization, the American Zionist Movement, and the World Sephardi Federation. Over 15,000 families and organizations receive its quarterly newsletter, the ASF Update. ###

Mar 28, 2003: Rabbi William Berkowitz To Interview Mike Wallace In Dialogue Forum Series Wallace To Discuss His Career As A Successful Journalist And The Influential Figures Of The Last 60 Years At The Center For Jewish History Wednesday, April 30th, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – March 27, 2003 -- The Dialogue Forum Series and the American Jewish Historical Society present a dialogue between Rabbi William Berkowitz and co-Editor of CBS News 60 Minutes, Mike Wallace at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium on Wednesday, April 30th, 2003 at 8:00 pm. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY. Said Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Michael Feldberg, "Mike Wallace has lived a life that has allowed him to meet and interview some of the major figures, good or evil that has shaped the last 60 years of world history. He will show a side of some of the world’s most influential people that is rarely seen by the general public.” The dialogue will take a look into Mike Wallace’s life and the fascinating the stories that Mr. Wallace has to tell about his world travels and the illuminating personalities of some of the most hated, liked and respected figures of the past half century. The Dialogue Forum Series is in its 51st year of existence. The most recent guests of Rabbi Berkowitz have included renowned author Elie Wiesel, former Foreign Minister of Israel Shimon Peres, actor Tony Randall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, artist and activist Theodore Bikel, Ambassador Ilon Pinkus, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Executive Director of the Conference of Major Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Holmhne and Dr. Norman Lammb. Mike Wallace born in 1918 graduated from the University of Michigan in 1939 and began his journalistic career in the 1940’s, where he was a radio news writer and broadcaster for the Chicago Sun. After serving in World War II as a Naval Communications Officer, he became a news reporter for WMAQ in Chicago. He joined CBS in 1951, left in 1955 and returned in 1963, where he became a News Correspondent. His television credits include “Night Beat” (1956-57) and “The Mike Wallace Interview” (1957-60). From 1959 to 1961, he anchored the public affairs series “Biography.” He has also authored the books Mike Wallace Asks, The Mike Wallace Interview and Close Encounter, co-authored with Gary Paul Gates. His impressive list of people he has interviewed includes: Presidents Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Itzhak Perlman, Johnny Carson among others. Mr. Wallace is currently in his 35th season of the broadcast. Admission to this event is free. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field. ###

Mar 25, 2003: FOR WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHY ON JEWISH WOMEN IN DAILY LIFE PREMIERS New York, NY- March 26, 2003-The Center for Jewish History announced today the debut of "Women in Daily Life, a Selective Bibliography" which appears online on the Center's award-winning website located at www.cjh.org. Introduced this month in conjunction with Women's History Month, the Women in Daily Life Bibliography is the first in a series of online bibliographies designed to elucidate the Center's wealth of scholarly materials. This bibliography covers a greater breadth of material on modern Jewish life than any available today, ranging from untold stories of the professional lives of Jewish women to the unheralded tales of their domestic contributions. Through the electronic archiving of textual material as well as that of photographs, objects, paintings, and textiles, more people than ever before can readily explore the rich and diverse lives of Jewish women throughout history. "While this is a major milestone in Jewish research endeavors, it is only the beginning of the Center's aspirations to fuse academic enlightenment with the latest in high technology," said Diane R. Spielmann, Ph.D., Director of Public Services for the Center. Found by clicking either "Research at the Center" or "Educator and Teacher Resources," the selective collection includes frequently researched topics at the Center such as the roles of Jewish women as wives and mothers, their work as social activists, and their impact on the workforce in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Assembled by the Lillian Goldman Reading Room staff, the compilation represents the holdings from the Center's five separate partner organizations which embody a wide spectrum of materials on Jewish life. With the help of a grant from the National Historical and Public Records Commission (NHPRC), the Center plans to implement an On-Line Public Access Catalog (OPAC) over the next two years which will greatly facilitate consistency in orthographic style, Dr. Spielmann explained. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. # # #

Mar 21, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric Katzman Communications Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org SEPHARDI ORGANIZATION AND ISRAELI GOVERNMENT TO HONOR PROMINENT HISPANIC WOMEN MARCH 25 Founder of Latina and Prominent Mexican Author Named ?Women of Valor? by American Sephardi Federation and Israeli Consulate New York, NY ? March 23, 2003 ? The American Sephardi Federation/Sephardic House in conjunction with the Consulate General of Israel in New York and the Hispanic Federation will hold the 2002 Women of Valor Award Celebration honoring Christy Haubegger and Angelina Muniz Huberman at 6:30 PM on March 25th at the Center for Jewish History. Said Vivienne Roumani-Denn, Executive Director of the American Sephardi Federation, ?In many ways, the Sephardic Community is a minority within a minority. This event will celebrate two women who have worked diligently to educate and showcase the contributions of the Sephardic and Hispanic communities in the U.S. today.? The program will also include a reception and a performance by Professor Henrietta Yurchenko and Skovmand-Gonzalez of Jazey Duo - Women in their Own Voices: Women in the Judeo-Hispanic Song and Story. Christy Haubegger, the visionary founder of Latina, the first bilingual magazine targeted exclusively to Hispanic women in the United States, was recently profiled as one of the most Inspirational Women of the Year by NBC News with Tom Brokaw. She was chosen by Crain's New York Business as one of the most successful young businesswomen in America and by Ms. Foundation for Women as one of the top ten role models of the year. Ms. Haubegger is a Mexican-American native of Houston, Texas. Angelina Muniz Huberman is a translator, essayist, narrator, poet and professor whose work has been translated into numerous languages. She has been part of the Facultad de Filosofia y Letras at the Autonomous National University of Mexico since 1975. She has been awarded many prizes and medals in her field, and has written five novels, several anthologies including the Antologia de Literatura Sefaradi , numerous short stories and essays. Ms. Muniz Huberman is a naturalized Mexican, originally born in Hyéres, France. There is no cost for admission. Those interested in attending the March 25th event are invited to make a reservation with Lee Guarnella at (212) 499-5499 or by e-mail at leeg@newyork.mfa.gov.il. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Sephardi Federation The American Sephardi Federation (ASF) is an umbrella organization that represents the diverse spectrum of Sephardic Jews in the United States. For over 25 years the organization has served as a coordinating and resource body for all Sephardic communities including Jews whose country of origin is Syria, Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Turkey, Greece and Iran. We are dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardi community through educational, cultural and social programs. As a representative of more than 25 organizations the ASF is the mobilizing force on issues of advocacy and community action within the Sephardic community. The ASF is a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the World Zionist Organization, the American Zionist Movement, and the World Sephardi Federation. Over 15,000 families and organizations receive our quarterly newsletter, the ASF Update. ###

Mar 20, 2003: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS CONTACT: March 18, 2003 Barbara Goldner, 201.569.5010 GAN EDEN HADASH: A NEW PARADISE AN INSTALLATION BY ILANA LILIENTHAL March 20 – August 3, 2003 Yeshiva University Museum is pleased to present Gan Eden Hadash: A New Paradise -- an Installation by Ilana Lilienthal. This Israeli-born artist uses light-reflecting materials blending sculpture and painting with a new alchemy of colorful molding. Lilienthal’s phantasmagoric environment is created with a host of translucent materials that include Plexiglas, fiber optics, mirrors, and a variety of luminescent paints that glitter and glow. In Gan Eden Hadash, Lilienthal creates abstracted sculptures that are derived from the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden and feature such archetypal symbols as Adam and Eve, the Serpent, and the Tree of Life, as well as of Love and Light. Lilienthal describes the work as “a physical place of splendor and wonder, which transports the viewer to a spiritual space of faith and hope where he or she can explore the Creator within.” Ultimately, Lilienthal invites the viewer to envision and realize a new paradise: “God banished man from the Garden of Eden, but could not banish the memory of Eden. The further we were driven away from the Garden, the more we yearned to return to it. Searching for our true destiny, we climb the ladder of evolution towards the realization of a future paradise.” This site-specific installation infuses the Museum’s gallery space with spirituality. The artist transforms the space into a fantasy environment filled with spiritual energy – a kind of Eden where divine harmony reigns and there is hope for a peaceful future. Visitors are invited into this environment to experience the artist’s stimulating vision and take the dream of a new paradise home with them, thereby transforming their everyday existence. A graduate of Tel Aviv University and a student of Parsons School of Design in New York, Lilienthal has had solo exhibitions at the Deutsche Museum in Munich, Germany; Fordham University; and the Neuhoff Gallery in New York City. She has participated in group exhibitions in the U.S., Germany, and Israel. In conjunction with Gan Eden Hadash: A New Paradise Ilana Lilienthal will present a Gallery Talk on Thursday, March 20 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm. This special event is open to the public and is Free with Museum Admission. Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions and programs are supported, in part, by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYS Council on the Arts, the Institute of Museums and Library Services, and The Smart Family Foundation. Yeshiva University Museum is located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York City. The Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for seniors and students. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. Yeshiva University Museum can be visited on the Internet at www.yumuseum.org or www.cjh.org. ###

Mar 18, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric Katzman Communications Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org Limited Edition Haggadah Illustrated By Renowned Italian Artist At Local Shop Luzzati Haggadah is Example of Fine Selection of Passover Gifts at Center for Jewish History Shop New York, NY – March 18, 2003—The Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Book Store at the Center for Jewish History, located at 15 West 16th Street, New York has announced that it will be carrying a book entitled, The Pesach Haggadah by one of Italy’s most acclaimed stage designers and illustrators Emanuele Luzzati. Select quantities of this rare Haggadah book published by the prominent La Giuntina publishing house will be available for purchase and delivery in time for Passover. The Pesach Haggadah available exclusively in The Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Book Store is illustrated by Emanuele Luzzati and translated by Cecil Roth, historian and the first editor of the Encyclopedia Judaica. The forward is by prominent author Elie Wiesel. The Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Book Store will also carry some of the best-known art publications of Emanuele Luzzati including Voltaire’s Candide, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, and the art book Eshter and Ruth which contains four original etchings. It retails for $30. Said Phillip Wilner, Director of Retail Operations at the Center for Jewish History, “This magical Luzzati Haggadah is just one example of the exciting and often off-beat items carried by our shop. The Center for Jewish History is focused on a passion for Jewish art, history and culture and our shop reflects that commitment. We envelop all the aspects of Jewish interest, including religious books, archaeological artifacts from Israel and archival memorabilia – even Jewish sports memorabilia.” Products range from Judaica and jewelry individually crafted from local and Israeli artists, music imported from around the world varying from Klezmer to Sephardic Music, both Archival recordings and traditional melodies and collectable memorabilia. Items include: ¨ The original program from The Jazz Singer from 1927 ¨ Postcards from Russia dating back to the 1870’s ¨ Yiddish Sheet Music from the turn of the century ¨ Sorts memorabilia of famous Jewish sports heroes including a signed copy and matte photo of the perfect game pitched by Sandy Koufax About the Exhibit Stage & Page: Jewish Theater and Book Designs of Emanuele Luzzati Yeshiva University Museum will be on exhibit at Center for Jewish History through August 17, 2003. A graduate of the École des Beaux Arts and Arts Appliquées, Emanuele Luzzati was born in Genoa, Italy, where he opened a Jewish theater and distinguished himself as a painter, ceramicist, cartoon animator, book illustrator, and a set and costume designer of extraordinary talent. He has created more than five hundred designs for international theater and dance productions including Verdi’s Nabucco and Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Luzzati is also well known for his Passover Haggadah, children’s books, and posters. This exhibition has been co-sponsored by the Centro Culturale Primo Levi in North America. For more information on the exhibit, call (212) 294-8330. The Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Book Store The Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Book Store is open: Monday to Thursday, 10 am to 6 pm; and Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm and preceding all evening events. For more information, call 917-606-8220 or e-mail TheShop@cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. For more information on The Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org or call (212) 294-8303. CAMERA READY ART AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST ###

Mar 12, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric Katzman Communications Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org Rabbi William Berkowitz To Interview Elie Wiesel In Dialogue Forum Series Wiesel to Air Views on the Pressing Issues Facing the Jewish Community in Event at the Center for Jewish History Wednesday, March 19th, 2003 at 8:00 pm New York, NY – March 12, 2003 -- The Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society will present a dialogue between Rabbi William Berkowitz and renowned author Elie Wiesel. The dialogue is part of the American Jewish Historical Society’s Dialogue Forum Series. The event will take place, Wednesday, March 19th, 2003 at 8:00 pm in the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. Said Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, Michael Feldberg, "Rabbi Berkowitz’s style of unscripted and unrehearsed conversation coupled with the wisdom and life experiences of Elie Wiesel will provide new insights into the present day challenges facing the Jewish community.” In freewheeling interviews, Rabbi Berkowitz poses questions that have not been seen or reviewed by his guests before the event. He will probe Elie Wiesel’s views on recent topics such as Anti-Semitic attacks, the latest headlines on Israel and the Palestinians and life in the 21st-Century post-Holocaust period. The Dialogue Forum Series is in its 51st year of existence. The most recent guests of Rabbi Berkowitz have included former Foreign Minister of Israel Shimon Peres, actor Tony Randall, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, artist and activist Theodore Bikel, Ambassador Ilon Pinkus, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, Executive Director of the Conference of Major Jewish Organizations, Malcolm Holmhne and Dr. Norman Lammb. Elie Wiesel born in 1928 has been the voice of a generation of Holocaust survivors. Liberated from Buchenwald in 1945 by advancing Allied troops, he has authored nearly thirty books some of which use his own life events as their basic material. He has been a visiting scholar at Yale University, a Distinguished Professor of Judaic Studies at the City College of New York, and since 1976 has been Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University where he teaches "Literature of Memory." Mr. Wiesel served as chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council from 1980 – 1986. He serves on numerous boards of trustees and advisors. He received the Emma Lazarus/Statue of Liberty Award in 2002. Admission to this event is free. Reservations are required and seating is limited. To make a reservation, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and on the campus of Hebrew College in Newton Center Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is the country's oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. Since 1892, AJHS has gathered materials documenting the American Jewish experience. Its publications are among the most distinguished in the field. ###

Mar 11, 2003: Panel Discussion to Explore New Book – “The Fullness of Time: Poems by Gershom Scholem” Dialogue on Leading 20th-Century Writer on Jewish Mysticism at the Center for Jewish History Tuesday, March 11th, 2003 at 6:00 pm New York, NY – February 26, 2003 -- The Center for Jewish History and the Leo Baeck Institute will host a reading of Gershom Scholem’s poems followed by a dialogue entitled “The Fullness of Time: Poems by Gershom Scholem” on Tuesday, March 11th, 2003. The dialogue will begin at 6:00 pm in the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. Gershom Scholem (1897-1982) is known as the twentieth century's most prominent scholar dedicated to the academic study of Kabbalah. Prominent author Harold Bloom (Kabbalah and Criticism) said, “Scholem’s massive achievement can be judged as being unique in modern humanistic scholarship, for he has made himself indispensable to all rational students of his subject…. [He] is a Miltonic figure in modern scholarship, and deserves to be honored as such.” Scholem served as a professor of Jewish Mysticism at the Hebrew University. His many works include Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, Sabbatai Sevi: The Mystical Messiah and Walter Benjamin: The Story of Friendship. Panelists to include: Richard Sieburth: He is a professor of Comparative Literature at New York University. His translations include Friedrich Holderlin’s Hymns and Fragments, Michael Leiris’s Nights as Day, Walter Benjamin’s Moscow Diary, Gerard de Nerval’s Selected Writings, and Maurice Sceve’s Delie. His English edition of Nerval won the 2000 PEN Book-of-the-Month-Club Translation Prize. Steven M. Wasserstrom: He is the Moe and Izzeta Tonkon Professor of Judaic Studies and the Humanities at Reed College in Oregon. He is the author of Between Muslim and Jew: The Problem of Symbiosis under Early Islam, which received the Award for Excellence in Historical Studies from the American Academy of Religion and Religion After Religion: Gershom Scholem, Mircea Eliade and Henry Corbin at Eranos. Peter Cole: The author of two collections of poetry, Rift and Hymns & Qualms, has published seven books of translation from Hebrew and Arabic poetry and prose. He has received numerous awards for his poetry and translation, including the Modern Language Association-Scaglione Translation Prize for Selected Poems of Shmuel HaNagid has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. He is also a visiting professor at Wesleyan University and Middlebury College. The cost of admission to this event. is $5.00. To purchase tickets, contact the Center for Jewish History Box Office at (917) 606-8200 or by e-mail at boxoffice@cjh.org. For more information on the Center for Jewish History, visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the Leo Baeck Institute Since its founding in 1955, the Leo Baeck Institute has become the premier research library and archive devoted exclusively to documenting the history of German-speaking Jewry. The collections reflect a heritage of triumphs and tragedies that must never be forgotten. The Institute’s activities include lectures, seminars, exhibits, and publications. ###

Mar 10, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric Katzman Communications Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org Renowned Attorney in Panel Discussion of Jews and Justice Series at the Center for Jewish History Monday, March 10, 2003, 6:30 pm New York, NY – February 12, 2003 -- The Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society presents a panel discussion entitled “Jewish Lawyers and Justice” as part of its continuing Jews and Justice Series on Monday, March 10, 2003. Alan Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School will preside as keynote speaker. Participating in the panel discussion are Bettina B. Plevan, a partner in the law firm Proskauer Rose LLP and Samuel J. Levine, associate professor of law at Pepperdine University School of Law. The discussion begins with a lecture at 6:30 p.m. in the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. Said Michael Feldberg, Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, “Alan Dershowitz will explore the challenges one encounters as a committed Jew in today’s embattled legal environment and how Judaism’s history and traditions come into play.” Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and a noted appellate lawyer and renowned columnist. He lectures widely on legal and religious issues, appears frequently on television and radio, and is the author of the number one bestseller Chutzpah, as well as Reversal of Fortune, Just Revenge and numerous other books. His most recent books are Why Terrorism Works and America Declares Independence (April 2003). Bettina B. Plevan is a partner in the prominent law firm Proskauer Rose LLP. Named by New York magazine as one of the "100 Best Lawyers in New York," Ms. Plevan was also recently named by the National Law Journal as one of the best Labor and Employment Lawyers in the Country. Her practice includes representing clients in such diverse industries as banking and finance, health care, entertainment, publishing and consumer products. Ms. Plevan has handled both single plaintiff and class action lawsuits involving issues of discrimination, harassment and employee benefits matters. Ms. Plevan served as president of the Federal Bar Council from 1996–1998. Professor Samuel J. Levine is an Associate Professor of Law at Pepperdine University School of Law and an ordained Rabbi. Professor Levine currently teaches Legal Ethics, Criminal Law and Jewish Law. He has presented lectures at a number of conferences, and has published articles in numerous journals in the areas of Jewish law, law and religion, legal ethics, criminal law, and constitutional law. He has also served as an appellate prosecutor in the Kings County District Attorney's Office and taught at St. John's University Law School teaching Jewish Law and Legal Research and Writing and Professional Responsibility. In 1996, he received a Rabbinical Ordination from Yeshiva University. The cost of admission for the panel discussion is $10.00. Reservations are required. For more information, visit www.cjh.org, or call (212) 294-8303. The Jews and Justice Series is curated by Russell G. Pearce, Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law, and is co-sponsored by Fordham’s Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics and is made possible by a grant from the David Berg Foundation. About the American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892 as a membership organization, research library, archives and museum, the American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. The Society was the first systematic collector of archival, published and artifactual sources depicting the religious, communal, cultural and political life of American Jewry, and the ways in which that community has contributed to the wider society. Often referred to as the "national archives" of American Jewry, its holdings are the preeminent resource for scholars, students, genealogists, curators, filmmakers and publishers who want to document American Jewish life from the 1500s to the present. The Society tells the story of American Jewry through its distinguished quarterly journal, American Jewish History, as well as through other publications, exhibitions, lectures, symposia and public programs. Supported by members scattered worldwide, the AJHS headquarters are currently located at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. Both it and our New England branch on the Hebrew College campus in Newton, Massachusetts are open to the public, without charge, throughout the year. Tours are available and staff lectures may be arranged. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Mar 5, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric Katzman Communications Department (212) 294-8303 or (212) 294-8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org Editor’s Note: Photos available upon request. Reception, Lecture and Book Signing For New Book : “Imperfect Justice” By Renowned Lawyer and Governmental Figure Thursday, March 6th, 2003 at 6:00 pm at the Center for Jewish History New York, NY – March 5, 2003 -- The Leo Baeck Institute in cooperation with the Auschwitz Jewish Center will host a reception, lecture and book signing for author Stuart Eizenstat’s new book entitled “Imperfect Justice: Looted Assets, Slave Labor, and the Unfinished Business of World War II.” The reception will begin at 6:00 pm in the Steinberg Great Hall followed by a lecture at 7:30 in the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York. Stuart Eizenstat is currently Head of International Trade and Finance at the law firm of Covington and Burling.” Before joining the firm, he was Chief Domestic Policy Adviser for President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Under Secretary of Commerce, Under Secretary of State and Deputy Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton. President Clinton also assigned Mr. Eizenstat to be Special Representative of the President and Secretary of State to be the Administration’s leader on Holocaust-related issues. The price of admission to this event is as follows: General Public: $15.00 for Lecture and Reception/$5.00 for Lecture only. Leo Baeck Institute Members: $8.00 for Lecture and Reception/Free for Lecture only with membership card. For more information, call (212) 294-8303 or visit www.cjh.org. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the Leo Baeck Institute Since its founding in 1955, the Leo Baeck Institute has become the premier research library and archive devoted exclusively to documenting the history of German-speaking Jewry. The collections reflect a heritage of triumphs and tragedies that must never be forgotten. The Institute’s activities include lectures, seminars, exhibits, and publications. About the Auschwitz Jewish Center Auschwitz Jewish Center was set up in 2000 in a restored Synagogue as the only permanent Jewish presence in Auschwitz, just minutes away from the death camps. Auschwitz is a testament to the vitality of the Jewish people who thrived in this area before the Holocaust. ###

Feb 28, 2003: MAYA BEISER'S KINSHIP Featuring Maya Beiser on cello, percusstionist Glen Velez and Bassam Saba on the oud and nay for this sublime, musical evening. Performance this Saturday March 1, 2003 8 pm. Limited seating still available. For tickets call (917) 606-8200 or email boxoffice@cjh.org.

Feb 25, 2003: Fordham University To Host Multi-Cultural Dialogue On the “New Anti-Semitism”- Ancient Antagonisms Aroused? Tuesday, February 25, 2003 6 pm at the Fordham University School of Law New York, NY – February 3, 2003 – Fordham University in association with the Center for Jewish History and the American Sephardi Federation will host a multi-cultural panel discussion intended to investigate the recent spate of anti-Semitic attacks internationally. The event will take place on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 at 6 pm at the Fordham University School of Law, McNally Amphitheatre, 140 West 62nd Street, New York, New York. Ronald C. Kiener, associate professor of Theology at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and John T. Pawlikowski, O.S.M., professor of Social Ethics and Director of the Catholic Jewish Studies Program of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois will discuss the perspectives of Islam’s attitude towards Judaism and the challenges that the Christian Community faces in combating anti-Semitism. Professor Suzanne Last Stone, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York will moderate. Said Joshua Plaut, Executive Director of the Center for Jewish History, “The Center for Jewish History welcomes the opportunity to work with as illustrious an institution as Fordham University to bring these subjects to light.” John T. Pawlikowski is a Servite priest and Professor of Social Ethics at the Catholic Theological Union, a constituent school of the cluster of theological schools at the University of Chicago. He is the author of 10 books and contributes to numerous publications. Professor Keiner is an Associate Professor of Theology and expert on current events in the Middle East. Professor Last Stone is currently a professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School, was previously a Danforth Fellow in Jewish history and classical religions at Yale University. She acted as a writing and research editor of the Columbia Law Review and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. ABOUT THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ABOUT THE AMERICAN SEPHARDI FEDERATION The American Sephardi Federation (ASF) is an umbrella organization that represents the diverse spectrum of Sephardic Jews in the United States. For over 25 years the organization has served as a coordinating and resource body for all Sephardic communities including Jews whose country of origin is Syria, Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Turkey, Greece and Iran. We are dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardi community through educational, cultural and social programs. As a representative of more than 25 organizations the ASF is the mobilizing force on issues of advocacy and community action within the Sephardic community. The ASF is a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the World Zionist Organization, the American Zionist Movement, and the World Sephardi Federation. ABOUT FORDHAM UNIVERSITY Founded in 1841, Fordham is New York City’s Jesuit University. Enrolling approximately 15,000 students in its 11 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, Fordham has residential campuses in the north Bronx, Manhattan and Tarrytown, and the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y. Media Contact: Steven Greene/Eric J. Katzman Director of Communications (212) 294-8303/8352 sgreene@cjh.org or ekatzman@cjh.org

Feb 19, 2003: New York, NY – February 19, 2003 -- The American Jewish Historical Society presents the film -, “Mr. Saturday Night”- starring and directed by Billy Crystal as part of the “Monday Night Film Series” and the “Jewish Humor In America” film series on Monday, February 24th 2003. The festivities begin with Joel Siegel, film critic and entertainment reporter, WABC-TV 7 offering some insight on the finer points of the film. The film begins at 7:00 pm at the Center for Jewish History’s Forchheimer Auditorium, located at 15 West 16th Street, New York, New York. Joel Siegel is the entertainment reporter and pop-culture pundit at Good Morning America and New York's Channel 7 TV. His television special, "Joel Siegel's Road to the Academy Awards," has been broadcast on WABC-TV for 10 years and is syndicated in more than 100 markets. Said Michael Feldberg, Executive Director, the American Jewish Historical Society, “Mr. Saturday Night portrays the uniquely Jewish experience of a stand-up comedian in the early Catskills.” “Mr. Saturday Night” is Billy Crystal’s sentimental homage to the pioneers of stand-up comedy. The life of Buddy Young, Jr. (Crystal) is shown over the course of forty years. Actor David Paymer received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Stan, Buddy’s brother and long suffering manager. The cost of the film and speaking engagement is $7.00; $3.50 for students and seniors. For more information, visit www.cjh.org, or call the box office at(917)606-8200. About the American Jewish Historical Society Founded in 1892 as a membership organization, research library, archives and museum, the American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. The Society was the first systematic collector of archival, published and artifactual sources depicting the religious, communal, cultural and political life of American Jewry, and the ways in which that community has contributed to the wider society. Often referred to as the "national archives" of American Jewry, its holdings are the preeminent resource for scholars, students, genealogists, curators, filmmakers and publishers who want to document American Jewish life from the 1500s to the present. The Society tells the story of American Jewry through its distinguished quarterly journal, American Jewish History, as well as through other publications, exhibitions, lectures, symposia and public programs. Supported by members scattered worldwide, the AJHS headquarters are currently located at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. Both it and our New England branch on the Hebrew College campus in Newton, Massachusetts are open to the public, without charge, throughout the year. Tours are available and staff lectures may be arranged. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###

Feb 11, 2003: On February 11, 2003 4 pm – 6 pm, The Center for Jewish History Genealogy Institute and the American Jewish Historical Society sponsor Hasia Diner, the renowned author and historian for an engaging dialogue on comparative US immigration. Ms. Diner is the author of Hungering for America: Italian, Irish, and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration (Harvard University Press, 2001). She is the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History at the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and a fellow of the American Academy of Jewish Research. Admission is free, but reservations are required. To make reservations,please call 212-294-8324. In the summer of 2003, The Genealogical Institute will launch The Samberg Family History Program for junior and senior year high school students. The program will be offered twice each summer: July 7 and July 21. Program applications and additional information are available at www.cjh.org/family/samberg.cfm. For more information, call (212) 294-8324 or email samberg@cjh.org.

Feb 9, 2003: For Immediate Release: Contact: January 20, 2003 Barbara Goldner, 212.685.0839 Eric Katzman, 212.294.8352 A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life February 9 – July 20, 2003 Groundbreaking exhibition highlights rich history of Jews in the U.S. South. Press Preview: Thursday, February 6, 2003, 11AM to 1 PM Please RSVP: 212.685.0839 or 212.294.8339 Yeshiva University Museum (YUM) is pleased to present A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life. A nationally traveling exhibition, organized and circulated by McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina, in association with the Jewish Heritage Collection, College of Charleston Library, A Portion of the People will remain at YUM, its only New York venue, through July 20, 2003. All members of the press are invited to preview the exhibition on Thursday, February 6, 2003, 11 AM to 1 PM; please RSVP, 212.685.0839 or 212.294.8339. Through more than 200 ritual, decorative, and domestic objects, paintings and photographs, documents and testimony, A Portion of the People brings to life three hundred years of a still-evolving Jewish culture. The cast of characters includes the southern Jewish gentry, religious reformers and poets, loyal Confederates and radical Reconstructionists, backcountry peddlers and Main Street merchants. South Carolina holds an important, yet often unrecognized place in American Jewish history. In the 1600s, Jews from the Iberian Peninsula came in search of religious freedom. Prior to the Civil War, more Jews lived in South Carolina than any other state in America. Charleston not only boasted the largest Jewish population in North America in the 1800s, but was also the birthplace of Reform Judaism in America. The remarkable story of Southern Jewish life presented in A Portion of the People starts with the earliest documented presence of a Jew in Charles Town in 1695, and follows chronologically the history of Jewish arrival through World War II. It tells a visual story of the great migration of Jews to the United States and documents the state of Southern Jewish culture today. The exhibition concludes with a present-day photo essay by nationally acclaimed photographer Bill Aron. -more- A Portion of the People at YUM / Release Page Two SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS · Late 18th- to early 19th-century portraits on canvas depicting members of Southern aristocracy and literary celebrities such as Emma Lazarus · The Fundamental Constitution – the original document for governance of the province, drafted by English philosopher John Locke · Prayer books handwritten by Abraham Alexander (second cantor of Beth Elohim, noted Hebrew scholar, and scribe), Emanuel de la Motta (commission merchant, auctioneer, and one of the founders of Charleston’s Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Masonry), and Isaac Harby (political thinker and pioneer of Reform Judaism) · An intricate silver sugar/sweetmeat bowl basket presented in 1841 to congregation Beth Elohim by Joshua Lazarus, brother of Emma Lazarus · Hand-painted miniatures · The silver charity box of the Charleston synagogue, dated 1820 · 19th-century Album quilt made of chintz and calico · Vintage photographs, including Charleston’s Jewish Juniors Champion basketball team from 1927, and Lieutenant Allen A. Rosenblum in his World War II fighter plane “Rosey the Riveter,” circa 1944 · Photo essay of present-day South Carolina by photographer Bill Aron, taken from October 17 – November 1, 2000 Guest curator for this exhibition is Dale Rosengarten, curator of the Jewish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston Library. She has spent the past seven years researching the lives and artifacts of this richly textured culture. Rosengarten’s inquiries prompted people to hunt through family collections for menorahs, religious documents, and artifacts. These searches revealed dance cards and wedding menus, among other historically significant items that had been stashed away. The addition of these personal artifacts enlivens the simple day-to-day story of Southern Jewish life, providing the exhibition with intimacy and warmth. EXHIBITION CATALOGUE & CONTRIBUTORS A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life is accompanied by a 268-page cloth-bound catalogue with scholarly essays by a team of renowned historians. It features 160 illustrations, including 86 color plates. Published by University of South Carolina Press (September 2002), the book contains an extensive glossary and bibliography. -more- A Portion of the People at YUM / Release Page Three Essay contributors are: Bill Aron, best known for his photographs documenting Jewish communities around the world; a volume drawn from his work, Shalom Y’all: Images of Southern Jewish Life in America was published in 2002; Jack Bass, professor of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston; author and co-author of seven books about the American South, including The Orangeburg Massacre and Taming the Storm; Eli N. Evans, author of The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South, Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate, and The Lonely Days Were Sundays: Reflections of a Jewish Southerner; Jenna Weissman Joselit, visiting professor of American studies at Princeton University; scholar of the American Jewish experience; and author of Our Gang: Jewish Crime and the New York Jewish Community, 1900-1940; New York’s Jewish Jews: The Orthodox Community in the Interwar Years; and The Wonders of America: Reinventing Jewish Culture, 1880-1950; Deborah Dash Moore, professor of religion at Vassar College; specialist in twentieth-century American Jewish history; author of At Home in America: Second Generation New York Jews; To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A.; B’nai B’rith and the Challenge of Ethnic Leadership; and co-editor (with Paula Hyman) of the award-winning two-volume Jewish Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia ; Dale Rosengarten, curator of the Jewish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston Library; author of the exhibition catalogue Row Upon Row: Sea Grass Baskets of the South Carolina Lowcountry, produced by McKissick Museum; and Theodore Rosengarten, author of All God’s Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw; and Tombee: Portrait of a Cotton Planter; Rosengarten was named a MacArthur Fellow in 1989. PROGRAMMING Family Workshop: Sunday, March 2, 2:00 – 4:00 PM and Sunday, April 20, 2:00 – 4:00 PM A trunk filled with objects and costumes will introduce students to 19th century Jewish families living in the South. They will meet a housewife, a school child, a small-town merchant and a Civil War soldier and learn about their lives, as they explore the exhibition through guided activities. In the art workshop students will make an old fashioned American toy, so they can take home a piece of history. Gallery Tour with Dale Rosengarten, Curator of the Jewish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston Libraries: Tuesday, February 11, 1:00 – 2:00 PM The Curator of this groundbreaking exhibition will share her investigation of the Jewish history illustrated by the paintings, photographs, artifacts and family stories she discovered during her research of the Jewish community of South Carolina. Gallery Tour, Thursday, April 10, 1:00 – 2:00 PM Visitors will enjoy this journey through South Carolina’s Jewish heritage, documented by paintings, photographs, artifacts and family treasures brought together for the first time in this exhibition. -more- A Portion of the People at YUM / Release Page Four FUNDERS A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life is a nationally traveling exhibition, organized and circulated by McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina, in association with the Jewish Heritage Collection, College of Charleston Library; and the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina. This exhibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, promoting excellence in the humanities. The New York venue for this exhibition has been made possible, in part, by the generosity of Ruth and Theodore N. Mirvis and the American Jewish Historical Society, with the assistance of the Marilyn and Marshall Butler Foundation, Martin Peretz, and the Slovin Foundation. Yeshiva University Museum’s programs and exhibitions are supported, in part, by funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and The Smart Family Foundation. MUSEUM LOCATION, DAYS, HOURS, ADMISSION Yeshiva University Museum is located at 15 West 16th Street in the Center for Jewish History. Museum hours are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM. The museum is closed Mondays and Fridays. General admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and students. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. # # #

Feb 5, 2003: Media Contact: Steven Greene, Director of Communications (212) 294-8303 sgreene@cjh.org New Photo Exhibit Records Extraordinary Jewish Communities Around The World “Scattered Among the Nations” Portrays Diverse Congregations Including Zimbabwe, India and Peru at the Center for Jewish History New York, NY – January 27, 2003 -- The Center for Jewish History and the American Sephardi Federation, have announced plans to showcase photographs and interviews of diverse Jewish communities on Wednesday, February 5th 2003. The exhibit will begin with an open reception for the press at 6:30 p.m. in the Constantiner Gallery at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, New York. Exhibits will include the Inca Jews of Peru, the Benei Menashe tribe in India, Zimbabwe’s Shona Jews and the Jewish village of Krasnaya Sloboda in Azerbaijan. Said Program Curator of the Center for Jewish History, Natalia Indrimi, ”In this exhibit, Bryan Schwartz has vividly captured an unfamiliar world of Inca Jews, Zimbabwe Shabbats and Sub-Saharan Jewish choirs.” The exhibit illustrates the difficulties that these groups have faced in their impassioned efforts to study, practice and observe Judaism. The photographs of “Scattered Among the Nations: A Photographic Record of Jewish Communities Around the World” is the work of Bryan Schwartz with contributions by journalist Jay Sand and photographer Sandy Carter. Mr. Schwartz is a world traveled speaker, writer and photographer who has lived and prayed with Jewish communities in 26 countries and more than 100 towns and villages during the past ten years. Mr. Sand is one of the leading experts on black African Jewry and has traveled to Jewish communities in six African countries. Ms. Carter has photographed several of the world's most scattered Jewish communities in India. The exhibition will run through May 1, 2003 at the Center for Jewish History. Admission to the exhibit is free of charge. The hours of the exhibit are as follows: Monday through Thursday: 9am – 5pm, Friday: 9am – 1pm, Sunday: 11am – 5pm. For more information, visit www.cjh.org, or call (212) 294-8303. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About the American Sephardi Federation The American Sephardi Federation (ASF) is an umbrella organization that represents the diverse spectrum of Sephardic Jews in the United States. For over 25 years the organization has served as a coordinating and resource body for all Sephardic communities including Jews whose country of origin is Syria, Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Turkey, Greece and Iran. We are dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardi community through educational, cultural and social programs. As a representative of more than 25 organizations the ASF is the mobilizing force on issues of advocacy and community action within the Sephardic community. The ASF is a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the World Zionist Organization, the American Zionist Movement, and the World Sephardi Federation. Over 15,000 families and organizations receive our quarterly newsletter, the ASF Update. ###

Dec 13, 2002: Yeshiva University Museum presents Winter Spectacular, a fun filled and lively day of special events for families, children, and adults of all ages. Activities, artist talks, and exciting concerts include: ARTIST’S GALLERY TALKS An opportunity to hear artists discuss works currently on display at YUM! • 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM: Vitaly Komar speaks on his exhibit, Komar & Melamid: Symbols of the Big Bang • 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM: Tobi Kahn speaks on his exhibit, Tobi Kahn: Microcosmos THE HAMSA BOYS -- Live In Concert ! -- 1:30 and 3:00 PM Rising stars on the pop firmament, the members of this high-energy Jewish Boy Band are Americans and Israelis. They captivate audiences with their dynamic choreography, performing Hebrew and Biblical songs set to a blend of hip-hop, techno and dance beats. They demonstrate that Judaism is vibrant, alive and dynamic as a religion and a way of life. The Hamsa Boys will give two exciting concerts: 1:30 and 3:00 PM! CRAFT WORKSHOPS Not only will children hear the Hamsa Boys, but they will also make their own Hamsa plaques! • Metallic Paper Hamsa: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM for ages 4 - 7 • Hamsa Metalcraft Workshop: 2:00 – 4:30 PM for ages 8 - Adults FAMILY ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE DAY Tickets: Adults $12 (Members $8) Children $8 (Members $5) Includes admission for the entire day to galleries, workshop & ticket to one of the concerts! Get your tickets for the Museum’s Winter Spectacular by calling the Box Office at 917/606-8200 or fax number 917/606-8201

Dec 3, 2002: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY HOSTS FIRST BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND BOARD OF OVERSEERS DINNER --Evening will feature musical performance and guided tours of galleries and exhibitions-- New York, NY – November 25, 2002 – The Center for Jewish History, the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people, is hosting its first Board of Directors and Board of Overseers Dinner on Monday, December 9, 2002. The evening will begin at 6:00 PM with cocktails and guided tours of the galleries and current exhibitions, followed by a performance by Brazilian Ladino singer Fortuna, and dinner in the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall. The Center is located at 15 West 16th Street in New York City. Funds raised at this event will help to ensure the preservation and safety of the collections housed in the Center, and will support educational programming in association with its five partner organizations. The current exhibitions include “A Particular Responsibility: The Making of the U. S. Army Talmud” (American Jewish Historical Society), “Jews of Arab Countries: The Loss of Ancestral Inheritance” (American Sephardi Federation), “Leo Baeck: Theologian, Scholar, Teacher” (Leo Baeck Institute), “Stories Untold: Jewish Pioneer Women, 1850-1910”, “Komar and Melamid: Symbols of the Big Bang”, “Tobi Kahn: Microcosmos” (Yeshiva University Museum), and “Here and Now: The Vision of the Jewish Labor Bund in Interwar Poland” (YIVO Institute for Jewish Research). The Center’s presentation of Brazilian Ladino singer Fortuna in the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium, expresses one of the many ways in which it brings Jewish history to the public stage. Fortuna’s strong and melodious voice unravels colors and stories from the most genuine Sephardic tradition. The repertoire she has selected for this concert will showcase popular Sephardic ballads and liturgical chants. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within a ten-block radius of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Dec 3, 2002: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7th International Sephardic Film Festival The Many Worlds of the Sephardim December 10 – 17, 2002 Sponsored by Sephardic House, the cultural division of American Sephardi Federation, and Yeshiva University Museum At The Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York City (December 3, 2002, New York City)...The 7th International Sephardic Film Festival presents The Many Worlds of the Sephardim, a week of 19 films celebrating Sephardic life and culture around the world including 11 films from Israel. This exciting Festival explores a cross-section of Sephardic life, featuring communities in France, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, the United States, Morocco, Greece, Tunisia, Algeria and Azerbaijan. From a thriving fish market in Seattle to the bustling Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, and on to the remote town of Kresnia Sloboda in north Azerbaijan, the films explore communities with a great diversity of individuals, all linked by their common Sephardic heritage. As in previous festivals, Sephardic House and Yeshiva University Museum will present a cross-section of Sephardic filmmaking, both classic and new, and will feature the cutting-edge work of a Sephardic auteur. This year, the Festival will screen two feature films of Alexandre Arcady, the celebrated French filmmaker of Sephardic-Algerian descent known for his mastery of the French policier film, or “cop flick,” and for the infusion of a unique Sephardic sensibility into his films. Since Arcady’s works are virtually unknown in the United States, the Festival is proud to present his films to New York audiences for the first time. Arcady will be at the Festival to introduce and discuss his films -- “Day of Atonement II,” the sequel to Arcady’s best known film, the 1981 “Day of Atonement,” and his remarkable 1997 film, "K." "K" is a thriller combining the policier genre with a unique tale of the Holocaust seen through the eyes of a young Sephardic cop-in-training. This year, the Festival will present the USA premiere of four Israeli films – Ilana, To Sing In Karamandji, Travels With My Brother; Side by Side, and Elijah’s Cave: A Place For Everyone. Sephardic Women Speak Out is a special evening of films (December 14) from the Ma’ale School of Television, Film and the Arts in Jerusalem. The strength and spirit of Sephardic women is highlighted in Doda Diya, Ilana, and Bodyless. Founded in 1989, Ma’ale trains filmmakers to produce work inspired by and linked to their Jewish heritage, fostering a unique connection between the world of media and Jewish culture. Another strong film about a Sephardic woman is Cinema Egypt. a portrayal of Director Rami Kimchi’s mother, a Sephardic Jew born in Alexandria, Egypt, and whose emigration to Israel challenged her ability to integrate into a new society. The Festival will also feature three films chronicling the fate of the Sephardim in Turkey and Greece during the Holocaust. Triumph of the Spirit, Desperate Hours and Farewell, My Island provide important testimony of little known stories of tragedy and survival. JPEG images are available for selected films. Tickets and Information $9.00 General Public, $7 Sephardic House, Yeshiva University Museum, and American Sephardi Federation members, seniors and students. $30 Festival Pass good for five films not including Opening Night. It must be exchanged for a ticket at least 30 minutes prior to the screening. Advance ticket sales are available at the Box Office of the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street. Mon. – Thur.: 12 – 5pm; Fri. and Sun. 12 – 3pm; and two hours prior to events. For information: Phone: 212.294.6170, Fax: 212.294.6149, email: mkiplok@yum.cjh.org Websites: www.sephardichouse.org, www.yu.edu/museum Schedule of Screenings Tuesday, December 10 7pm OPENING NIGHT GALA FILM SCREENING, LIVE PERFORMANCE AND DINNER EMBRACE ME (CHAVKI O'TEE) USA Premiere. Director: Shaul Meislish. Producer: Israel Film Service. Israel, 2002. 48 min. Hebrew with English subtitles. Jo Amar, acclaimed Moroccan liturgical poet, singer and composer, performs the beauty of the cultural and musical heritage of his North African Jewish community. His ebullient personality is evident throughout this film, which revisits the scenic regions of his youth in Morocco. The film also traces the story of Amar’s aliya to Israel, his entry into the Israeli music community and his performances around the world. Jo Amar live in performance. Dinner follows film and performance Couvert: $250 per person. Wednesday, December 11 6pm EGOZ Director: Eli Cohen. Producer: Israel Broadcasting Authority. Israel, 1999. 120 min. Hebrew, Arabic, French, with English subtitles. From the director of the acclaimed SUMMER OF AVIYA, comes this tragic true story of the Egoz, a ship that sank with 44 people aboard, who were fleeing Morocco for Israel in 1961. Rafael, the patriarch of the prosperous Abutbol family in Casablanca, wants to leave Morocco, but one of his sons is in love with a Moslem girl and his other two children have joined the Zionist underground. EGOZ is a loving look at the last days in Morocco for Jews when they lived in harmony with their Moslem neighbors. Director will be present. Screening sponsored by Carlos Benaim. 8:30pm EMBRACE ME (CHAVKI O'TEE) See Tuesday, December 10. Jo Amar will be present. TAQASIM (following Embrace Me) New York Premiere. Director: Duki Dror. Israel, 1999. 42 min. Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. Felix, a proud Egyptian who became a virtuoso violinist in Israel after immigrating in the 1950s, returns to Cairo to search for his brother Farag’s old violin solo recordings. Farag was the most sought after violinist in Cairo in his time. Taqasim is a voyage to the hidden treasures of classical Arabic music, and to the participation of Jewish musicians in this cultural heritage. It describes a unique portrait of the Middle East in the 1930s – a region that shared mutual culture, language and economy. Speaker: Hazan Mordekhai Claude Nadaf, born in Cairo. Screening sponsored by David Dangoor. Thursday, December 12 6pm FAREWELL, MY ISLAND New York premiere. Director: Isaac Dostis, USA, 2002. 22 minutes, Greek with English subtitles. The Holocaust came late to the Greek island of Corfu. On June 9, 1944, 1795 Jews were rounded up and taken to the old fortress of Corfu and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only 121 survived. Through interviews with survivors, the director tells the story of this little-known Holocaust tragedy. Director will be present. ANNA'S SUMMER (ANNAS SOMMER) (following Farewell, My Island) Director: Jeanine Meerapfel. Germany, 2001. 108 min. English, Greek, German, Spanish, with English subtitles. The story of Anna’s past and present is told against the intense light and waters of the Mediterranean. Anna, a 50 year-old photojournalist, returns to the Greek island of her childhood and, through flashbacks and memories, revisits her Sephardic family’s turbulent history and rediscovers her true home. Speaker: Rabbi Joshua Plaut, Executive Director, Center for Jewish History Screening sponsored by Martin Elias. 9pm TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT Director: Robert M. Young. USA, 1989. 120 min. English. Willem Dafoe portrays Salamo Arouch, a Greek-Jewish boxer, who is deported to Auschwitz. When the Nazis discover that Arouch is a champion, they force him to fight in exhibition bouts in which the loser is sent to the gas chambers. Arouch survived the camp, settled in Israel and wrote a book about his travails and moral dilemmas. This hard-hitting and heartbreaking film is based on Arouch’s biography. Saturday, December 14 7:30pm Sephardic Women Speak Out: Films of the Ma’ale School of Television, Film and the Arts, Jerusalem DODA DIYA Director: Moshe Churi. Israel, 2000. 26 min. Hebrew with English subtitles. A widow who leads a simple life of hard work and dedication to her children, Doda Diya has waited forty years to journey back to Djerba, the tiny island off the southern coast of Tunisia where she grew up. With much emotion, she revisits scenes of her youth and attends a memorial event for a righteous woman. Her warmth and good humor are captivating. BODYLESS (LISHBOR ET HAGUF) New York Premiere. Director: Renanit Parshani. Israel, 2000. 22 min. Hebrew with English subtitles. At age 16, the beautiful Bari Simon was already a mother and one of the most famous belly dancers in Israel. She married and divorced, became observant, and married and divorced again. Today, she is looking for love, for God and for something that will fill the void left after she gave up what she loved most - belly dancing. ILANA, TO SING IN KARAMANDJI (ILANA LA'SHIR B'KARAMANDJI) USA Premiere. Director: Ayelet Samuel. 15 min. Hebrew with English subtitles. Ilana Ilya, a thirty-eight year old bank teller, recorded a tape of songs in Kurdish in 1991. Her father was a well-known liturgist, and it was only after his death that she decided to follow in his footsteps. She had not realized the potential in her voice of rare beauty, and is now hopeful that she can fulfill her destiny to be a singer. Speaker: Hedva Goldschmidt of Ma’ale School of Television, Film and the Arts 9pm ONCE WE GROW UP (QUAND ON SERA GRAND) Director: Renaud Cohen. France, 2000. 92 min. French with English subtitles. The young Simon, of Sephardic Algerian background, searches for his identity and a measure of stability in what are unconventional and sometimes dysfunctional relationships. The film, set in Paris, reveals sensitive and charming moments as Simon comforts a lonely pregnant neighbor; helps to care for his grandmère, who in her senility imagines she is in Algeria; tries to relate to his recently divorced psychiatrist father; and attempts to build a future with his girlfriend. Speaker: Devick Sellam, born in Paris, of Algerian descent. Screening sponsored by Sandra and Kenneth Malamed Financial Management Advisors, LLC. Sunday, December 15 1pm TRAVELS WITH MY BROTHER (MASAOTAI IM ACHI) USA Premiere. Director: Rami Kimchi. Israel, 1997. 26 min. Hebrew with English subtitles. The film follows the journey of two Israeli brothers of Egyptian origin who share a past, yet today have little in common; the elder is an ultra-orthodox Jew and the younger (the filmmaker) is secular. Together they return to scenes of their childhood - to Binyamina where they were born, Holon where they grew up, and Jerusalem where their grandfather lived. They relive their shared experiences, searching for the crucial point at which their lives diverged and try to rebuild a closeness lost in the passage of years. Director will be present. CINEMA EGYPT (following Travels with my Brother) New York Premiere. Director: Rami Kimchi, Producer: Israel Film Service. Israel, 2001. 40 min. Hebrew with English subtitles. The film portrays the life story of Henriette Azar, mother of the director, born in Alexandria, Egypt. Through Henriette we get a close look at Mizrahi Jews who immigrated to Israel and we revisit her life in Egypt, which emphasizes the artistic collaboration between Jews and Arabs within Egyptian culture. This poetic documentary moves between reality and fantasy, between East and West, between awareness and denial. Director will be present. 3pm K USA Premiere. Director: Alexandre Arcady. France, 1997. 135 min. French with English subtitles. Arcady’s Sephardic sensibilities produce this unusual Holocaust film in the form of a fast-paced thriller. Jewish-owned, Nazi confiscated paintings are the source of the intrigue that is interlaced with many mysteries, a bevy of German intelligence agents and the Israeli Mossad. Joseph Katz, art dealer and Holocaust survivor, shoots an elderly German man who enters his Parisian shop. The French-Algerian Jewish cop, Sam, is assigned to investigate the case. K’s murky history, the dead man’s Nazi past and Sam’s anti-Semitic boss further complicate the story. Director will be present. 6pm DAY OF ATONEMENT II (LE GRAND PARDON II) USA Premiere. Director: Alexandre Arcady, France, 1992, 127 minutes, English. When the don of this French-Algerian Jewish family is released from prison in France, he joins his clan in Miami. Just like the don in THE GODFATHER, he is dedicated to both family tradition, and to the treacherous “business” of drug dealing and money laundering. Amidst the drama are scenes of the family’s North African Jewish observances. The film, starring Roger Hanin, Christopher Walken and Jennifer Beales, portrays the violence, betrayals and rivalries of this underground world of drug cartels. Director will be present. Screening sponsored by Quad Cinema. 8:30pm A Conversation with director Alexandre Arcady and Leone Jaffin, writer and French film producer. They will discuss the extraordinary cinematic career of Arcady. Arcady and Jaffin are Sephardic Jews who grew up in Algeria. Admission: A film ticket valid from any film screening on December 15. Monday, December 16 6pm THE SEPHARDIC JEWS AND THE PIKE PLACE MARKET Director: Stephen Sadis. USA, 2001. 30 min. English. In the early 20th century, thousands of Sephardic Jews came to the United States including many from Turkey and the island of Rhodes. Many settled in Seattle and went to work in a new market at Pike Place where they sold produce and fish and opened restaurants. Proud Sephardim, they passed down their businesses, their culture and their religious heritage. Now this Seattle Sephardic community is one of the largest in the world. Speaker: Rabbi Marc D. Angel, Congregation Shearith Israel, New York City. Rabbi Angel grew up in Seattle. SIDE BY SIDE (HASHIKMA REHOV, PINAT RACHAMO) (Following The Sephardic Jews) USA Premiere. Director: Shmuel Edelman. Ma’ale School of Television, Film and the Arts, Jerusalem. Israel, 1999. 14 min. Hebrew with English subtitles. Reuven Hefetz opens a burekas store on Hashikma Street in the Jerusalem Mahaneh Yehuda market, where he makes burekas as he remembers them from his childhood. His neighbors and friends represent a variety of cultural and religious traditions, and the interactions of these market workers create a Jerusalem fabric of the past. Speaker: Hedva Goldschmidt of Ma’ale School of Television, Film and the Arts. THE LAST JEWISH TOWN (HAAYARA HAYEHUDIT HAAHRONA) (Following Side by Side) New York Premiere. Director: Gil Lesnik. Israel, 2000. 30 min. Russian and English with subtitles At the beginning of the 18th century, the "mountain Jews" of north Azerbaijan were given a portion of land on which they could live according to their Sephardic traditions. Today, only 6,000 remain in the town of Kresnia Sloboda where they live according to Sephardic beliefs. This is a sensitive portrayal of a way of life that is on the brink of extinction. 8pm K (See Sunday, December 15) Evening sponsored by Leon and Elsi Levy. Tuesday, December 17 6pm ELIJAH'S CAVE: A PLACE FOR EVERYONE (YESH MAKOM LECULOM: MEARAT ELIYAHU BEHAR HACARMEL) USA Premiere. Director: Yael B. Katzir. Israel, 1996. 27 min. Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. On the slope of Mt. Carmel in Haifa is a cave dedicated to the prophet Elijah. It is a spiritual oasis where people come to pray, make vows and give thanks. This sacred place attracts not only Jews but also Christians, Moslems and Druze. The film defines the different holy traditions connected to the place and the human need to pray individually, beyond an institutionalized framework. Director will be present. DESPERATE HOURS (following Elijah’s Cave) Director: Victoria Barrett. USA, 2001. 64 min. English. Turkey's role during the Holocaust is little known and this film is a comprehensive survey of the government policy and individual efforts in rescue operations providing shelter to Jews. The film recounts the heroic work of Monsignor Roncalli, who later became Pope John XXIII, and the courage of Selahattin Ulkemen, the Turkish consul in Rhodes who was awarded the honor of Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel for his role in saving Jews of Turkish origin. Speaker: Ronald Goldfarb, producer. Screening sponsored by Morrie and Phyllis Yohai and The Consulate General of Turkey. 8pm ONCE WE GROW UP (QUAND ON SERA GRAND) See Saturday, December 14. Acknowledgments The Seventh International Sephardic Film Festival 2002 was organized by Sephardic House, the cultural division of American Sephardi Federation, and Yeshiva University Museum. Sheba Skirball, Festival Consultant and Janice Ovadiah, Director of Sephardic House planned and organized the Festival, assisted by Mary Kiplok, Assistant to the Director of YUM. Special thanks to Leone Jaffin, French film consultant in Paris; Sivan Kallai and Linor Molcho of the Jerusalem Cinematheque; Donna Gobi of the Israel Film Service, Jerusalem and Catherine Verret-Vimont of the French Film Office, Unifrance,USA and Mr. Martin Even, Cultural Attache of the French Cultural Services of The French Embassy. We acknowledge the generous support of The Smart Family Foundation; the A.S. Thomas Memorial Fund; The Maurice Amado Foundation; Consulate General of Israel in NY, Office of Cultural Affairs; the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and the Experimental Television Center; the New York Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities; and the Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United Nations. YUM’s exhibitions and programs are supported, in part, by The New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and The Smart Family Foundation.

Nov 18, 2002: SEPHARDI CHIEF RABBI, ELIYAHU BAKSHI-DORON AND AMBASSADOR MOHAMED BENNOUNA, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MOROCCO TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AMONG SPECIAL GUESTS AT INTERNATIONAL SEPHARDIC FILM FESTIVAL OPENING GALA (November 18, 2002, New York City)….. The Seventh International Sephardic Film Festival will be inaugurated with a Gala Dinner, Tuesday, December 10, 2002, at 7 p.m., sponsored by the American Sephardi Federation and its cultural division, Sephardic House, at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street, New York City. Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Ambassador Mohamed Bennouna, permanent representative of Morocco to the United Nations, will be among the guests at the Opening Gala, which also will celebrate the recent merger of Sephardic House and the American Sephardi Federation. The evening will feature the presentation of the Sephardic Music Heritage Award to Jo Amar, the acclaimed Moroccan-born liturgical poet, singer and composer. The United States premiere of a documentary film on Mr. Amar’s life and music, Embrace Me, will be screened prior to dinner, and Mr. Amar is scheduled to perform. The American Sephardi Federation is a national Jewish organization dedicated to strengthening and unifying the American Sephardic community and promoting its spiritual, cultural and social traditions. Sephardic House, the cultural division of the American Sephardi Federation, is dedicated to promoting the heritage of Sephardim through cultural programs and publications. Couvert for the gala, which includes the screening of Embrace Me, Mr. Amar’s performance, and an elegant gourmet dinner, is $250 per person. For information and reservations, please call American Sephardi Federation at 212-294-8350, ext. 2. or e-mail mustaev@cjh.org. The Seventh International Sephardic Film Festival takes place at the Center for Jewish History from December 10-16, 2002. The Festival is presented by Sephardic House and Yeshiva University Museum. From a thriving fish market in Seattle to the bustling Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, and on to the remote town of Kresnia Sloboda in north Azerbaijan, the films screened will explore a community with a great diversity of individuals, all linked by their common Sephardic heritage. A complete schedule of screenings and all tickets are available from the Center Box Office, 917-606-8200. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within walking distance of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, an auditorium and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Nov 1, 2002: A TRIBUTE TO BRUNO SCHULZ TO BE HELD AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY ******************* VISIONARY AUTHOR AND PAINTER MURDERED DURING THE HOLOCAUST REMEMBERED ON 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH New York, NY (November 1, 2002)…..Bruno Schulz, a noted author and painter, now known to a larger audience for the murals he produced during the Holocaust, is the subject of a special commemoration on the 60th anniversary of his death, on November 19, 2002, at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues in New York City. The program, which will include a literary roundtable, a world premiere film, and dramatic readings, will begin at 6 p.m. and is free of charge. “A Tribute to Bruno Schulz” is presented by the Center for Jewish History, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Jewish Heritage Project, in association with Goethe-Institut New York, the Polish Cultural Institute, New York, the Institute for the Humanities at New York University, and PEN American Center. Reservations may be made by calling the Center’s Box Office, 917- 606-8200. The evening’s schedule is as follows: 6 p.m. – VIRTUAL EXHIBIT. The life and visual work of Bruno Schulz with images from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Archives and the academy of Literature in Warsaw, Poland. 6:15 p.m. – VIDEO SCREENING. Street of Crocodiles, an animation by the Quay Brothers. 7 p.m. – READING, BOOK PRESENTATION, and ROUNDTABLE “Bruno Schulz: His Life, Work, World and Afterlife” Host and Moderator: Alan Adelson, executive director of the Jewish Heritage Project, which is sponsoring the International Initiative in the Literature of the Holocaust. Participants: Henryk Grynberg, author of Drohobycz, Drohobycz (Penguin Books). Mr. Grynberg's writing has been acclaimed throughout Europe where he has been short-listed three times for the Nike Award, Poland's highest literary honor. His most acclaimed titles include The Children of Zion, The Jewish War, and Memorbuch. Theodosia Robertson, editor and translator of Regions of the Great Heresy, Bruno Schulz: A Biographical Portrait (W.W. Norton & Co.). Lawrence Weschler. Mr. Weschler recently resigned after 20 years as a staff writer at The New Yorker to become director of the Institute for the Humanities at New York University. His articles written while reporting from Poland have been collected in the anthology, The Passion of Poland. Readings by film and Broadway actress Elzbieta Czyzewska. 8:30 p.m. – World Premiere Film: Finding Pictures by Benjamin Geissler. Mr. Geissler is the filmmaker who discovered Bruno Schulz’s murals and followed their fate from the time of discovery to their sudden disappearance from Drohobycz in one of the most controversial museum acquisitions of recent years. A talk with Mr. Geissler will follow the screening of Finding Pictures. Born in 1892 in the Polish town of Drohobycz, in which he would spend most of his life, Bruno Schulz earned his living teaching art to young students. His short stories and darkly erotic sketches were first sent out only to his close friends; but his talent was soon recognized and his writing began circulating in Polish literary circles. Two short story collections, The Street of Crocodiles and Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass, were published to international acclaim. As his fame grew, Schulz struggled to write The Messiah, the novel that was to be his masterwork. The tragic disappearance of this, his final work, has seized the literature imagination of a generation of writers and is still the subject of intense speculation. Schulz never completed The Messiah. The Nazis occupied Drohobycz on July 3, 1941. Schulz was first placed under the protection of a Nazi officer who obliged him to paint fairy tale figures on the walls of his son’s bedroom. Caught in an escalating feud between his protector and another Nazi officer, Schulz was shot on November 19, 1942. Despite an intensive search after the end of the war, his murals were not uncovered until February 9, 2001, when documentary filmmaker Benjamin Geissler discovered the long lost pictures. In May 2001, representatives of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem removed the murals from Drohobycz, sparking an international controversy. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within walking distance of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, an auditorium and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Oct 28, 2002: STORIES UNTOLD: JEWISH PIONEER WOMEN 1850-1910 November 7, 2002 – January 12, 2003 Opening Reception: Thursday, November 7, 2002, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Yeshiva University Museum is pleased to present STORIES UNTOLD: JEWISH PIONEER WOMEN 1850-1910, a series of mixed media works by Santa Fe artist Andrea Kalinowski. These works interweave text, photography and quilt patterns that highlight the individual stories of Jewish pioneer women in the American West. Nine canvases explore the identities and personalities of those women who were among the first to settle in the newly acquired territories. Kalinowski tells their stories by letting them speak for themselves through their own writings and images. From the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, thousands of families migrated to America in search of a better life. Upon reaching this country, many realized that overcrowded conditions in the large eastern cities were not conducive to the realization of their dreams. With unlimited optimism and idealism, families of diverse ethnic origin traveled across the Missouri River to the new frontier destinations. Not often accounted for in history books, but certainly present, are the voices of the Jewish pioneer women who lived and toiled upon the prairies and plains. Kalinowski researched historical collections around the country, gathering information from diaries, journals, correspondence, and photographic accounts by Jewish women who lived in the untamed territories of the West. These records tell of the hardships they encountered and their efforts to maintain their cultural and religious heritage while embracing frontier life. When possible, Kalinowski uses original excerpts from the diaries and memoirs, as well as photographs from family collections. Andrea Kalinowski was born in Montreal in 1953. She attended the Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, then the Nova Scotia College of Art in Halifax, where she received a B.F.A. in 1975. Kalinowski helped establish the Art Therapy Program at the psychiatric unit of Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital and went on to Hahnemann Medical School in Philadelphia, where she graduated with a Master’s Degree in Creative Arts Therapy. After spending six years working at the Philadelphia Psychiatric Hospital and the Southern Home for children in Philadelphia, she decided to devote her time to painting. She currently lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. STORIES UNTOLD: JEWISH PIONEER WOMEN 1850-1910 is a traveling exhibition organized by Aline Chipman Brandauer, Curator of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, for TREX: the Traveling Exhibitions Program of the Museum of New Mexico, with support from the Museum of New Mexico Foundation as well as the Dobkin Family Foundation. YUM’s presentation of Jewish Pioneer Women has been made possible, in part, by the Dorot Foundation. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, featuring an interview with Andrea Kalinowski by Aline Chipman Brandauer, and an afterword by Elizabeth Jameson, Imperial Oil & Lincoln McKay Chair of American Studies, Department of History, University of Calgary. Andrea Kalinowski will be present at the opening reception on Thursday, November 7, 2002 and will speak about her work in a brief program at 6 PM. Beginning at 5:30 PM, the artist will be signing her catalogue, which will be available for purchase that evening for $25; Students & YUM members' price: $20. The gallery will remain open to the public for exhibition viewing until 7:30 P.M. On Sunday, November 10, from 1 – 3 PM, Yeshiva University Museum and the Jewish Women’s Archive will co-sponsor a symposium: “At Home on the Range: Jewish Women’s Lives and Communities on the Western Frontier” featuring the artist, Andrea Kalinowski and Hasia Diner, a Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History at New York University, to be moderated by Gail Twersky Reimer, Executive Director of the Jewish Women’s Archive. This special event is open to the public and is Free with Museum Admission. Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions and programs are supported, in part, by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYS Council on the Arts, and The Smart Family Foundation. Yeshiva University Museum is located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York City. Museum hours are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Museum is closed Monday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for seniors and students. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. Yeshiva University Museum can be visited on the Internet at www.yu.edu/museum and www. cjh.org.

Oct 28, 2002: TOBI KAHN: MICROCOSMOS November 14, 2002 – January 26, 2003 Opening Reception: Thursday, November 14, 2002, 6:00 – 8:00 PM Yeshiva University Museum is pleased to present TOBI KAHN: MICROCOSMOS, a new series of 36 paintings by internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor Tobi Kahn. Drawing on his Jewish heritage to create abstract, spiritual works evocative of the cosmos and the elements of the earth, Kahn’s minimal formations reflect sky, land, water, molecules, cells, blood, and the nuclei of life itself. The paintings, inspired by the book of Genesis, become metaphors for creation, directing the viewer inward to reflect upon his or her own spirituality. Linking together art, science, religion, and philosophy, Kahn uses Biblical imagery, which he infuses with his own spirituality. He explains: “Although Judaism has emphasized words, language, and interpretation, I have found the visual elements of the tradition equally illuminating. For me, the life of the spirit is integrally bound up with the beauty of the world, with the rituals and symbols that are a Jewish medium to transcendence. Like language, what we see can be a benediction.” In her Preface to the exhibition catalogue, Contemporary Exhibitions Curator Reba Wulkan describes Kahn’s work: “Emphasizing the surface of the canvas, Kahn paints in layers panoramic aerial views of the world with a surreal quality expressed through color and line and captured with Rothko-like tension. His abstracted forms are mystical, spiritual beings that take on otherworldly qualities, like angels. Kahn has chosen to capture the paradoxes of nature, the seeming simplicity of its design and the infinite complexity of its structure…” Born in New York City, Tobi Kahn received his B.A. degree from Hunter College and his M.F.A. from Pratt Institute. He has exhibited throughout the United States and in Israel, Brazil, and Chile, and has had more than 30 solo exhibitions and over 60 museum and group shows. He is married to writer Nessa Rapoport. The exhibition is curated by Reba Wulkan, Contemporary Exhibitions Curator at Yeshiva University Museum. A fully illustrated exhibition catalogue includes a Preface by Ms. Wulkan, and essays by three outstanding contributors: Evan Eisenberg, author of The Ecology of Eden (Knopf, Vintage); Rabbi Saul J. Berman, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of Law, and Director of Edah; and Mark Tykocinski, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. It will be available for purchase at $20.00; Students and YUM members' price: $16.00. Tobi Kahn will be present at the opening reception on Thursday, November 14, 2002 when there will be a program presented at 6:30 PM. SPECIAL EVENTS In conjunction with TOBI KAHN: MICROCOSMOS, Tobi Kahn will present a gallery talk on Tuesday, November 19, 2002, from 1:00 – 2:00 PM. This special event is open to the public and is free with Museum admission. A children’s painting workshop, “A PAINTER’S BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR THE TREES,” will be led by Tobi Kahn on Sunday, January 12, 2003, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. This workshop is designed for children ages 6 - 12 in celebration of Tu B’Shevat, the “Birthday of the Trees.” Young participants will use plant forms as inspiration to paint with acrylics on canvas under the personal guidance of Tobi Kahn. This special event is open to the public with Museum admission + $ 3 Materials Fee. * * * Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions and programs are supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and The Smart Family Foundation. Yeshiva University Museum is located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York City. Museum hours are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Museum is closed Monday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for seniors and students. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. Yeshiva University Museum can be visited on the Internet at its website www.yu.edu/museum, or at the Center for Jewish History website, www.cjh.org.

Oct 28, 2002: Leo Baeck: Theologian, Scholar, Teacher The life of Leo Baeck (1873-1956) has been documented several times through biographies, writings, and letters. But it is in his capacity as the last leader of a united German Jewry during the Nazi years, and in his unswerving commitment of serving that community's organizational and spiritual needs, that we honor him in this exhibit. Rabbi Baeck became a symbolic figure for German Jews -- a leader whose moral strength remained steadfast even throughout the darkest years, and whose "Germanness" and "Jewishness" were never at odds. When the LBI was established in 1955, the founders named it in his honor and he became its first president.

Oct 22, 2002: YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH OPENS MAJOR EXHIBITION: HERE AND NOW: THE VISION OF THE JEWISH LABOR BUND IN INTERWAR POLAND New York, NY (October 17, 2002) ……. Here and Now: The Vision of the Jewish Labor Bund in Interwar Poland, a major exhibition, opens in the Gallery of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street, on Monday, October 28, 2002. This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Bund, one of the most significant political movements in Russia and Poland in the past century. The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research houses the Bund Archives, perhaps the leading source of documentation on the history of the Jewish labor movement. The new exhibition highlights the unique contributions of the Bund in interwar Poland to Jewish education and cultural life, and showcases its support of the Jewish working class and its struggle against the rise of violent and government endorsed anti-Semitism in the years preceding the outbreak of World War II. Featured are documents, posters, photographs, newspapers and books from the YIVO collections. Here and Now: The Vision of the Jewish Labor Bund in Interwar Poland will be open to the public from Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition will remain on view until December 31, 2002. The Bund, a political party whose history in Poland began in 1918 with the establishment of the Polish Republic, fought against the rise of anti-Semitism and campaigned vigorously for fair employment practices for Jews and for decent working conditions. The Bund contributed to the flowering of Yiddish culture by encouraging the founding of Yiddish schools and cultural organizations and by promoting Yiddish literature and theatre. By the eve of World War II, the Bund had become one of the most popular Jewish political parties, winning a large portion of the Jewish vote in local elections. During the war, the Bund went underground, fought in the resistance against the Nazis, and participated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. About the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Founded in 1925, in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute, YIVO is dedicated to the history and culture of Ashkenazi Jewry and to its influence in the Americas. Headquartered in New York City since 1940, YIVO today is a preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 350,000 volumes; the Archives hold more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, adult education and Yiddish language classes, research opportunities and various scholarly publications. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the nation’s central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within walking distance of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, an auditorium and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Oct 1, 2002: YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH OPENS “THE LAST DAYS OF THE JERUSALEM OF LITHUANIA: ARTIFACTS OF THE VILNA GHETTO” ********* EXHIBIT FEATURES POSTERS RARELY SHOWN IN U.S. (New York, NY - September 17, 2002)…. “The Last Days of the Jerusalem of Lithuania: Artifacts of the Vilna Ghetto” has opened in the galleries of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues in New York City. The exhibit features 16 posters from the Vilna Ghetto, on view for the first time at a museum or academic institution in the United States. The posters are from the collection of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum in Lithuania. Along with many valuable documents, they were salvaged after the ghetto was liberated in 1944. “The Last Days of the Jerusalem of Lithuania” will remain on display through October 11, 2002. The exhibition may be viewed, free of charge, at the Center for Jewish History on Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Known as “The Jerusalem of Lithuania” for its rich scholarly and community life, its synagogues and yeshivot, teachers’ seminaries and schools – as well as for the YIVO Institute of Jewish Research - Vilna was a major religious and secular center of Jewish culture and education before the community’s destruction by the Nazis during World War II. The Vilna Ghetto, which existed from 1941to1943, maintained an unusual degree of cultural and spiritual life, with the Jewish community’s intellectual elite initiating a broad and multifaceted range of programs and activities as resistance against the Nazis’ efforts at humiliation and degradation. Posters currently on display in the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research galleries advertise such events as “The First Concert,” basketball and volleyball competitions, lectures for young people, art exhibitions, theatre productions and a “Hanukkah Festival Evening.” Concurrent with the exhibition, YIVO, in cooperation with Yale University Press, has published The Last Days of the Jerusalem of Lithuania: Chronicle from the Vilna Ghetto and the Camps, 1939-1944, the long-awaited English translation of the Yiddish diaries of Herman Kruk. Kruk was a Bundist activist from Warsaw who fled to Vilna at the beginning of World War II, organized and oversaw the library of the Vilna Ghetto, and played an active role in several of the ghetto’s social welfare and cultural organizations. He was a resolute and meticulous chronicler of day-to-day life under the Nazis and continued his diary after being deported to the Klooga camp in Estonia. He was taken to another Estonian camp, Lagedi, on August 22, 1944, and murdered there on September 18, 1944. The pages from his diaries were recovered from hiding places after the war, assembled and published in the original Yiddish by YIVO in 1961. These were among the first full-length diaries of life in the Nazi-created ghettos to be released. The new English language edition of Kruk’s diaries has been published with assistance from the Nusach Vilne Society and is introduced and edited by Professor Benjamin Harshav, Blaustein Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at Yale University, and translated by Barbara Harshav. YIVO staff members Roberta Newman and Dr. Paul Glasser assisted with the editing and standardization of place name spellings. The volume contains never before published excerpts from Kruk’s diaries from 1939-1941 and from his last days in the Estonian camps. The book also contains some 30 illustrations, mostly drawn from the YIVO Archives. About the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Founded in 1925, in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute, YIVO is dedicated to the history and culture of Ashkenazic Jewry and to its influence in the Americas. Headquartered in New York City since 1940, YIVO today is a preeminent resource center for East European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library holds over 350,000 volumes; the Archives holds more than 23,000,000 archival pieces on East European and American Jewish subjects. YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, adult education and Yiddish language classes, research opportunities and various scholarly publications. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within walking distance of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, an auditorium and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Sep 25, 2002: On October 8, 2002, the Archive of American Jews in Sports, a division of the American Jewish Historical Society, will present its second annual Hank Greenberg Sportsmanship Award to David J. Stern, commissioner of the National Basketball Association and coaches Red Auerbach, Herb Brown, Larry Brown and Red Holzman, along with players Dolph and Danny Schayes. Olympic gold medallist Lenny Krayzelburg, spokesperson for the NCAA's and America-Israel Friendship League's Sports Youth Exchange Program, will attend as a past Hank Greenberg Sportsmanship Award recipient. "Through these honorees, we recognize the role that basketball has played to integrate immigrant Jews and their children into the American mainstream, a role the game continues to play in helping other ethnic minorities to move up the social ladder," said Michael Feldberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society. The award will be presented during the Historical Society's annual Hank Greenberg Sportsmanship Award Dinner at the Rainbow Room in New York City. Proceeds from this Dinner will be used to support the Society's internet-based efforts to use its archives, the largest of its kind in the world, to relate the history of Jewish participation in American and international sports through its website, www.jewsinsports.org, and to document the broader context of American Jewish achievement in the realms of medicine, science, business, the arts, entertainment, law, politics and the military.

Sep 1, 2002: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ********************* JOSHUA PLAUT TAKES HELM OF MAJOR CULTURAL INSTITUTION DEVOTED TO HISTORICAL LEGACY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE New York, NY—August 14, 2002 -- Joshua Plaut, historian, scholar, and photo-ethnographer has been appointed executive director of the Center for Jewish History in New York City, effective September 1, 2002. Prior to joining the Center, Mr. Plaut spent the years from 1993-2001 as the spiritual leader of Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center and as Hillel Chaplain at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He succeeds Joseph D. Becker, who served as interim executive director. Imbued with a love of Jewish history and religion, Mr. Plaut’s personal explorations of Jewish life complement the rich culture of the Center for Jewish History. Opened to the public in October 2000, the Center serves as a central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people, housing the largest repository of documents, books, photographs and artifacts outside of Israel. It is home to an extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings throughout the year. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. “The Center has made enormous strides in its first two years of operation,” commented Bruce Slovin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Center for Jewish History. “We have brought together an unparalleled collection of resources for the scholarly and general public in a spirit of cooperation that combines the religious and the secular, the Ashkenazi and Sephardi and the Eastern and Central European communities.” Mr. Slovin continued, “We are pleased to have attracted a man with the outstanding qualities and extensive Jewish background of Joshua Plaut. We are certain that he will move the Center forward in expanding its programs, broadening its outreach and services to the world’s scholars, and attracting new generations to the exploration of their heritage as represented by the wealth of riches housed in this building.” “The mosaic of the five prominent institutions that comprise the Center represents the most ambitious and important Jewish academic and cultural institution to be established in many generations,” commented Josh Plaut. “The Center exemplifies pluralism at its best, magnifying the dynamism of the Jewish people in world history. My scholarship, encompassing American, Sephardi and cultural arts subject matters, mirrors the missions of the five Center partners.” Mr. Plaut continued, “I am eager to increase the visibility and accessibility of the Center so that students, scholars and the general public can enjoy this treasure house of archival and library documents, workshops, conferences, art exhibitions, study fellowships, lectures, films and concerts. I look forward to leading the Center as it assumes its rightful place as the most creative and exciting Jewish cultural and intellectual institution in the U.S.” Inspired by the example set by his father, Walter Plaut, a Rabbi and pioneering activist who spent his life confronting and fighting racial injustice, Mr. Plaut has devoted his life and his career to embracing cultural diversity and promoting tolerance. From 1986-1993, Mr. Plaut served as Rabbi of Congregation Kol Haverim in Glastonbury, CT and as B’nai B’rith Hillel Director of Trinity College in Hartford, CT. As an educator and creative leader, Mr. Plaut has spent the last eight years of his career building bridges and coalitions both within and beyond the Martha’s Vineyard congregational and MIT settings by organizing programs between members of various faiths and ethnic groups, and promoting Jewish education, culture and the arts. As the Jewish chaplain at MIT serving a wide spectrum of Jewish students on campus, Mr. Plaut encouraged harmony and understanding between Jews and members of different faiths. Along with other clergy, he led an annual freshman seminar entitled, “Conversations between Jewish, Christian and Muslim students,” and participated in MIT’s annual Martin Luther King Breakfast and organized Holocaust commemorative programs and classes. As a scholar, Mr. Plaut was asked to teach, together with Professor William B. Watson of the Department of History, MIT’s first Jewish history course. Mr. Plaut is the author of Greek Jewry in the Twentieth Century, 1913-1983: Patterns of Jewish Survival in the Greek Provinces Before and After the Holocaust, which entered its third printing in August 2000. His Ph.D. dissertation, Silent Night? Being Jewish at Christmas Time in the 1990s is currently being prepared for publication. In 2001, he was awarded the Daniel Jeremy Silver Fellowship at Harvard University Center for Jewish Studies, an honor given annually to a Rabbi who is a scholar. In 2002, Mr. Plaut was a Jacob Rader Marcus fellow at the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati. He also has photographed and written The Jews of Greece and Turkey Today, a book of 250 color photographs with annotated oral histories, presently in manuscript form. His own photographic exhibitions on Greek, Turkish, Central Asian and American Jews have been displayed at major museums and galleries in the United States, Europe and Israel. Mr. Plaut has also been a consultant to Jewish museums and academic institutions. Scion of a prominent rabbinic family, Mr. Plaut was born in Great Neck, NY, and spent much of his youth in Israel. He received his B.A. from Beloit College in Wisconsin in 1979, and an M.A. in folklore and mythology from UCLA in 1982. Mr. Plaut was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and received the Master of Hebrew Letters degree in 1986. He will receive his Ph.D. in Judaic Studies from New York University later this year. Mr. Plaut has also studied at the Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies, Oxford, England, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is an experienced archivist, folklorist, historian, and researcher who speaks fluent Hebrew, can converse in Greek, and has knowledge of Ladino, Spanish and Yiddish. About The Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), located in the heart of the west village, NYC, is a central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center is comprised of a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Home to the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where Jewish descendants can uncover information on their ancestors, the Center will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Aug 31, 2002: KOMAR & MELAMID: SYMBOLS OF THE BIG BANG October 24, 2002 - February 2, 2003 Opening Reception: Thursday, October 24, 2002, 5:30 – 7:30 PM Yeshiva University Museum is pleased to present KOMAR & MELAMID: SYMBOLS OF THE BIG BANG, a new series in which the well-known artists explore their personal spirituality. SYMBOLS OF THE BIG BANG – approximately 60 mixed-media drawings and collages on graph paper and four large-scale oil and tempera canvases -- reflects a departure from Komar & Melamid’s past projects which were based on satire, political criticism, and collaboration with animals. With these new works, the artists encourage viewers to experience the mystical healing power of age-old symbols like the Star of David, Yin-Yang, the serpent Ouroboros, spirals, and Kabbalistic spheres: “We believe,” Komar & Melamid state, “that art can heal both social and physical ailments. By meditating upon the symbols of the Big Bang as though they are mandalas, one can heal oneself.” SYMBOLS OF THE BIG BANG seeks to bridge the gap between the scientific Big Bang theory and the stories of creation, and marks the first time Komar & Melamid are working with pure abstract shapes and geometric forms. The series deals with concepts of good and evil and light and dark and, according to Komar & Melamid, is a “…cocktail of science and mysticism…” In an interview in the exhibition catalogue, Komar & Melamid further describe these works: “Our attempt to depict the Big Bang is an effort to return to a closer connection between art and society, to have the world be excited by science no less than we are.” They expand upon this, saying, “The gap between modern science and the public has been continually increasing and our desire to see the face of the enigma, to imagine the beginning of the world, has intensified.” Finally, they explain, “Because the Big Bang is reminiscent of the first lines of Genesis (the Division of Light and Darkness), we work with ancient visual symbols that have always fascinated us.” Born in Moscow in 1945, Komar and Melamid have collaborated on paintings, drawings, installations, and conceptual art since the 1960s. In 1972, they founded Sots Art, a movement of Soviet conceptual Pop Art based on Soviet propaganda and mass culture. Throughout the 1970s they gained an international reputation as dissident artists. While in the Soviet Union, their work, on several occasions, was destroyed on state orders. In late 1977, they immigrated to Israel. In 1978 they arrived in New York where they live and work today. KOMAR & MELAMID: SYMBOLS OF THE BIG BANG is curated by Reba Wulkan, Contemporary Exhibitions Curator at Yeshiva University Museum. A fully illustrated catalogue made possible by The New York Foundation for the Arts is available, featuring Ms. Wulkan’s complete interview with Komar & Melamid, and essays by Ori Z. Soltes, independent curator, and Anthony Julius, author of Idolizing Pictures – Idolatry, Iconoclasm and Jewish Art (Thames & Hudson, 2000). In conjunction with KOMAR & MELAMID: SYMBOLS OF THE BIG BANG, the artists will present a gallery talk on Tuesday, October 29, 1:00 – 2:00 PM. This special event is open to the public and is Free with Museum Admission. Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions and programs are supported, in part, by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYS Council on the Arts, and The Smart Family Foundation. Yeshiva University Museum is located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York City. Museum hours are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Museum is closed Monday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for seniors and students. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. Yeshiva University Museum can be visited on the Internet at www.yu.edu/museum or www.cjh.org.

Aug 31, 2002: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE In Celebration of Genealogy Month: AUTHOR BLAKE ESKIN DISCUSSES “A LIFE IN PIECES: THE MAKING AND UNMAKING OF BINJAMIN WILKOMIRSKI” In celebration of Genealogy Month, the Center for Jewish History Genealogy Institute and the American Jewish Historical Society are sponsoring Genealogy: Reality and Fantasy, a discussion with author Blake Eskin, Wednesday, October 2, 2002, at 7 p.m., at the Center, 15 West 16 Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues). Mr. Eskin will discuss, with Dr. Rachel Fisher, director of the Center Genealogy Institute, how family history is shaped by facts, memory and imagination. When Blake Eskin’s family met the author of the award-winning Holocaust memoir Fragments, they thought Binjamin Wilkomirski might be a long-lost cousin. But within a year, Wilkomirski’s story had unraveled and, rather than a child survivor of the Holocaust, he was accused of being a gentile imposter. To find out how Wilkomirski had entangled himself in his family tree, Mr. Eskin traveled to Riga, Latvia, to trace his own roots. The result was A Life in Pieces: The Making and Unmaking of Binjamin Wilkomirski, in which Mr. Eskin shares his surprising discoveries about family members, real and imaginary, as well as the role of genealogy in shaping identity. Admission is $7.50, $3.50 for seniors, students and members of the American Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Genealogical Society, Inc. Please call the Center Box Office at 917-606-8200 to purchase tickets. About The Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, it is within walking distance of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Aug 31, 2002: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ‘RABBIS: THE MANY FACES OF JUDAISM’ PREMIERS AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY ************ PHOTO EXHIBITION BY GEORGE KALINSKY SPONSORED BY YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSUEM New York, NY …..From the lens of renowned photographer George Kalinsky come portraits of leading and influential rabbis from around the globe, accompanied by their personal histories. Yeshiva University Museum, in association with the Center for Jewish History, will present the premiere exhibition of a selection of the photos included in the recently published “Rabbis: The Many Faces of Judaism – 100 Unexpected Photographs of Rabbis with Essays in Their Own Words,” Wednesday, October 9, 2002, at 6 p.m. in the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street in New York City. Admission is free and open to the public through December 31, 2002. Rabbis: The Many Faces of Judaism has been published by Universe, a division of Rizzoli Publications. The volume contains an introduction by Senator Joseph Lieberman and a foreward by actor Kirk Douglas. Mr. Kalinsky will be available at the exhibition opening to sign copies of his work. This exhibition at the Center for Jewish History has been made possible, in part, by the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Diker. Rabbis: The Many Faces of Judaism is an extraordinary look at modern Jewish practice. The rabbis that Mr. Kalinsky has photographed span the globe and the ideological spectrum, from youthful Orthodox community leaders, to pillars of contemporary Reform Judaism, portraying Judaism itself in its diversity. All keepers of the flame, these are spiritual mentors whose feet are firmly planted in the 21st century, yet who are deeply aware of their historical religious legacy and responsibility. Among the rabbis whose photos and statements are included in the book are: Joshua Eli Plaut, executive director of the Center for Jewish History. Eugene Borowitz, author of Reform Judaism Today and considered one of his generation’s foremost Jewish thinkers. Avi Weiss, a major Orthodox political activist. Shmuley Boteach, author of Kosher Sex. Sally Priesand, America’s first woman rabbi. Norman Lamm, president of Yeshiva University. Ismar Schorsch, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary. Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Joseph Telushkin, author of Jewish Literacy, The Book of Jewish Values, and numerous other works. and many others, filmed throughout the United States and Israel and in Venice, Barcelona, Rome, Paris, Moscow, and Yerres (France). George Kalinsky, PMDA’s (PhotoImaging Manufactures and Distributors Association) 2001 Photographer of the Year, and the New York Board of Rabbis 2002 Lay Leader of the Year, has been the official photographer at Madison Square Garden for more than 30 years and is the special photographer of the New York Mets. He has authored seven books and his photos have appeared in numerous publications including Time, Life, People, Esquire, New York, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. Rabbis: The Many Faces of Judaism retails for $39.95 and is available at bookstores everywhere, including the Center Shop at the Center for Jewish History. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within walking distance of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, an auditorium and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. About Yeshiva University Museum Founded in 1973, the Yeshiva University Museum is the cultural arm of the University and a public window into Jewish culture around the world. Its multi-disciplinary exhibitions and programs on Jewish history and contemporary art attract audiences of all ages to a wide range of cultural and educational offerings.

Aug 31, 2002: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY CONTINUES PROGRAM OF GUIDED TOURS FOR GROUPS FROM ACROSS THE USA New York, NY (October 11, 2002)…..What do Temple Israel of New Rochelle, the Jewish Federation of Portland, Oregon, Beth Israel Synagogue, Roanoke, Virginia, Merrick-Bellmore Hadassah, Synagogue Council of Massachusetts, the Yiddish Club of Greenbriar, New Jersey, Blue Star Tours, Jewish Federation of Cumberland County, Maryland, District Council 37 of New York City, the UFT Jewish Heritage Committee and the Workmen’s Circle of Monroe Township, New Jersey, have in common? They’ve all participated, together with countless other groups from across the country, in guided tours at the Center for Jewish History. The Center, located in New York City at 15 West 16 Street, is pleased to accommodate group tours at any time during its regular hours of operation. Group tours must be arranged in advance by calling 917-606-8226. The Center also offers open public tours every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Individual reservations in advance are not required. Tours, which are led by trained docents, encompass all areas of the Center dedicated to public service, including the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, Genealogy Institute and the major exhibitions of the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Visitors also tour the areas available for special events, including the auditorium and “Great Hall,” and are welcome to browse in the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Center Shop, eat in the kosher Constantiner Date Palm Café, and avail themselves of the Center’s services in tracing family histories. For the open public tours, the Center requests a contribution of $6 per person, $4 for seniors and students, with the funds used to support educational programs. ( All costs for group tours must be arranged separately by calling 917-606-8226.) Tickets may be purchased in the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Center Shop, at the east end of the 16th Street lobby. For visitors wishing to include the Yeshiva University Museum galleries in the open public tour, combination tickets may be purchased at a cost of $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and students. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, it is within walking distance of one of the largest populations of college and graduate students in the country. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, an auditorium and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Aug 30, 2002: LEO BAECK INSTITUTE, New York/Berlin Presents IMPRINTS: Selected Works by Diane Samuels The Leo Baeck Institute is presenting IMPRINTS: Selected Works by Diane Samuels, an exhibition of work by Diane Samuels, a prominent artist and sculptor from Pittsburgh who was awarded the commission to create an original artwork for the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall at The Center for Jewish History where the LBI is housed. The show runs from September 10 to November 3, 2002 in the Clifford and Katherine Goldsmith Gallery. IMPRINTS includes selection works from projects in Germany, Slovakia, Poland, and the United States, where Samuels has worked for long periods with communities and individuals developing series of interrelated pieces in a historically charged context. These projects seek to bridge the gap of time and meaning between the original events and the memory of those events. While they have a highly formal character, the work still has an emotional core. In the course of researching the historical background of her work, Samuels made use of the collections of both the Leo Baeck Institute and YIVO, two of the constituent organizations of the Center for Jewish History. Some of the Leo Baeck Institute materials she reviewed are presented in this exhibition as well as some background materials for other projects. The pieces themselves are rooted in Samuels’ ongoing attempt to explore the contemporary meaning of Jewish folktales that interrelate prayer, the alphabet, language, creative power, and a sense of being. A theme common to all these otherwise diverse works is the premise that the world can be experienced as a book. Described as an artist “absorbed with the embodiment of language,” for the upcoming major commission in the Center’s Great Hall Ms. Samuels envisions the combination of literal elements from the five collections housed at the Center with a wall-size “mosaic tablet” of approximately 15,000 stone and glass tiles. Samuels states: “Insofar as we make this book together and assert meaning to its making, to live in the world is, thus, inevitably to be both a reader and a writer.” IMPRINTS Exhibition: Leo Baeck Institute, New York / Clifford and Katherine Goldsmith Gallery September 10 – November 3, 2002 Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm; Thursday: 11:00 am to 8:00pm All work presented by courtesy of the Kim Foster Gallery, New York, New York 15 West 16 Street, New York NY 10011, tel: 212.744-6400, email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org

Aug 30, 2002: TWO-WEEK PRESERVATION WORKSHOP TO BE HELD AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY The Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street in New York City, will be offering a two-session Preservation Workshop for individuals interested in learning how to preserve and conserve their collections of paper-based material, such as family documents, records, and photographs. The workshop, which will meet on Sunday, October 6, 2002, and Sunday, October 13, 2002, from 1 to 4 p.m. for each session, will be limited to 15 participants. Tickets, priced at $75, may be purchased from the Center Box Office, (tel. 917-606-8200). The workshop will be led by Stanley Bergman, director of the Center’s conservation laboratory. The Center for Jewish History, which houses approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of posters, photographs, and other materials, maintains an active preservation program dedicated to stabilizing, maintaining, conserving, and prolonging the shelf life of its extensive paper-based collections. Session I of the Preservation Workshop on October 6th will acquaint participants with guidelines for evaluating the preservation needs of a collection, the need for proper housing and conservation, and which items may be repaired at home and which require a professional conservator. Session II, on October 13th, will teach hands-on basic preservation skills for one’s own paper-based collection. The Center’s preservation workshop has been scheduled to coincide with “Archives Week,” October 6-13, 2002, which is sponsored by the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc. The Archivists Round Table represents more than 330 archivists, librarians and records managers in the New York metropolitan area, and the annual “Archives Week” is a celebration of New York’s diverse history and rich archival and historical institutions and collections. About the Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, the Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Aug 28, 2002: Fall and Winter Workshops for Teachers The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce the 2002-3 workshops for middle and high school teachers of Social Studies and Literature. The 2-hour workshops are free and held at the Center for Jewish History at 15W 16th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), New York, NY. Workshops are recognized by the Board of Education of New York City for new teachers accreditation. We would appreciate your sharing this information with your colleagues. A Case Study in Immigrant America Wednesday, October 16, 2002 at 4pm-6pm Wednesday, February 12, 2003 at 4pm-6pm Family History as American History Wednesday, December 11, 2002 at 4pm-6pm Wednesday, January 8, 2003 at 4pm-6pm A Case Study in Immigrant America: Teachers will learn how to connect materials relating to a specific immigrant group to broad themes in American history. This workshop will demonstrate how to impart skills such as defining primary sources; identifying and locating primary sources for a specific topic; and using primary sources to reconstruct history, through examining a specific immigrant group, Eastern European Jews. A primary goal of this workshop will thus be to demonstrate the usefulness of the case study approach in teaching broad themes in American history, such as mass immigration. Family History as American History: Teachers will learn how to use students’ family histories to explore broad themes in American history, such as immigration, labor and work life, gender roles, and diversity. Conducting family history research through oral history interviews, examining photographs and household objects, and researching genealogical documents is an exciting and accessible way to introduce students to methods of historical investigation as well as to specific topics in American history. At the same time, family history can be a complex and sensitive topic, due to divorce, adoption, and other factors. In this workshop, teachers will learn the basic steps of family history research, how to teach those steps to their students, and how to share stories of family history in the classroom in a sensitive and stimulating manner. The workshops will be taught by Rachel Fisher, Ph.D., Director of the Genealogy Institute of the Center for Jewish History and Jane Rothstein, Ph.D. candidate in American Jewish History at NYU and History Instructor for the Samberg Family History Program of the Center for Jewish History. Coffee and cookies will be served. For further information please contact us at: Genealogy Institute Center for Jewish History 15 W 16th St. NY, NY 10011 212-294-8324 samberg@cjh.org

Aug 28, 2002: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SHIMON PERES, FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL TO GIVE PUBLIC INTERVEW HOSTED BY AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY New York, NY – August 26, 2002…….Shimon Peres, Israel’s Foreign Minister and a major figure in the Israeli government for half a century, will be the guest of Rabbi William Berkowitz, Thursday, September 12, 2002, 8:30 p.m., as the Dialogue Forum Series, presented in association with the American Jewish Historical Society, continues at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street in New York City. Admission is free of charge. However, reservations are required. Please call the Center’s Box Office at 917-606-8200. The Dialogue Forum Series, which is marking its 50th year, is a platform for internationally renowned personalities to engage in public conversation with Rabbi Berkowitz, the Forum’s founder and moderator. Recent “Dialogue” guests at the Center for Jewish History have included Theodore Bikel and Tony Randall. Rabbi Berkowitz and Foreign Minister Peres are expected to discuss a wide variety of issues, including the current status of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the future role of Yasir Arafat, the Middle East geopolitical situation as a whole, including Iraq, US-Israel relations, the threat of terrorism, reflections on September 11th and the relationship between the American Jewish and Israeli communities. Foreign Minister Peres will be coming to New York for a meeting of the General Assembly at the United Nations, and his appearance at the Center for Jewish History will be a rare and unusual opportunity for New Yorkers to hear directly about Israel and the Middle East from a key player with intimate day-to-day knowledge. Foreign Minister Peres is considered one of the architects of modern Israel, is a winner, in 1994, of the Nobel Peace Prize, and has served in numerous leadership roles, including Prime Minister, of the Israeli government. About the American Jewish Historical Society With offices in New York City and Waltham, Massachusetts, the American Jewish Historical Society is dedicated to documenting the remarkable role Jews have played throughout the history of the United States. Founded in 1892, the AJHS is the country’s oldest ethnic historical organization with holdings that include 40 million documents, 50,000 books and thousands of paintings and memorabilia. The Center for Jewish History, (www.cjh.org), is the central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. Located in the heart of Chelsea, NYC, the Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles. The Center comprises a partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In addition to its exhibit halls, classrooms, auditoriums and banquet facilities, the Center houses the Reading Room, the gateway to accessing the collections of the five partner organizations, and the Genealogy Institute, a research center where individuals can uncover information about their ancestors. The Center for Jewish History will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. ###################

Aug 26, 2002: AHARON BARAK, PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT OF ISRAEL, TO SPEAK AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY IN RARE PUBLIC APPEARANCE - Aharon Barak to lecture on “Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State” New York, NY – The Center for Jewish History, in association with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, is hosting a lecture by Aharon Barak, the President of the Supreme Court of Israel, on Monday, September 9, 2002, at 6:30 p.m. Justice Barak will speak on “Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State” as part of the Center’s “Jews and Justice” series. The evening will be moderated by Russell G. Pearce, Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law, who serves as curator for the Center’s “Jews and Justice” series. With a generous grant from The David Berg Foundation, the Center for Jewish History launched this new series of lectures and colloquia that explores “Jews and Justice,” the Jewish contribution to the development and practice of law and legal institutions. Co-sponsored by the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics of Fordham University Law School, “Jews and Justice” was inaugurated May 2, 2002, with an address by Andrew L. Kaufman, Charles Stebbins Fairchild Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, who spoke on “The Jewish Influence on Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo.” Justice Barak’s lecture is open to the general public. There is no admission charge, but seating is limited and reservations are required. For reservations, please call the Center Box Office at (917) 606-8200. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16 Street, between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas, in New York City. “We are honored that Justice Barak has agreed to lecture at the Center. His lifetime contribution to the Israeli legal system and to upholding constitutional democracy has been enormous. Justice Barak is one of the great jurists of our time, and his willingness to discuss this subject is of great importance. At a time when Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, is a focal point of international attention, Justice Barak staunchly upholds the legal and democratic values of Israel so dear to Americans,” commented Josh Plaut, incoming executive director of the Center for Jewish History. As a Supreme Court justice since 1978 and the court’s president since 1995, Justice Barak was instrumental in leading the constitutionalization of Israeli law in March 1992. Justice Barak’s success in revolutionizing Israeli law has made him one of the single most influential people in Israeli public life today. Aharon Barak was born in Kaunus, Lithuania, and immigrated to Israel in 1947. He studied law, economics and international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where, after serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, he received his doctorate in law in 1963. He was a lecturer, professor and dean of the Hebrew University Law School until 1975 when he was appointed attorney general, a post he held from 1975-1978. In 1978, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Israel and, in 1995, was named President. He has been awarded numerous honorary degrees from universities around the world, including Israel, the United States, Italy, and Great Britain. In 1999, Justice Barak was awarded the “International Justice in the World” prize, presented by the International Association of Judges. Justice Barak also will deliver the John Sonnett Memorial Lecture, “The Role of a Supreme Court in a Democracy” on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 at 6 p.m., in the McNally Amphitheatre at Fordham University School of Law. There is no admission charge to attend this event; however, reservations are required. For more information, call (212) 636-6806. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, the Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings, posters and works of art – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Aug 13, 2002: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY TO MARK 9/11 WITH ‘DAYS OF AWE’ PANEL DISCUSSION ****************** THREE JEWISH CHAPLAINS TO OFFER PERSONAL REFLECTIONS New York, NY….. The Center for Jewish History will mark the first anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon by convening a panel discussion entitled “Days of Awe: Personal Reflections from Ground Zero by the Jewish Chaplains,” Wednesday, September 11, 2002, at 6: 30 p.m. The Center, located at 15 West 16 Street, between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas, is home to five distinguished institutions of Jewish history, culture and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, perhaps the most somber span of time on the Jewish calendar, is known as the “Days of Awe.” With Rosh Hashanah observed this year on September 7th and 8th and Yom Kippur on September 16th, the first anniversary of 9/11 falls within this time of reflection and introspection widely observed by the Jewish community. The “Days of Awe” panel will consist of Rabbi Jacob Goldstein, State Staff Chaplain of the New York Army National Guard; Rabbi Alvin Kass, New York City Police Chaplain; and Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, President of the New York Board of Rabbis, each of whom spent significant time at Ground Zero following the attack. The discussion will be moderated by Joshua Plaut, newly appointed executive director of the Center for Jewish History (effective September 1, 2002), and will focus upon insights into the events of a year ago with religious, historical and philosophical perspectives. In keeping with the Center’s commemoration of September 11th, the Yeshiva University Museum galleries will remain open for the viewing of “Art Against Forgetting: Paintings by Leonard Meiselman,” and of the 9/11 Commemorative Quilt, a project of the H. F. Epstein Hebrew Academy in Olivette, Missouri, created to provide comfort to those affected by the September 11th tragedy. “Days of Awe: Personal Reflections from Ground Zero” is free of charge and open to the community. Reservations may be made by calling the Center Box Office at 917-606-8200. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings, posters and works of art – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Jul 31, 2002: FRUITS OF A LIFETIME: THE KATHRYN YOCHELSON COLLECTION OF ISRAELI ART Collection of Israeli art from the 1920s to the 1960s donated to Yeshiva University Museum June 30 – October 27, 2002 Yeshiva University Museum (YUM) is pleased to present Fruits of a Lifetime: The Kathryn Yochelson Collection of Israeli Art. This exhibition features an extraordinary group of paintings and graphic works collected by Kathryn M. Yochelson that spans a 40-year period, from the 1920’s to the 1960’s. In 2001, Mrs. Yochelson generously donated her collection to YUM, and this is the first time it will be shown in its new home. The exhibition is curated by YUM curator Gabriel Goldstein and designed by Oliver Hirsch. As an outgrowth of her “passionate search for the artistic roots of the Jewish people” – a search on which she had earlier embarked as a young college student growing up in New Haven, Connecticut – Kathryn Yochelson began collecting works by Israeli artists in the 1950’s. From the time of her first visit to Israel in 1958, and for the next 40 years, she corresponded and met with Israeli painters and art historians, familiarizing herself with the burgeoning art movement in the young State and amassing a significant personal collection of artworks. Describing her life search, Mrs. Yochelson writes, “It began innocently, when as a young woman I tried to find the place of my ancestors in the history of art. As Hitler’s shadow fell across Europe, my quest became more urgent, and, in the aftermath of the war, I found the living legacy of Jewish art among Israel’s pioneers. My personal story is therefore a tribute to the creative men and women of my generation in Israel, who rose above the overwhelming obstacles that history had placed in their way to lay a foundation of contemporary art in a new land. Today there is a new generation of Israeli artists, but my concern is with their forerunners—the first generation, many of whom I knew.” Among the artists represented in the Yochelson Collection are: Mordecai Ardon; Ruth Bamberger; Naftali Bezem; Moshe Castel; Jacob Eizenscher; Nahum Gutman; Marcel Janco; Leopold Krakauer; Moshe Mokady; Lea Nikel; Jacob Pins; Reuven Rubin; Sada Russato; Miron Sima; Jakob Steinhardt; Anna Ticho; Jacob Wexler; and Joseph Zaritzky. RELATED EVENTS & CATALOGUE On Tuesday, August 6, 2002, from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, Gabriel M. Goldstein, exhibition curator, will present a gallery talk entitled The Kathryn Yochelson Collection of Israeli Art. This lecture is free with Museum admission. In conjunction with The Kathryn Yochelson Collection, YUM will offer a special workshop for children ages 6 – 12, on Sunday June 30, 2002 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. Entitled Summer Relief: Three-Dimensional Landscape Painting, young participants will be introduced to the delightful Israeli paintings and will hear an Israeli folktale. Using clay, paints, and fabrics, they will then create a three-dimensional painting of an Israeli landscape and some of its inhabitants. This special event is free with Museum admission. In conjunction with this exhibition, a fully illustrated catalogue, published by Yeshiva University Museum, will be available in early fall 2002. FUNDERS This exhibition has been made possible through the generosity of the Yochelson family. Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions and programs are supported, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the NYS Council on the Arts, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and The Smart Family Foundation. MUSEUM INFORMATION Yeshiva University Museum is located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York City. Museum hours are: Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Thursday from 11 AM to 8 PM. The Museum is closed Monday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for seniors and students. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. Yeshiva University Museum can be visited on the Internet at www.yu.edu/museum.

Jul 15, 2002: Photographs from the Jewish Cemeteries of the Saints, Morocco Photographs by Gary Beeber July 15 – October 15, 2002 The American Sephardi Federation located at the Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce the exhibition, “Photographs from the Jewish Cemeteries of the Saints, Morocco.” The show will include nearly twenty color, Duraflex prints by artist, Gary Beeber, which depict gravestones from two Jewish cemeteries in Morocco, sites of burial for important Jewish saints. Gary Beeber has long been interested in photographing sites characterized by death, having previously shot abstracted details of the tomb of Marie Leveau in New Orleans, the site of Gianni Versace’s murder in Miami Beach, various decaying cemeteries in Old San Juan, and even the crematorium at the Dachau concentration camp in Germany. The artist’s fascination, however, is not with morbidity. Rather, the subject of Beeber’s images is born of his interest in what he terms as “a more personal form of history.” The artist has traveled literally around the globe in order to document a wide array of visually striking architectural details, including those found on tombstones, gleaning information concerning our human past through the lenses of many diverse cultures. When the artist arrived in Morocco in 2001, he hired local Muslim guides (who incidentally possessed only a very limited command of the English language). Beeber asked his guides to take him to any cemeteries of note in the area. Fortuitously, the men thought to take the photographer to two Jewish cemeteries—one in Fez and one in Sefrou (a tiny town on the outskirts of the larger city)—which the artist only later learned to be among famous sites of veneration for Moroccan Sephardic Jews because of the burial there of a number of revered saints. However, unaware of the religious import of these locales, Beeber simply focused his attention on photographing the elegant and refined decorative forms of the tombs, in addition to the extensive and often complex textual inscriptions carved into the stones. It was only weeks later, after having returned to the United States, that Beeber learned of the significance of the sites and of particular graves that he had shot. It was not until then that his project truly came to life. Beeber commissioned translations of the elaborate and poetic Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew texts documented by his images. A portion of one of the inscriptions as translated by scholar, Neil Kitainik, follows: Requested in the Heavenly Academy, a seedling of holiness, all of him a delight. . . He departed in splendor. . .a Rabbinical scholar who died while yet in his youth, indeed at 19 years. . . Behold he is the venerable sage, young yet wise, His Honor the Esteemed Rabi, Saul Achtiboli, may his memory be a blessing, who was taken up on the 6th day, the 29th of the month of this tragic Elul, in the year 5631 (1871) from creation. . . Seven lengthy translations accompany Beeber’s crystalline, light-filled photographs in this important exhibition. All artworks on display are available for purchase through ClampArt, 250 West 27th Street, Loft 1C. For more information please contact either Mazol Ustaev at the American Sephardi Federation at the Center for Jewish History, 212.294.8350, or Brian Paul Clamp at ClampArt, 646.230.0020.

Jun 25, 2002: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY AWARDS MAJOR COMMISSION TO PITTSBURGH ARTIST DIANE SAMUELS New York City….Following a process of more than a year, the Center for Jewish History has awarded Diane Samuels, a prominent artist and sculptor, the commission to create an original, permanent artwork for the two-story-high wall in the institution’s Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall. Described as an artist “absorbed with the embodiment of language,” Ms. Samuels submitted a winning proposal that envisions the combination of literal elements from the collections housed at the Center with a wall-size “mosaic tablet” of approximately 15,000 stone and glass tiles. The Center’s Art Commission has been made possible by a grant from The Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Charitable Trust. Ms. Samuels, who resides in Pittsburgh, was selected from an original pool of some 80 prominent artists, nominated by a distinguished selection committee composed of representatives of the Center as well as members of the museum and art communities. The Center’s Art Commission is coordinated by independent curator Dara Meyers-Kingsley. “The heart, the soul of the Center,” Ms. Samuels noted, “are the collections, the archives, the libraries, and the people who use them. For visitors, the Great Hall is like a table of contents and preface. It is the beginning, the introduction to the Center and to its mission to preserve and illuminate history, culture and language.” Formally opened to the public in October 2000 in New York City, the Center for Jewish History emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, posters, artifacts, paintings and works of art – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Steinberg Great Hall is a familiar site to everyone visiting the Center, as all visitors must pass through this elegant, versatile space to access the Reading Room, the Genealogy Institute, exhibition halls, the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium and staff offices. It also frequently is used for dinners and receptions. As described by Ms. Samuels in her proposal, the stone and glass tiles arranged on the wall will be rectangular in shape and in shades of white, off-white and cream, some polished, some matte. The background will be made of rubbed, polished plaster that is darker than the stones and glass. “The dark floor of the Great Hall (inlaid terrazzo designed by artist Michele Oka Doner) glimmers like a night sky,” Ms. Samuels explained. “The wall will be like a day sky full of light and bright reflections. The visitor will get an overall impression of the image, but to read the details, the text, he or she will have to approach the wall.” Each tile will bear one alphabet letter or will be blank. The source of the letters will be text Ms. Samuels plans to extract from manuscripts, diaries, letters, documents, and books in the collections of the Center and from work created by the many groups of children who visit the Center for art workshops. Ms. Samuels plans to include the entire variety of alphabets and writing systems found within the Center’s vast collections. The collected materials will be arranged into sections, resembling individual comments on a page of the Talmud, though the resemblance to the Talmud will not be literal. “The arrangement of the text will be determined tile by tile before the artwork is built,” Ms. Samuels continued. “Assembling the thousands of small tiles in the correct pre-determined order will require care not unlike the care shown by the Center for Jewish History in ordering its collections.” In addition to the actual artwork, Ms. Samuels also plans to prepare a “handbook” guide, cross-referencing locations in the artwork and the source for each element. Copies of the handbook will be placed in the Steinberg Great Hall and on the balcony near the wall for use as reference books. A resident of Pittsburgh for more than 30 years, Ms. Samuels was born in New York. She attended Carnegie Mellon University where she received both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in fine arts. She also holds a diploma from the Institute in Arts Administration at Harvard University. In December 2000, she was awarded the Westmoreland Society’s Gold Medal in ceremonies at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The award, which was instituted in 1986, is given to a person who has made a “significant contribution to the arts.” Represented by the Kim Foster Gallery in New York City, Ms. Samuels has exhibited in solo and group shows across the United States and, since the 1990’s, has traveled and exhibited throughout Europe. Locations in Germany, Poland and Slovakia have inspired much of her work, which is infused with her commitment to history and memory. In 1994, at the Westmoreland Museum, she was one of the first contemporary artists invited to create installations referencing her work. Her “Alphabet Project,” shown at the Westmoreland was about the rudiments of communication. This installation was paired with her “Golem Project,” a continuing investigation of the Jewish figure of folklore and legend. Her most recent show, “Inscription,” was showcased at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. It is estimated that Ms. Samuels’ artwork will be completed and installed at the Center for Jewish History in 2003.

Jun 25, 2002: HARRY HOUDINI’S WATER TORTURE CELL EXHIBITED AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY ******************************************* ARRIVES IN NEW YORK TO COINCIDE WITH SOCIETY OF AMERICAN MAGICIANS CENTENNIAL CONVENTION An exhibition featuring Harry Houdini’s world-famous water torture cell opens at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street, in New York City on Wednesday, July 3, 2002. The exhibition, sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society, has been scheduled to coincide with the Centennial Convention of the Society of American Magicians, which is meeting at the Hilton New York & Towers at 1335 Avenue of the Americas from July 3 to 6, 2002. This will be the first “appearance” by the water torture cell in New York. The water torture cell will be located in the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall at the Center for Jewish History. The Center is open Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m., to 5 p.m. The exhibition will remain at the Center throughout the summer and admission to the Great Hall is free of charge. Perhaps the world’s most famous magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini was born Ehrich Weis in what is now Budapest, Hungary. He grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father was the city’s first rabbi. In addition to the water torture cell, the exhibit will feature historic Houdini posters and other archival material. Houdini’s most famous escape, the water torture cell was said to have been built in England and cost more than $10,000. Packed with extra glass panels, it weighed about three-quarters of a ton. The painstaking set-up required warm water, which was supplied by mixing boiling and piped water on stage. Houdini introduced the water torture cell at the Circus Busch in Berlin in 1912. He freed himself in less than 2 minutes, and continued to perform this escape throughout his career. Today, only a few people know the secret of the water torture cell. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Jun 25, 2002: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY ANNOUNCES FIRST FELLOWSHIP AWARDS **************************** GRANTS PRESENTED TO SIX OUTSTANDING YOUNG SCHOLARS Six outstanding young scholars in Jewish history have been selected to receive the first Center for Jewish History Fellowships, made possible by grants from two private foundations. Each of the students currently is engaged in research for his or her doctoral dissertation using the vast archival and library resources at the Center. The fellowships carry an award of $10,000 for a 10-month period beginning in September 2002. Each fellow is expected to spend two full days per week conducting research in the Center’s Lillian Goldman Reading Room, and will be required to deliver a one-hour presentation to the Center’s professional staff. They also will be called upon to assist the Center and its partner institutions with various activities in archival research. The six fellowship winners are: · Alisa Braun of the University of Michigan. The title of Ms. Braun’s dissertation is “Becoming Authorities: Jews, Writing and the Dynamics of Literary Affiliation, 1890-1940.” Ms. Braun, a New York City resident, has her B.A. from Columbia University and spent her junior year abroad at Cambridge. She also has studied at the Uriel Weinreich Program in Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and for the academic year 2002-03, is the recipient of the Rose and Isidore Drench Fellowship from YIVO. Her dissertation will explore the relationship between four Jewish writers – Abraham Cahan, Morris Rosenfeld, Henry Roth and Fannie Hurst - and their mentors/patrons. Her research efforts at the Center will focus on the Henry Roth papers in the collections of the American Jewish Historical Society and the Abraham Cahan papers, as well as the extensive newspaper and periodical collections, of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. · Jessica Cooperman of New York University. “The Jewish Diaspora and the First World War: Germany and the United States.” Ms. Cooperman received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and also has studied at Columbia University, Middlebury College in Vermont, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Kings College, London. A resident of New York City, she is the recipient of a fellowship, for September 2001 to June 2003, from The Remarque Institute of New York University. Ms. Cooperman primarily will conduct her research in the holdings of the American Jewish Historical Society and the Leo Baeck Institute. She will examine the challenges faced by the German and American Jewish communities during what was a period of intense nationalism and global military conflict, studying what this conflict meant to Jews loyal to their diasporic homelands. · James Loeffler, Columbia University. “The Role of Music as a Means of Jewish Social and Cultural Modernization in Late Imperial Russia.” Mr. Loeffler earned his B.A. from Harvard University and also has studied at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Israel. He was the recipient of a research grant from the Ford Foundation to study Yiddish musical and comedy traditions, and served as acting sound archivist for the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in 1999. Mr. Loeffler, who lives in New York City, will conduct research in the archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Leo Baeck Institute and the American Jewish Archives as he seeks to pursue a social history of Jewish music and musicians in the later Imperial period of Russian history, to explore several interlocking cultural institutions and social structures that were central to the rise of Jewish musicians within the mainstream of Russian culture. · Avinoam Patt, New York University. “Jewish DP Youth and Zionism in Post-War Germany.” A resident of West New York, New Jersey, Mr. Patt received his B.A. from Emory University in Atlanta. He also spent a year of study in Israel under the auspices of Young Judea, and attended classes at the Uriel Weinreich Program in Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and at Deutsches Haus at New York University. The unique collections housed at YIVO, including the newspapers and periodicals published by the Jewish DPs in Germany and the files of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews, will prove of central importance to the completion of his dissertation. He also plans to utilize material at the American Jewish Historical Society on American Jewish chaplains serving in the DP camps in Germany, as well as autobiographies found in the Leo Baeck Institute collections. · Joshua Perelman, New York University. “Choreographing Identity: Modern Dance and American Jewish Identity, 1924-1964.” Mr. Perelman, who resides in Brooklyn, earned his B.A. at Macalester College in St. Paul, and was a summer research fellow at the Jewish Women’s Archive in New York. He also served for two years as the national director of the University Student Department of the World Zionist Organization. His dissertation will deal with such dancers/choreographers as Sophie Maslow, Anna Sokolow, Edith Segal, Lily Mehlman, Helen Tamiris, Nadia Chilkovsky, Miriam Blecher, Anna Halprin, and Dorothy Bird. What historical events led to American Jewish modern dancers’ exploration of Judaism? What impact did their experiences during the Depression have on their re-constructions of Jewish identities onstage? How does the history of these dancers help to reformulate the history of American Jewish history and identity? Mr. Perelman hopes to find some of the answers to his questions in the holdings of the American Jewish Historical Society and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. · Michaela Raggam-Blesch, Karl-Franz University in Graz, Austria. “Jewish Women during Turn-of-the-Century Vienna.” A native of Austria, Ms. Raggam-Blesch currently resides in Staten Island, New York, and is a part-time archivist at the Leo Baeck Institute. She received her undergraduate degree at the Karl-Franz University in Graz and also studied at the Austrian Academy of Science in Vienna. She was the recipient of a Fritz Halbers Fellowship for research at the Leo Baeck Institute for the 1999-2000 academic year. Her dissertation will focus on the lives of Jewish women at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century in Vienna, a melting pot of different cultural influences within Habsburg Austria. It will investigate the impact of an anti-Semitic and partially misogynist environment on the lives of these women. She will conduct her research largely within the collections of the Leo Baeck Institute, particularly the Austrian Heritage Collection, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Jun 25, 2002: JOURNEY TO NO END OF THE WORLD: JUDAICA FROM THE GROSS FAMILY COLLECTION, TEL AVIV Global Jewish collection provides a unique combination of visual excitement and powerful content. June 4 – October 20, 2002. Yeshiva University Museum is pleased to present Journey to No End Of The World: Judaica from the Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, an historical exhibition that features 130 outstanding and often unparalleled Judaica objects from 33 Jewish communities around the world, from Frankfurt to Cochin and from Vilnius to Djerba. These objects, on loan from the Gross Family Collection, tell the stories of Jewish travel and exploration throughout the millennia. As Jews migrated to distant locales, they found that their co-religionists were simultaneously foreign and familiar. Each Museum visitor to Journey will become a traveler experiencing a world of Jewish connectedness and continuity. Journey to No End Of The World was organized by the Jewish Museum Vienna, where it was exhibited in 2001. Yeshiva University Museum is the exclusive U.S. venue for the exhibition. A fully illustrated bilingual catalogue in German and English accompanies the exhibit, which was curated by Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek of the Jewish Museum Vienna, and designed by architect Martin Kohlbauer. Journey will be installed in the Museum’s Rosenberg and Winnick Galleries. Press tours are available upon request. HISTORY OF THE COLLECTION In acquiring Judaica over more than 35 years, William L. Gross set out to create a collection representing global Jewry that would demonstrate, through its diversity, the uniformity of Jewish religion and tradition. In his preface to the exhibition catalogue, Gross describes the process by which he selects each piece: “…every object provides an opening through which it is possible to view time and place and to understand the context of that place – artistic, cultural, religious, social and economic – in which this particular object was created. The primary criterion is one of cultural geography. I try to find a variety of Jewish objects from the many locations of Jewish settlement and through the juxtaposition of these items to do research and learn about Jewish life.” HISTORY & DESIGN OF THE EXHIBITION For nearly 2,000 years, since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E., the Jewish Diaspora has been an inescapable fact of Jewish life. Early on, questions arose about the location of Jewish communities and whether one Diaspora differed from another. In the early Middle Ages, people traveled to the most remote places – to “the ends of the earth” – in search of Jewish enclaves, bringing back stories of the extraordinary lives of Jews in far-away places. The viewpoints of these travelers were shaped by their own origins, but wherever they went they found a Jewish world that, though different from their own in some ways, was essentially the same. These travelers discovered the familiar in the foreign as well as the foreign in the familiar. Their journey was not so much to the ends of the earth as it was a “journey to a world without end.” Magnificent ceremonial objects: Sabbath candlesticks, Hanukkah menorahs, Torah shields and finials, and Hebrew manuscripts are among the items that are displayed within a visually vibrant and rich historical context. Each city is presented in a dynamically designed “pod,” where the prized artifacts are accompanied by an appropriate travel report and by a photograph of contemporary Jewish life in that locale. Jewish objects are understood as components of Jewish life, transcending geographic borders as well as the gap between past and present. The exhibition’s design conveys the beauty of each object, while also highlighting its cultural, historical, and religious significance. RELATED EVENTS On Monday June 3, 2002, from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM, a panel discussion featuring the collector, William L. Gross, the curator, Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, and the exhibition designer, Martin Kohlbauer, will be held at Yeshiva University Museum. On Thursday, July 25, 2002, from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, YUM Curator Gabriel Goldstein will present a gallery talk on this exhibition. This lecture is free with Museum admission. FUNDERS Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibitions and programs are supported, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYS Council on the Arts, and The Smart Family Foundation. MUSEUM INFORMATION Yeshiva University Museum is located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York City. Museum hours are: Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Thursday from 11 AM to 8 PM. The Museum is closed Monday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is $6.00 for adults; $4.00 for seniors and students. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. Yeshiva University Museum can be visited on the Internet at www.yu.edu/museum.

Jun 25, 2002: Persecuting Grandfathers Interviewing Grandsons? An exhibition at the Leo Baeck Institute Clifford and Katherine Goldsmith Gallery Center for Jewish History 15 West 16 Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) New York NY 10011 May 23 until October 11, 2002 In 1995 the New York Leo Baeck Institute established a fascinating new project in cooperation with the Austrian Gedenkdienst, an organization that fosters mutual understanding between young Austrians and Jewish refugees who were forced to flee from the oppression of the Austrian National Socialist regime that came to power in 1938. Each year, Gedenkdienst sends two young Austrian conscientious objectors to work for the Leo Baeck to do the equivalent of their military service. The Gedenkdiener conduct interviews with Austrian Jewish émigrés, listen to their life stories, and collect important documents and other memorabilia for permanent safekeeping in the library and archives of the LBI. Without this project at the Leo Baeck Institute these generations, separated by more than sixty years, might never have met. These encounters have gradually evolved into the LBI’s Austrian Heritage Collection, which now is among the most significant oral history projects on Austrian modern history that includes a large number of documents and well over 2200 biographical entries. This unique collection is the starting point of this exhibit which focuses on the often difficult communication between the generations as a result of the catastrophic historic events of the last century. This exhibit takes visitors to the places where the emigrants and the Gedenkdiener meet, in most cases the émigrés apartments. Photographer Arno Gisinger has captured the atmosphere in their New York apartments in a series of panoramic photos This exhibit presents excerpts from interviews conducted between 1995 and the present as well as photos and documents of these encounters and thus marks the first public introduction of the work of the Gedenkdiener at the LBI. The exhibit and the bilingual German-English catalog are designed to reach out to a wider audience, to inform the general public of this remarkable project and to inspire historians to look more closely at the data gathered from those who experienced the best and worst parts of the Austrian heritage firsthand. Gallery hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday 11am – 5pm Thursday 11am – 8pm Closed on national and Jewish holidays Public transportation: From the East Side take 4, 5, 6 , N, R, or L trains to Union Square From the West Side take the 1, 9, 2, 3 train to 14 Street F train to 14 Street/6th Avenue A, C, E trains to 14 Street/8 Avenue For guided tours or additional information, please call the Austrian Heritage Collection at the Leo Baeck Institute: 212.744-6400

Jun 7, 2002: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY GENEALOGY INSTITUTE INAUGURATES NEW WEBSITE Family history research just got a lot easier – no matter where you reside! – thanks to the Genealogy Institute at New York’s Center for Jewish History. Visit the Center’s website at www.cjh.org (The Jewish Agency for Israel recently named the Center for Jewish History website among the top ten Jewish websites in the world.) and click on “Family History.” You will find new web pages that provide detailed information about the wealth of genealogical records and resources housed at the Center. “Ancestral Traces: A Virtual Exhibit,” displays some of the unique and unusual genealogical records at the Center, including a transcript from a trial during the Inquisition in Mexico, a page of birth records from the Jewish community of Rangoon, HIAS arrival cards, a list of marriages in 1842 in Offenbach, Germany, a burial record from a landsmanshaft, and more. “Frequently Asked Questions” provides the answers to how to do genealogy research at the Center. Plan your research in advance with the FAQs, as well as a complete listing of the Genealogy Institute’s reference collection, including historical atlases and books on the Holocaust, travel, and Jewish history, which also is found on the website. Center Genealogy Institute staff and volunteers have created a series of fact sheets that list the genealogical resources at the Center. All fact sheets now are available on the website as PDF files you can print at home. Was your ancestor a rabbi? Click on the rabbinic records fact sheet and find a listing of the books at the Center - in Yiddish, Hebrew, and English - with biographical information on rabbis. Want to know how to access records from Belarus or Lithuania? Print out the free fact sheets and learn. Wondering what Sephardic records are available at the Center? Read the fact sheets on Sephardic topics to learn that there are records in all the partner organizations, including records from Salonika in the archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research; records of the Curacao community in the holdings of the American Jewish Historical Society; records of the Hamburg Sephardic community in the collections of the Leo Baeck Institute; and records of the Amsterdam Sephardic community, and much more, collected by the American Sephardi Federation. The Center Genealogy Institute (which can be reached at 212-294-8324 or e-mail at gi@cjh.org) is open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Institute also is open one Sunday a month from 12:30 to 2 p.m., when the Jewish Genealogical Society of New York hosts its monthly meeting at the Center. Volunteers who can translate Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian and other languages can be contacted to assist patrons in translating short letters, postcards and documents. All basic services are provided free of charge. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Apr 24, 2002: Citigroup Endows Lecture Program at American Jewish Historical Society In Honor of Kenneth J. Bialkin. NEW YORK — The American Jewish Historical Society today announced that Citigroup has established a $250,000 endowment that will create and support in perpetuity the Kenneth J. Bialkin/Citigroup Endowed Lecture Program. This program will bring together prominent scholars from around the world and will focus on the influence of Jewish values on American and international legal, social and economic development. "By creating this program, Citigroup and the Society acknowledge Kenneth Bialkin’s tremendous record of public service and his lifetime commitment to upholding the values of civil society and the rule of law,” said Michael Feldberg, Ph.D., executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society. “We are confident that the Kenneth J. Bialkin/Citigroup Endowed Lecture Program will provide an interesting and stimulating forum for scholars for generations to come.” Mr. Bialkin, president of the American Jewish Historical Society, is a partner at the New York law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He was a member of the Citigroup Board of Directors for 16 years. Mr. Bialkin serves as chairman of the America-Israel Friendship League and as vice-chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation. He has served as National Chair of the Anti-Defamation League and chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Mr. Bialkin sits on the board of the Municipal Assistance Corporation for the City of New York, serves on the Legal Advisory Committee of the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., and is chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Insider Trading Legislation, Section of Business Law, of the American Bar Association. He was previously Chair of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association and president of the New York County Lawyers Association. Founded in 1892 as a membership organization, research library, archives and museum, the American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States. The Society was the first systematic collector of archival, published and artifactual sources depicting the religious, communal, cultural and political life of American Jewry, and the ways in which that community has contributed to the wider society. Often referred to as the “national archives” of American Jewry, its holdings are the preeminent resource for scholars, students, genealogists, curators, filmmakers and publishers who want to document American Jewish life from the 1500s to the present. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the unique partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings, and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s dynamic program of exhibits, cultural events, and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Apr 8, 2002: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ‘THE MAKING OF THE U.S. ARMY TALMUD’ OPENS AT AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ************************************* EXHIBITION EXPLORES POST-WORLD WAR II AID TO JEWISH HOLOCAUST SURVIVIORS “A Particular Responsibility: The Making of the U.S. Army Talmud” opened April 8, 2002, in the American Jewish Historical Society Gallery at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street, New York City. With historical documents, photographs and artifacts, the exhibit tells the story of the involvement of the United States Army in the printing of the Survivors’ Talmud, the only time in world history that a government has published an edition of this work. The United States Army published the Talmud in Heidelberg, Germany, between 1948 and 1950 in response to requests by Jewish community representatives, including Rabbi Samuel Jakob Rose, a survivor of Dachau, and U.S. Army rabbi chaplains, on behalf of the survivors of the Shoah. (In 1945 not one complete set of the Talmud could be found in Europe.) Despite its own history of racism and anti-Semitism, the U.S. military in the post-World War II years evolved into a humanitarian force to shelter Jewish survivors and reconstitute Jewish life in Europe. President Harry S. Truman called caring for the Jewish survivors America’s “particular responsibility” and asked General Dwight D. Eisenhower to assure that the survivors’ material and spiritual needs were met. Under Eisenhower’s leadership the U.S. Army responded with exemplary compassion. Publishing the 19-volume Survivors’ Talmud exemplified this caring. The current exhibition highlights the communities for which this edition of the Talmud was created, the people who championed its publication and the partnerships and ideals that made the historic endeavor possible. It encompasses historic photographs and documents from the post-World War II DP camps, dolls crafted for children and other handicrafts made in the camps, and a chaplain’s portable Torah Ark made from wood and used by Rabbi Joseph S. Shubow, one of 113 rabbis on active duty to serve Jewish servicemen during the war. The dedication on the first page of the Survivors’ Talmud, its only English words, reads as follows: This edition of the Talmud is dedicated to the Untied States Army. The army played a major role in the rescue of the Jewish people from total annihilation and after the defeat of Hitler bore the major burden of sustaining the DPs of the Jewish faith. This special edition of the Talmud published in the very land where, but a short time ago, everything Jewish and of Jewish inspiration was anathema, will remain a symbol of the indestructibility of the Torah. The Jewish DPs will never forget the generous impulses and the unprecedented humanitarianism of the American forces, to whom they owe so much. Rabbi Samuel A. Snieg Chief Rabbi of the U.S. Zone The exhibition is located in the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great Hall at the Center. It will be at the Center for Jewish History through August 30, 2002. The Center for Jewish History is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Tidewater Jewish Federation of Norfolk, Virginia, and the American Jewish Historical Society co-developed “A Particular Responsibility” in honor of the late Leonard Strelitz, a well-known philanthropist and Jewish communal leader of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The exhibit originally opened at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk. For further information, please contact Michael Feldberg, Ph.D., executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society at 212-294-6162 or feldberg@ajhs.org. Founded in 1892, the American Jewish Historical Society maintains archival collections including 40 million documents, 50,000 books, and thousands of paintings and memorabilia that bear witness to the outstanding contributions of the American Jewish community to life in the Americas. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Apr 5, 2002: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY LAUNCHES NEW SERIES ‘JEWS AND JUSTICE’ *************************************** INAUGURAL EVENT FEATURES LECTURE ON JUSTICE CARDOZO BY ANDREW KAUFMAN OF HARVARD LAW SCHOOL New York City……. With the generous support of the David Berg Foundation, the Center for Jewish History is launching a new series of lectures and colloquiums that will explore “Jews and Justice,” the Jewish contribution to the development and practice of law and legal institutions. Co-sponsored by the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics of Fordham University Law School, “Jews and Justice” will begin Thursday evening, May 2, 2002, at 7:30 p.m., with an address by Andrew L. Kaufman, Charles Stebbins Fairchild Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, speaking on “The Jewish Influence on Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo.” Professor Kaufman’s address will be followed by three responses from, respectively, Rabbi Marc Angel of Congregation Shearith Israel; Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; and Suzanne Stone, professor of law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University. Additionally, New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer will introduce the series, and David Rudinstine, Dr. Herman George and Kate Kaiser Professor of Constitutional Law and dean, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, will introduce Professor Kaufman. The evening will be moderated by Russell G. Pearce, professor of law at the Fordham University Law School, who is serving as curator for the “Jews and Justice” series. The program on Justice Cardozo is being presented in association with the American Sephardi Federation, one of the five constituent institutions housed at the Center for Jewish History. A concurrent exhibition, “Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo: Highlights of a Life,” will be on view from May 2 to June 27, 2002, in the galleries of the American Sephardi Federation at the Center. “The Jewish Influence on Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo” is open to the public, free of charge. However, reservations are required; please call the Center’s Box Office at 917-606-8200. “Jews and Justice” is scheduled to continue on Monday, September 9, 2002, with a lecture by Aharon Barak, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Israel. Professor Andrew L. Kaufman is the author of CARDOZO, published by Harvard University Press in 1998, and has written extensively on Justice Cardozo and his place in American legal history. CARDOZO was cited as a New York Times notable book and won the Griswold Prize of the Supreme Court Historical Society, the Scribes Book Award of the American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects, and the Archives Award of the New York Board of Regents and New York State Archives. Professor Kaufman graduated from Harvard College and from the Harvard Law School. He served as law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter from 1955-57, and began his career at the Harvard Law School as a lecturer in 1965. He was named Charles Stebbins Fairchild Professor of Law in 1981. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Mar 26, 2002: YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH MARKS 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF VILNA’S STRASHUN LIBRARY ********************************************************************** APRIL 16TH EVENT FEATURES PRIVATE VIEWING OF LITERARY TREASURES AND TALK BY U.S. ARMY RESCUER OF BOOKS New York City…..On April 16th, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research will host a special reception to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Strashun Library in Vilna. The story of the Strashun Library, perhaps the foremost Jewish library in Europe before World War II, weaves together a great family legacy, the tragic destruction of Jewish life and culture during the Holocaust, and the efforts of one Jewish military officer to see justice done. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street in New York City, the 100th anniversary celebration will feature a talk by Colonel Seymour J. Pomrenze, who played a major role in the rescue of the Strashun Library and its restitution to the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Participants will have an opportunity to view the exhibition, “Mattityahu Strashun: Scholar, Leader, Book Collector,” which features many of the works from the Strashun Library, some never before on public view. Additional comments will be offered by Brad Sabin Hill, dean of the library at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The current exhibition, as well as the preservation of the Strashun collection, has been made possible by two descendants of Mattityahu Strashun, Tanya Corbin and Irwin Jacobs, and the Waber Fund. In December, 150 descendants of Mattityahu Strashun gathered at the Center for Jewish History for the opening of the exhibition. Presently retired, Colonel Seymour J. Pomrenze spent 34 years in active and reserve service in the United States Army, and was a key member of Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower’s staff in Europe during World War II. Colonel Pomrenze was serving as director of the Offenbach Archival Depot in the American Zone of Germany in 1945 when he discovered the looted Strashun Library, which had survived the Nazis’ destruction of Vilna’s Jewish community. Colonel Pomrenze supervised the loading of the Strashun and YIVO Library collections – 79,204 items in 420 cases in three freight cars – and accompanied the collections to the Bremen Port where they sailed for the Harborside Warehouse Co. in Jersey City, New Jersey. The collections arrived on July 1, 1947 and were transferred to YIVO headquarters in New York. The entire journey, plus the approval of the State Department for restitution of the libraries to YIVO, was arranged by Colonel Pomrenze. Following the war, Colonel Pomrenze served as distinguished adjunct professor in records management at The American University in Washington, DC, until 1980 and, from 1950-76, as records manager/archivist for the Department of the Army. He received the Bronze Star Medal for his work in Vietnam as a military archivist, the Legion of Merit, Asiatic-Pacific Medal with three Bronze Stars, and The Netherlands Government Silver Medal of Honor. He has been an Honorary Fellow of the Society of American Archivists for more than 50 years. Mattityahu Strashun received a traditional Jewish religious education, augmented by the private study of mathematics and science. His marriage into a well to do family (Eliasberg) enabled him to become a philanthropist and a community leader. For many years he chaired the Tsedakah Gedolah, the charity fund of the Vilna Jewish Community. He also served as a member of the Vilna City Council and a trustee of the Russian State Bank of Vilna. In addition to his many public activities, he was a great book lover and a collector of rare Hebrew books. His library of about 6000 volumes became a gathering place for the intellectual elite of his time. Shortly before his death he decided to bequeath his books and his home to the Vilna Community. In 1892, the Strashun library was opened to the public in Mattityahu’s former home. However, it soon became clear that the building was too small for its purpose, and, in 1899, the trustees of the library decided to erect a new building. The document authorizing construction of the new building is displayed in the current exhibition. In 1901, the library moved to its new building. The Strashun Library very soon became a popular place for study and attracted visitors from throughout Europe. The average daily number of readers was more than 200, mostly high school and seminary students, and there was always a line of readers outside the door. In the evenings the Library served as a Jewish cultural center. The collection continued to grow, primarily through gifts and bequests. Beginning in 1928, the Vilna University Library began to send all Hebrew and Yiddish books published in Poland to the Strashun collection. In the 1930s, the number of books was reported to be 35,000. The Nazis occupied Vilna on June 23, 1941 and, soon thereafter, ordered the Jews into a ghetto. Both the YIVO Library and the Strashun Library were taken over by the Einsatzstab Rosenberg; a Nazi task force assigned the work of looting and disposing of Jewish cultural treasures. The Nazis forced the librarians to select and crate hundreds of thousands of Jewish books and manuscripts. The wooden crates were shipped to Frankfurt-am-Main, where they were stored in a huge warehouse located in nearby Offenbach. In 1945, the American army discovered three million Jewish books in the Offenbach warehouse, among them 25,000 books from the Strashun Library collection and 15,000 books from the YIVO collection. Colonel Pomrenze entered the saga at this point. Founded in 1925, in Vilna, Poland, as the Yiddish Scientific Institute, YIVO is dedicated to the history and culture of Ashkenazi Jewry and its influence in the Americas. Headquartered in New York City since 1940, today YIVO is a global resource center for Eastern European Jewish Studies; Yiddish language, literature and folklore; and the American Jewish immigrant experience. The YIVO Library encompasses more than 350,000 volumes; the Archives holds more than 22 million archival pieces. YIVO offers a series of free cultural events, Yiddish language classes, various scholarly publications and research opportunities.

Mar 14, 2002: Tour groups from cities as far-flung as Seattle, Portland, Berkeley, Brookline, Danbury, and Dresher, Pennsylvania, as well as from throughout the greater metropolitan New York City area, have been converging on the Center for Jewish History for guided tours of its many exhibitions and facilities. The Center, located in New York City at 15 West 16 Street, is pleased to accommodate group tours at any time during its regular hours of operation. Group tours must be arranged in advance by calling 917-606-8226. The Center also offers open public tours every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Individual reservations in advance are not required. Tours, which are led by trained docents, encompass all areas of the Center dedicated to public service, including the Reading Room, Genealogy Institute and the major exhibitions of the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Visitors also tour the areas available for special events, including the auditorium and “Great Hall,” and are welcome to browse in the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Center Shop, eat in the kosher Date Palm Café, and avail themselves of the Center’s services in tracing family histories. For the open public tours, the Center requests a contribution of six dollars per person, four dollars for seniors and students, with the funds used to support educational programs. (Costs for group tours must be arranged separately by calling 917-606-8226.) Tickets may be purchased in the Center Shop, at the east end of the 16th Street lobby. For visitors wishing to include the Yeshiva University Museum galleries in their tour, combination tickets may be purchased at a cost of ten dollars for adults, six dollars for seniors and students. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the unique partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings, and textiles - the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s dynamic program of exhibits, cultural events, and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Mar 7, 2002: The Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street in New York City, will be offering a new series of Family History Workshops for individuals interested in learning how to research and explore their family history. Each workshop will be limited to 12 participants; tickets, priced at $10, may be purchased from the Center Box Office. (tel. 917-606-8200). On April 11 and June 16, the Genealogical Institute will present Genealogy at the Center for Jewish History. This hour-long presentation will review the wealth of genealogical resources available at the Center for Jewish History. Examples of many of the documents at the Center will be displayed, and their relevance to genealogical research explained. Participants will learn how to use the library and archive catalogs at the Center to identify collections relevant to their research, and the multi-step process of locating individual records within the collections. The understanding gained should be helpful for research in other repositories as well. After the workshop, participants are welcome to remain at the Genealogy Institute until 8 p.m. for individual assistance from Genealogy Institute volunteers. On May 2 and July 11, a Beginner’s Workshop will provide an introduction to family history research, designed primarily for the descendants of people who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century. General principles and procedures of family history research will be presented. Examples of the documents necessary for beginning genealogical research, such as census, immigration, naturalization and vital records, will be displayed. Participants will learn how to obtain important information from these documents, and how to locate the documents. After the workshop, participants are welcome to remain at the Genealogy Institute until 8 p.m. for individual assistance from Genealogy Institute volunteers. The Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History is a welcoming place where individuals can begin a challenging, exciting and emotional search for their own family history. The Center is home to the combined collections of the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, encompassing 100 million archival documents, one-half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs and other materials. Center Genealogy staff and volunteers can show nearly everyone of Jewish descent how to find some information that is relevant to his or her own history. The Center Genealogy Institute (which can be reached at 212-294-8324) is open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Institute also is open one Sunday a month from 12:30 to 2 p.m., when the Jewish Genealogical Society of New York hosts its monthly meeting at the Center. Volunteers who can translate Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian and other languages can be contacted to assist patrons in translating short letters, postcards and documents. All basic services are provided free of charge.

Jan 18, 2002: The Center for Jewish History, located at 15 West 16 Street in New York City, is offering open public tours every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Individual reservations in advance are not required. The Center also is pleased to accommodate group tours at any time during its regular hours of operation. Group tours must be arranged in advance by calling 917-606-8226. Tours, which are led by trained docents, encompass all areas of the Center dedicated to public service, including the Reading Room, Genealogy Institute and the major exhibitions of the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardic Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Visitors also tour the areas available for special events, including the auditorium and “Great Hall,” and are welcome to browse in the Center Shop, eat in the kosher Date Palm Café, and avail themselves of the Center’s services in tracing family histories. Groups from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New England, Virginia and throughout New York City, as well as hundreds of individuals, have participated in Center tours during the past few months. For the open public tours, the Center requests a contribution of $6 per person, $4 for seniors and students, with the funds used to support educational programs. (Costs for group tours must be arranged separately by calling 917-606-8226.) Tickets may be purchased in the Center Shop, at the east end of the 16th Street lobby. For visitors wishing to include the Yeshiva University Museum galleries in their tour, combination tickets may be purchased at a cost of $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and students. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the unique partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings, and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s dynamic program of exhibits, cultural events, and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Jan 15, 2002: “Our Hometown Vilna,” a new permanent exhibition at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, will be formally opened on Sunday, February 3, 2002, at 3 p.m. The exhibit, which was made possible by the support of “Nusach Vilne,” the Federation of Jews from Vilna in the USA, has been installed at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, one of five major institutions housed within the Center. “Our Hometown Vilna” reflects, in photographs, the rich cultural, educational, and economic life enjoyed by the Jewish community before World War II. Known as the “Jerusalem of Lithuania,” Vilna was a major center of both Torah study and modern Yiddish and Jewish culture. Home of the fabled Vilna Gaon (Rabbi Elye ben Zalmen, 1720-1797) as well as renowned yeshivas, Vilna also was the birthplace of the YIVO Institute in 1925; the Jewish Labor Bund in 1897; the “Vilner Trupe,” a Yiddish theater company in 1916; and “Yung-Vilne,” a group of Yiddish writers and poets, in the 1930s. Young people from all over Poland and abroad would come to Vilna to study in its yeshivas or secular institutions of higher learning. Writers and activists made pilgrimages to Vilna to study and absorb its varied socio-cultural life, and to experience its Jewish institutions and the warm hospitality of Vilna Jews. Vilna’s Jewish population, as well as its institutions and culture, were annihilated during World War II. “Nusach Vilne” was founded by a group of survivors who arrived in New York City almost half a century ago. The organization is dedicated to preserving and keeping alive the heritage and traditions of Vilna. It is responsible for such achievements as the forthcoming publication by Yale University Press of The Last Days of the Jerusalem of Lithuania: Chronicles from the Vilna Ghetto and the Camps, 1939-44 by Herman (Hersh) Kruk who did not survive the war. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events, and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Jan 4, 2002: New York City, January 3, 2002…..The Jewish Agency for Israel has named the Center for Jewish History website among the top ten Jewish websites in the world. It also is the number one site in Jewish history, according to several search engines. Operational for slightly more than a year, the website - located at www.cjh.org - provides a comprehensive introduction to the Center’s archival and scholarly collections, three-dimensional tours of selected facilities, news releases, photographs from current exhibitions, links to the websites of the Center’s five partner institutions, information on tours, the volunteer program and fund raising, and much more. “It is truly astounding,” commented Bruce Slovin, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Center for Jewish History, “that an institution, first opened to the public in October 2000, could accomplish so much in so little time, and I congratulate our outstanding professional staff which has made this possible. We also are equally proud of our service to the academic research community and to the public at large, as exemplified by this distinguished award. “While the Center welcomes, every week, scholars and visitors from across the country and throughout the world,” Mr. Slovin continued, “our website allows anyone, anywhere, to go on a virtual tour of the Center and learn about our resources. It is a critical component to the fulfillment of our mission and I am deeply gratified to see our efforts recognized by as prominent an institution as the Jewish Agency.” The Center’s website is currently featured in the January issue of Mag-Net, the Jewish Agency’s on-line magazine. “The Center for Jewish History,” the magazine reports, “has become a mecca for teachers and students who need information on Jewish history, art and music.” The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Dec 10, 2001: A journey from Vilna… to near destruction in the Holocaust… to resurrection in America Matityahu Strashun received a traditional Jewish religious education, augmented by the private study of mathematics and science. His marriage into a well to do family (Eliasberg) enabled him to become a philanthropist and a community leader. For many years he chaired the Tsedakah Gedolah, the charity fund of the Vilna Jewish Community. He also served as a member of the Vilna City Council and a trustee of the Russian State Bank of Vilna. In addition to his many public activities, he was a great book lover and a collector of rare Hebrew books. His library of about 6000 volumes became a gathering place for the intellectual elite of his time. Shortly before his death he decided to bequeath his books and his home to the Vilna Community and appointed his nephew David Strashun as the executor. In 1892, the Strashun library was opened to the public in Matityahu’s former home. However, it soon became clear that the building was too small for its purpose, and, in 1899, the trustees of the library decided to erect a new building. The document authorizing construction of the new building is displayed in this exhibition. In 1901, the library moved to its new building. The Strashun Library very soon became a popular place for study. The average daily number of readers was more than 200, mostly high school and seminary students, and there was always a line of readers outside the door. In the evenings the Library served as a Jewish cultural center. The collection continued to grow, primarily through gifts and bequests. Beginning in 1928, the Library also began to receive from the Vilna University Library all Hebrew and Yiddish books published in Poland. In the 1930s, the number of books was reported to be 35,000. The Nazis occupied Vilna on June 23, 1941 and, soon thereafter, ordered the Jews into a ghetto. Both the YIVO Library and the Strashun Library were taken over by the Einsatzstab Rosenberg; a Nazi task force assigned the work of looting and disposing of Jewish cultural treasures. The Nazis forced the librarians to select and crate hundreds of thousands of Jewish books and manuscripts. The wooden crates were shipped to Frankfurt-am-Main, where they were stored in a huge warehouse located in nearby Offenbach. In 1945, the American army discovered three million Jewish books in the Offenbach warehouse, among them 25,000 books from the Strashun Library collection and 15,000 books from the YIVO collection. These volumes were rescued from the ruins of Europe and brought back to YIVO in New York in 1947. In early 1999 YIVO moved to its new home at the Center for Jewish History. Later that year it received a generous grant from the descendants of Mattityahu Strashun in the United States, through the Waber Foundation, enabling the YIVO Library staff to computerize the catalog cards of the Strashun collection. A family compassing many colorful individuals… Another member of the Strashun family was Yoel Dovid Strashunsky (1816-1859), a legendary cantor who was known as the Vilner Balebeisel. His life story was made into a four-act play by Mark Arnstein. A movie version, Overtures to Glory, starring Moyshe Oysher was made in the 1930’s, and will be screened at the Center on December 12th. The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson is based on the plot of Overtures to Glory. Rebecca Jacobs (nee Strashun), grandmother of Tania Corbin and Irwin Jacobs, trustees of the Waber Foundation, was the daughter of a 19th century wealthy Jewish banker in Vilna. Her father helped finance the building of railroads in Russia. Rebecca was married to Israel Jacobs, a Russian Jew who had immigrated to America and settled in Atlanta, where he had a general store and fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. After the Civil War, Israel Jacobs went back to his hometown in Russia in order to find a wife. Rebecca was 25 years younger than her American husband. The couple settled in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where their eight children were born. In the late 1890’s the couple returned to the USA, where their last son was born, the father of Tanya Jacobs Corbin and her brother Irwin Jacobs. They remember their beautiful grandmother as an avid reader – the love of books ran in the family. She read books in several languages, and always gave books as gifts to her children and grandchildren. Having inherited their love for books from their grandmother, it is no wonder that they took upon themselves the privilege to resurrect and preserve the great library of their ancestor, Matityahu Strashun.

Aug 20, 2001: Dr. Lois S. Cronholm, the first executive director of the Center for Jewish History, will be leaving her position at the end of August to become Senior Vice President of City College of the City University of New York. A search has been undertaken for her successor. Dr. Cronholm came to the Center in 1999 and spearheaded its official opening to the public in October 2000. She was instrumental in directing the completion of the Center’s physical space, organizing all aspects of basic operations, and establishing its academic and intellectual foundation. Prior to her position at the Center for Jewish History, Dr. Cronholm served as provost and senior vice president, as well as interim president, of Baruch College. Her long career in academic administration also included dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of biology at Temple University in Philadelphia, and associate dean, acting dean and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Louisville. After receiving a B.A., summa cum laude, in 1962 from the University of Louisville, Dr. Cronholm attended the University of Louisville School of Medicine where she earned a doctorate in biology. She then was awarded a three-year NIH Fellowship in Immunology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and also attended classes at the Law School. She has been active in the cultural affairs of New York City, serving as secretary of the Board of The Players, president of the Hampden-Boothe Library, and member of the Admissions Committee of the National Arts Club. She was co-founder, with James Aldon of the National Arts Club, of an educational consortium for the Gramercy Park area. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Aug 20, 2001: JOSEPH D. BECKER NAMED INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY The Center for Jewish History has announced that Joseph D. Becker, a member of its Board of Directors, has agreed to serve as interim executive director commencing September 1, 2001. Mr. Becker will serve until a successor is named to Dr. Lois Cronholm, who is leaving the Center to become senior vice president of the City College of New York (CUNY). An international lawyer and founder of the firm of Becker, Glynn, Melamed & Muffly, Mr. Becker will continue to serve as a member of the Center’s Board of Directors and as vice-chairman of the Board of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, one of the Center’s five partner institutions. Former adjunct professor of law at New York University, Mr. Becker is a graduate of the Harvard Law School, an alumnus of the Yeshiva of Flatbush, and author of the recently published book, The American Law of Nations. He will continue as counsel to his law firm at 299 Park Avenue in New York City. Bruce Slovin, chairman of the Center Board of Directors, noted, “We are fortunate that Mr. Becker, long devoted to this Center and a man of great experience, wisdom, and scholarship has agreed to undertake this critically important role. I am confident that the Center will continue the great progress that was made under Dr. Cronholm’s leadership.” The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Aug 20, 2001: To culminate its inaugural year of operation, the Center for Jewish History in New York City will convene an international conference October 28-29, 2001. Entitled Centers of Modern Jewish Studies, the conference will feature presentations by some of the academic world's leading scholars of Jewish studies and will include sessions for the general public as well as for academicians. The conference has been organized by the Center's Academic Advisory Council which is chaired by Dr. Robert Chazan, S.H. and Helen R. Scheuer Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. Centers of Modern Jewish History will examine the historical contour of Jewish scholarly life in modernity in both an institutional and geographical framework. Jewish studies will be explored from a global perspective by scholars representing the major centers of the modern renaissance in Judaic scholarship throughout the world. The general sessions are open to the public, free of charge. A detailed conference schedule follows. Please call 212-294-8301 for additional information. The Center for Jewish History, which opened to the public in October 2000, has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center's extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings are designed to interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future. CENTERS OF MODERN JEWISH STUDIES A Conference to Commemorate the Inauguration of the Center for Jewish History as a Major Resource in Jewish Studies. Sunday, October 28: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. (for invited scholars only) Contemporary Jewish Scholarship: International Perspectives Dr. Lawrence H. Schiffman, Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and chair, Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University - Chair Dr. Angel Saenz-Badillos, Departmento de Hebreo, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Prof. Pierre Birnbaum, Institut d'Etudes Politiques, University of Paris Dr. Ada Rapaport-Albert, Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, University College, London Prof. Moshe Rosman, Department of Jewish Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Dr. Peter Schafer, Institute for Judaism, University of Berlin Sunday, October 28: 7 to 10 p.m. Public Session Creating Modern Jewish Studies Dr. Robert Chazan, S. H. and Helen R. Scheuer Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University
Opening Remarks Dr. Jane Gerber, Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Institute for Sephardic Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York chair Dr. Michael Brenner, Professor of Jewish history and culture, University of Munich Dr. Jonathan Frankel, Professor of modern Russian and Jewish History, The Hebrew University, Israel Dr. Jeffrey S. Gurock, Libby M. Klaperman Professor of Jewish History, Yeshiva University Dr. Stephen J. Zipperstein, Daniel E. Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History and Taube Family Director of Jewish Studies, Stanford University Monday, October 29: 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon (for invited scholars only) Responses to the Sunday evening session Dr. Elisheva Carlebach, Professor of history, Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York chair Dr. Todd M. Endelman, William Haber Professor of Modern Jewish History, University of Michigan Dr. Paula Hyman, Lucy G. Moses Professor of Modern Jewish History, Yale University Dr. David Myers, Professor of Jewish Studies, UCLA Monday, October 29: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. (for invited scholars only) Jewish Museums: The Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge Dr. Beth Wenger, Katz Family Professor in American Jewish History, University of Pennsylvania chair Dr. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Professor of performance studies, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University Cilly Kugelmann, Jüdisches Museum, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany Dr. Vivian B. Mann, Morris and Eva Feld Professor of Judaica at The Jewish Museum, New York Dr. James Young, Professor and Chair of the Judaic Studies Department and Professor of English, University of Massachusetts Monday, October 29: 8:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. Open to the Public Modern Jewish Studies and the American Context Dr. Arthur Goren, Russell Knapp Professor of American Jewish History, Columbia University chair Dr. Jon Butler, William Robertson Coe Professor of American History, Professor of American Studies and Professor of religious studies, Yale University Dr. Deborah Dash Moore, Professor of Jewish studies, Vassar College Dr. Hasia Diner, Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History, New York University

Aug 20, 2001: Several hundred people, spanning three generations, are expected to attend “Climbing the Family Tree,” a full day of films and workshops exploring Jewish family history, scheduled for Sunday, November 4, 2001, at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street, New York City. “Every family has a story,” explained Dr. Rachel Fisher, director of the Center’s Genealogy Institute, “but often the story remains untold. At ‘Climbing the Family Tree’ the dramatic and visual arts will be the vehicle through which families, together, can study and confront their history.” During the course of the day several award-winning documentary films, focusing on generations of diverse Jewish families, will be screened. Art workshops will enable children to creatively reconstruct family history. Reminiscence and storytelling workshops for all ages with the Roots & Branches Intergenerational Theater will bring the generations together around their shared past. The Center Genealogy Institute will be open all day to help with the nuts-and-bolts of family history research. “Climbing the Family Tree” will culminate with a feature film, Barry Levinson’s Avalon, about three generations of an American Jewish family. A daytime pass (which includes admission to all activities from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) for groups of up to four has been priced at $25. Single adult passes are $10, and children 12 and under are $5. With the purchase of a daytime pass, admission to Avalon is $5 for adults, or $2 for seniors, students and children under 12. Tickets for Avalon purchased without a daytime pass are $7 for adults, $3.50 for seniors, students and children under 12. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. All tickets may be purchased through the Center Box Office, 917-606-8200. The complete schedule for “Climbing the Family Tree” follows. For additional information, please call the Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History, (212) 294-8324. “Climbing the Family Tree” Schedule (subject to change) The Center Genealogy Institute will be open continuously from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for family research and consultations. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (concurrent activities) Film: The Sweetest Sound, and discussion with anthropologist Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. Sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society. Workshop: Reminiscence and storytelling with Roots & Branches Intergenerational Theater. Family Art Program: Family tree sculpture workshop for children 5 and older and their families. Sponsored by Yeshiva University Museum. 1 to 1:30 p.m. (concurrent activities) Film: Return to Oulad Moumen, and discussion of Sephardic family history with author Ruth Setton. Sponsored by American Sephardi Federation. Workshop: “Jewish Life in Eastern Europe: Creating a Visual Narrative.” Sponsored by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Presentation: “Family History Research at YIVO.” Sponsored by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. 1:30 to 3 p.m. (concurrent activities) Workshop: Reminiscence and storytelling with Roots & Branches Intergenerational Theater. Family Art Program: Family tree sculpture workshop for children 5 and older and their families. Sponsored by Yeshiva University Museum. 3:30 to 5 p.m. (concurrent activities) Film: Letter without Words, and discussion with filmmaker Lisa Lewenz. Sponsored by Leo Baeck Institute. Workshop: Reminiscence and storytelling with Roots & Branches Intergenerational Theater. Family Art Program: Family tree sculpture workshop for children 5 and older and their families. Sponsored by Yeshiva University Museum. 7 p.m. Film: Avalon, and discussion with Dr. Eric Goldman, YIVO film series curator. Sponsored by YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Jul 6, 2001: ‘KOSHER COMES TO CHELSEA’ AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY’S DATE PALM CAFE Visitors to the Center for Jewish History - as well as residents and those who work in the greater Chelsea/Flatiron/Greenwich Village community – now have an option for gourmet kosher dining at the Center’s Date Palm Café. The Café is open for brunch, lunch and snacks from Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on selected evenings for special Center events. The Center for Jewish History, located at 15 West 16 Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) is home to five major institutions of Jewish history, culture and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Date Palm Café is one of the few kosher restaurants west of Fifth Avenue, between 8th and 34th Streets, and is expected to serve not just visitors to the Center, but the larger community as well. The Date Palm Café is operated by Village Crown Restaurants and Catering, whose Village Crown Moroccan and Village Crown Italian restaurants have a long-time, devoted following at their location on Third Avenue and 12th Street. The menu at the Date Palm Café includes a range of vegetarian and dairy sandwiches, salads, soups, pasta, pizza and baked goods. The Café is under the supervision of the “Kof-K” and all dairy products are Cholov Yisroel. Popular selections at the Date Palm Café include Mediterranean specialties such as the Boreka platter, stuffed grape leaves and Moroccan salad medley; wrap sandwiches featuring tuna salad, grilled vegetables or fresh tomatoes and mozzarella with pesto; entrees such as vegetable lasagna, eggplant rolatini, salmon croquettes, stuffed mushrooms, and pizza; and freshly prepared desserts including cheesecake, zucchini and carrot cake, assorted cookies, chocolate bread pudding and chocolate mousse. A full line of soft drinks, sparkling water, fruit nectars, coffee, tea and cappuccino also are served. The 38-seat Date Palm Café is decorated with artwork by Michele Oka Doner. It is located on the Center’s main floor and may be reached at 917-606-8210. Further information also may be obtained from the Village Crown website,www.villagecrown.com or e-mail at info@villagecrown.com. The Center for Jewish History serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s dynamic program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Jun 26, 2001: Looking for some “summer fun”: CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY OFFERS GUIDED TOURS The Center for Jewish History, located at 15 West 16 Street in New York City, is offering public guided tours every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Reservations in advance are not required for individuals; group tours may be scheduled by special arrangement with the Center. Tours, which are led by trained docents, encompass all areas of the Center dedicated to public service, including the Reading Room, Genealogy Institute and the major exhibitions of the American Jewish Historical Society, Leo Baeck Institute, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Visitors also tour the areas available for special events, including the auditorium and “Great Hall,” and are welcome to browse in the Center Shop, eat in the kosher Date Palm Café, and avail themselves of the Center’s services in tracing family histories. Groups from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New England, Virginia and throughout New York City, as well as hundred of individuals, have participated in Center tours during the past few months. The Center requests a contribution of $6 per person, $4 for seniors and students, for these tours, with the funds used to support educational programs. Tickets may be purchased in the Center Shop, at the east end of the 16th Street lobby. For visitors wishing to include the Yeshiva University Museum galleries in their tour, combination tickets may be purchased at a cost of $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and students. For further information, or to arrange a group tour, please call Julie Kaplan at 917-606-8226. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the unique partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s dynamic program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Jun 26, 2001: KAUFFMAN INTERN AT CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION From September 2000 to June 2001, James Burke, a resident of Croton on Hudson, New York, served as a Kauffman Entrepreneurial Intern in the Finance Office at the Center for Jewish History. James, a student at Baruch College of the City University of New York, was chosen one of four outstanding interns in this year’s Kauffman Program and recently traveled to St. Louis where he addressed the organization’s national convention. Based in Kansas City, the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation was established in 1992 by the late Ewing Marion Kauffman. Mr. Kauffman, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, built a small pharmaceutical firm, Marion Laboratories, into a major health care company. Each year the Kauffman Center awards grants to American colleges, universities and entrepreneur support organizations for the development and implementation of a Kauffman Entrepreneur Internship Program. The objective of the program is to provide students with an experience-based learning opportunity in entrepreneurship by placing them in new and emerging businesses and organizations. These internships are designed to expose students to entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs who start and build organizations, as well as to acquaint the students with the challenges and rewards associated with entrepreneurial ventures. A full-time student in Baruch's Master in Public Administration Program, James will graduate in December 2001. He plans to continue his education by either pursuing a Ph.D. in political science or in a dual degree program in law and international relations. During his Center internship James assisted in the creation of a general ledger accounting system, prepared grant proposals to foundations and government agencies, and audited the Center Shop receipts and Box Office ticket sales. In addressing the Kauffman national convention, he spoke about the mission of the Center for Jewish History, which opened to the public in October 2000, and his work in its Finance Office. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s extensive program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

May 29, 2001: The extensive collections of the Leo Baeck Institute are now available on-line through this web site. LBI is the major resource for information about the German Jewish experience, and the archival documents and library books are available through the Center’s Reading Room. Sampling of the catalog can be viewed at : Searchable Master Catalogue

May 1, 2001: The Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16 Street in New York City, will be offering free Family History Workshops on the first Thursday of every month, from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Individuals interested in learning how to research and explore their family history are welcome to attend workshops on June 7, July 5, August 2 or September 6. Space is limited, so please call (212) 294-8324 for a reservation. The Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History is a welcoming place where individuals can begin a challenging, exciting and emotional search for their own family history. The Center is home to the combined collections of the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, encompassing 100 million archival documents, one-half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs and other materials. Center Genealogy staff and volunteers can show nearly everyone of Jewish descent how to find some information that is relevant to his or her own history. The Center Genealogy Institute (which can be reached at 212-294-8324) is open Monday through Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Thursday, 12 noon to 8 p.m. The Institute also is open one Sunday a month from 12:30 to 2 p.m., when the Jewish Genealogical Society of New York hosts its monthly meeting at the Center. Volunteers who can translate Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian and other languages are on-site regularly or can be contacted to assist patrons in translating short letters, postcards and documents. All basic services are provided free of charge.

Mar 1, 2001: The Center for Jewish History, New York City´s newest educational and cultural treasure —and one of the world´s most important centers of Jewish scholarship —will formally open to the public on Thursday, October 26, at 5:30 p.m. The Center, located at 15 West 16 Street, embodies the unique partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Opening Gala will usher in an entire year of celebratory events at the Center and is the first of four major receptions planned. On Sunday, October 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., a reception has been scheduled for all members of the five partner organizations. On Wednesday, November 1, from 5 to 7 p.m., an Open House will welcome members of the Center´s neighboring community. THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ATTEND. A reception for New York City´s educational, religious and cultural leadership is scheduled for Monday, November 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. Created as a central repository for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people, the Center for Jewish History houses an enormous collection, estimated at approximately 100 million archival documents, half a million books and tens of thousands of objects of art and other materials. A unique 125,000-square-foot facility was designed to preserve the archival, library, and museum collections, to provide public access to these treasures, to support research in family histories, and to welcome the public to lectures, seminars, conferences, and unique cultural programs. The firm of Beyer Blinder Belle were the architects The Center for Jewish History expects tens of thousands of visitors its first year. Scholars from throughout the world and students in all stages of their studies already are discovering the historical and intellectual riches of the Center.

Jan 1, 2001: Whom do you call when you want to locate relatives who immigrated to Buenos Aires in 1928 – and you don’t read or speak Spanish? Where do you go when you want to locate the town of your grandmother’s birth? What do you do when you don’t know your great grandfather’s name, and it is time to name a newborn child? The Genealogy Institute at the Center for Jewish History is a welcoming place where individuals can begin a challenging, exciting and emotional search for their own history. The Center is home to the combined collections of the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, encompassing 100 million archival documents, one-half million books, and tens of thousands of photographs and other materials. Center Genealogy staff and volunteers can show nearly everyone of Jewish descent how to find some information that is relevant to his or her own history. The Center Genealogy Institute (which can be reached at 212-294-8324) is open Monday through Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Thursday, 12 noon to 8 p.m. The Institute also is open one Sunday a month from 12:30 to 2 p.m., when the Jewish Genealogical Society of New York hosts its monthly meeting at the Center. The first Thursday of the month features a free 20-minute workshop on beginning Jewish family history research, led by Institute staff or volunteers. Volunteers who can translate Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian and other languages are on-site regularly or can be contacted to assist patrons in translating short letters, postcards and documents. All basic services are provided free of charge. Every day individuals walk into the Center wondering, "Is there anything here for me?" "Where is my history?" Jewish family history research can be daunting and challenging, with multiple languages and records in different repositories around the world. Even the multiplicity of databases on the Internet can be overwhelming. With a browsable genealogy reference collection, created with the financial support and input of the Jewish Genealogical Society of New York, and with on-site public computers offering internet access (including free access to Ancestry.com, a fee-based genealogy site), the Genealogy Institute staff and volunteers can make taking the first steps in genealogical research uncomplicated and easy to understand. Fact sheets on frequently asked questions and on the Center’s vast collections introduce its resources and repositories to anyone who wants to learn about Jewish family history. Yizkor books and landsmanshaft records at YIVO, family and community histories at the Leo Baeck Institute and military records at the American Jewish Historical Society are just a few of the rich primary sources open to researchers at the Center. And via a microfilm loan program with the Church of Latter-day Saints Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the largest genealogy library in the world, Genealogy Institute patrons can borrow microfilms of vital records, from 19th century Poland for example, and examine them at the Center. The Center Genealogy Institute is visited not only by local residents, but tourists from around the country stop by frequently. The Institute also welcomes mail, fax and e-mail inquiries; it is preferred that e-mail inquiries be sent through the Center’s website, www.cjh.org. Recently, Ms. O. wrote the Center from Las Vegas, Nevada, looking for information on her grandfather, born in 1887 in Brooklyn, or on his family members, born in Germany. "From what we were told," Ms. O. wrote, "they owned Heller Candies in Germany." Staff at the Center Genealogy Institute sent Ms. O. a fact sheet on getting started, as well as a list of various sources for German Jewish genealogical research. Best of all they located, in the collections of the Leo Baeck Institute, the color catalog of the Heller candy company from the turn of the century, with the addresses of its stores and factories, and provided her with the towns the candy-making Heller family came from which she did not previously know. The Center for Jewish History has emerged from a vision of a unique central repository for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the unique partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center serves the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles – the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel. The Center’s dynamic program of exhibits, cultural events and intellectual gatherings will interest all who wish to explore the richness of the Jewish past and the promise of the Jewish future.

Nov 1, 2000: In celebration of its opening to the public, the Center for Jewish History is hosting a Community Open House, Wednesday, November 1, 2000, from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is invited, free of charge, to visit the Center, located at 15 West 16 Street, and explore New York's newest treasure of scholarship, history and art. The Community Open House will include a cocktail reception, a film presentation on the Center and the opportunity to tour the facility with a member of the professional staff. Several exhibitions of the Center's extensive archival holdings will be on display. The Center for Jewish History embodies the unique partnership of five major institutions in Jewish life: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Created as a central repository for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people, the Center for Jewish History houses an enormous collection, estimated at approximately 100 million archival documents, half a million books and tens of thousands of objects of art and other materials. A unique 125,000-square-foot facility was designed to preserve the archival, library, and museum collections, to provide public access to these treasures, to support research in family histories, and to welcome the public to lectures, seminars, conferences, and unique cultural programs. The firm of Beyer Blinder Belle were the architects and designers for the project. The Center for Jewish History expects tens of thousands of visitors its first year. Scholars from throughout the world and students in all stages of their studies already are discovering the historical and intellectual riches of the Center. Included in the Center are office space, classrooms, conference and board rooms, work space for archivists and curators, a compact storage tower, an art storage facility, a professionally-equipped preservation lab, a sound studio and microfilm processing and reading rooms. The Reading Room has an open stack reference collection and staff-access to the closed stack library and archival collections. The Center Genealogy Institute, already among the foremost centers for Jewish family research in the United States, is the new home of the Jewish Genealogy Society of New York. Yeshiva University Museum has four large galleries, each partner organization has exhibition space and there is one shared gallery for coordinated exhibitions. A 247-seat auditorium features modern technology for lectures, videoconferences, film projection and music and theater performances. The "Great Hall" provides versatile space for receptions and performances. The Center also houses the Date Palm Café, which serves a lively menu of strictly kosher dairy dishes and desserts, and the Center Shop that specializes in books published by the partners, products developed from their collections, and Judaica items related to the Center's mission. The Center also has planned significant programming for the general public. A film series and a music series will premier later this month and will reflect the intellectual and educational foundations of the five founding partners. The films will deal with major issues in Jewish culture and will be accompanied by film notes and guest lecturers; the music series will reflect the broad scope of Jewish tradition and plans are underway to commission new works based on archival materials housed at the Center.

Oct 31, 2000: New York’s newest educational research center, and one of the country’s most important resources for Jewish scholarship, opened in October, 2000. Located at