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Multiple perspectives on modern Jewish history, life, and culture are presented in the Museum’s unique Core Exhibition and award-winning special exhibitions. Acclaimed public programs, including discussions, films, plays, and concerts, highlight the richness of Jewish culture and ideas. The Museum is also home to National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.
Operating as usual
As classes start up again, we wish you and your family a safe, healthy, and engaging school year. Featured here is a first grade school book belonging to Silvia Lande, with a portrait of King Michael of Romania on the cover and multiplication tables on the back cover.
Gift of Dr. Silvia Lande
We wish you and your family a happy and healthy #GrandparentsDay! Featured here is a studio photo taken before WWI of Nachman and Rivka Leah Potashnikoff, the paternal grandparents to the donor of this photograph.
Gift of Isabelle Bengis
In case you missed it: we've reopened!
Thanks to The New York Times for featuring us:
What you need to know before venturing back out to see art, from safety precautions to the exhibitions still on view.
An excerpt from the September/October 2002 issue of American Alliance of Museums.
When the Museum opened to the public on September 11th, 1997, it sat in the shadows of the Twin Towers. To commemorate 19 years since September 11th, 2001, we spoke with our building engineer Frank Camporeale, who has been with the Museum since 1996 and began that particular workday like any other: ensuring the building was safe. And then at 8:46 AM, the lights flickered.
Read Frank’s account of this day on our blog:
https://mjhnyc.org/remembering-a-day-like-no-other/
#Honor911 #NeverForget
"By the time I returned to the apartment, my mother had already been mourning my death, because nobody came back from those trucks."
Hear more from Celia Kener, a member of the Museum's Speakers Bureau, in The New York Times:
‘The incident in the steeple always stayed with me as the moment I realized I had to be afraid.’
This miniature basket was made in the Magdeburg Labor Camp in Germany, dated 1945. The creator, Genia Blumberg, obtained wire in a factory and worked on the basket at night. She had begun making wire objects while in the Kaiserwald Concentration Camp, often trading them for extra rations. Following liberation, she married in Belgium and immigrated to the United States in 1956.
Gift of Genia Blumberg Goldberg
"Those Who Were There" is a podcast that comprises the oral histories of over 4,000 Holocaust survivors and witnesses.
Join us today at 2PM for an advanced preview of Season 2 and a behind-the-scenes look at the production process.
Register here:
http://mjhnyc.info/ThoseWhoWereThere
It’s official: the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust has reopened! Thanks to our Members who made our first day back a huge success.
You can purchase tickets here:
https://mjhnyc.org/purchase-tickets/
"With attacks on Jewish communities recently on the rise, and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the time seemed right for the high school seniors – some of whom had never studied the Holocaust – to meet with survivors."
Read more from Forward:
Several of the students had never studied the Holocaust before.
Tomorrow, exactly 180 days after we closed in March to combat COVID-19, the Museum will be open to visitors.
Read our full reopening welcome here:
Tomorrow, exactly 180 days after the Museum closed in March to combat COVID-19, we are reopening the building to visitors.
The shofar used in the Auschwitz concentration camp allowed the High Holidays to be observed against all odds. It made another appearance as we prepped for a pandemic-style celebration.
Read more from The New York Times:
Here are ways Jewish congregations around the country are observing Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur this year, from pretaped shofar blasts to webinars on how to make your own altars.
Happy #LaborDay! Pictured here is a union membership dues and working card of Esther Pearlman, issued by the Ladies Waist and Dressmakers Union.
Gift of Jerome Friedman
Reading has been proven to improve memory and concentration while reducing stress. To celebrate #ReadABookDay, here is Ruth Fischer as a young girl enjoying a picture book. ⠀
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Ruth sailed on the St. Louis with her mother and brother to join Ruth's father; the three were among the passengers returned to France. They left France for Cuba in December 1939, reunited with George Fischer and came to the U.S. in 1941.⠀
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Gift of Ruth Bickhardt, Yaffa Eliach Collection donated by the Center for Holocaust Studies
You can now reserve timed tickets for our reopening. We can't wait to welcome you back next week!
Read more about safety guidelines and purchase your tickets here:
https://mjhnyc.org/purchase-tickets/
How does one discuss the Black Lives Matter movement in Yiddish, and why is that significant? Join us for a conversation with acclaimed Yiddish vocalist Anthony Russell and Jewish Communities Liaison to the NYC Commission on Human Rights Jonah Sampson Boyarin about their recent translation initiative and ongoing efforts to support racial justice within Jewish communities.
Co-sponsored by the NYC Commission On Human Rights, The Workers Circle, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice [JFREJ]
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Relevant Links:
"Translating Black Lives Matter into Yiddish" by Anthony Russell (via Jewish Currents): https://jewishcurrents.org/translating-black-lives-matter-into-yiddish/
Episode of The Allusionist Podcast: https://www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/yiddishblm
Yiddish Terms: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MWmD507ip5qHvwmVFhriO5GeRRdZj5PQkp1rI7ZggMs/edit?usp=sharing
The GI oral history collection consists of 423 interviews with Jewish veterans of World War II, conducted for the Museum’s first major temporary exhibition, the award-winning Ours To Fight For: American Jews and the Second World War. To honor their memories, we examine the role of Jewish servicemen and women who labored on and off the battlefield, through the triumph and the tragedy of World War II.
Learn more about the collection on our blog.
By Treva Walsh, Collections Project Manager “As a Jew, it was Hitler and me. That’s the way I pictured the war.” – Theodore Diamond, U.S. Army Air Force The Museum of Jewish Heritage’s oral history collections number over 3,800 interviews. While many of these recordings are the testimonies...
Dogs are not only “man’s best friend,” they often become members of our family. In celebration of #NationalDogDay, here is Lajos Pless’s endearing depiction of his German shepherd — a watercolor sketch illustrated on the back of an X-ray. This dog makes another appearance in the following image of Pless’s anniversary gift to his wife, Sabine, who he was liberated with from the Terezin concentration camp.
The four sections of the artwork represent different periods in their lives: their wedding, their married life, the deportation of civilians led by soldiers, and an image of ocean liner, symbolizing a hope of leaving the following year. The sections are joined by a symbol of Terezin, dated 08.10.1943 and signed: "To my beloved wife on occasion of our anniversary, Lajos."
Gift of Alfred Koevary
#OnThisDay in 1944, Paris was liberated.
Read more about the significance of this day on our blog:
August 25, 1944, Choltitz surrendered, yielding to the Allied Troops, while disobeying Hitler’s orders
The Gerda III was built in 1926 as a lighthouse tender, but in October 1943, the boat was used to rescue Jews from Nazi-occupied Denmark. After being brought to a warehouse along Copenhagen’s waterfront, the refugees were smuggled aboard the Gerda III and hidden in the cargo hold. The little vessel then set out on her official lighthouse supply duties but detoured to the coast of neutral Sweden and put her “cargo” ashore. The vessel was regularly boarded and checked by German soldiers, but the refugees were never discovered.
In 1989, an act of Danish Parliament donated the Gerda III to the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Today, the boat is on long term loan to Mystic Seaport Museum, where it is prominently docked and cared for by Museum staff and longtime volunteer Howard Veisz. Veisz’s connection to the Gerda III is not accidental: his father was also forced to flee from the Nazis, escaping from Berlin to Bolivia before reaching the US and returning to Europe as part of the D-Day invasion forces.
Join us tomorrow at 2PM for a conversation with Veisz and screenwriter Damian Slattery, whose 1991 film “A Day in October” tells the story of the Danish rescue. The discussion will focus on the Gerda III and Henny Sinding Sundø, the 22-year-old Danish lighthouse worker who helped rescue more than 300 Danish Jews, and who is the subject of Veisz’s 2017 book “Henny and Her Boat: Righteousness and Resistance in Nazi Occupied Denmark.
Registration is included with a suggested donation of $10.
https://mjhnyc.info/GerdaIII
Gift of the Government of Denmark
Today is #WorldPhotographyDay. Photo documentation played a significant part in the tenuous and painful process of liberation experienced by concentration camp survivors and U.S. Army servicemen alike following World War II. Many soldiers felt compelled to visit former death camps -- thus becoming firsthand witnesses of Nazi atrocities -- after seeing the horrific photographs distributed by the U.S. Signal Corps. Now indelibly printed onto our collective consciousness, these images were first taken by U.S. Army photographers like J.A. Conboy, who used this camera to document the liberation of Nordhausen, also known as Mittelbau-Dora, a slave labor subcamp of Buchenwald.
At the same time as photographers like J.A. Conboy were creating now-infamous photographs of Nordhausen, U.S. soldier Martin Halye captured the same scenes in somber watercolor paintings like the ones pictured here. A member of the 104th Infantry Division, he carried art supplies among his personal effects.
See Halye's “Liberation of Nordhausen” series on view in “Rendering Witness: Holocaust-era Art as Testimony” when the Museum reopens to the public on September 13.
The Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University is seeking Holocaust survivors and their family members for a new initiative to compile and create a digital archive on the lives of Holocaust survivors who settled in South Jersey.
For more information, visit:
The Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University compiling information for “South Jersey Holocaust Survivor Digital Archive and Exhibition.”
Esther Toporek Finder's experience in our exhibition “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away." helped her bring the stories from her father's Holocaust experience to life. Read the full story on The Times of Israel:
The tale of how my dad survived by climbing into a pot wearing wooden clogs made much more sense when I finally saw the pot and the shoes
Five months ago today, the Museum closed its doors as part of New York City's lockdown measures to fight COVID-19. As we grappled with how to reach our followers, we moved to virtual programs. One of the first online programs we shared was “Yiddish Humor During WWII with Professor Anna Shternshis,” and we invite you to rewatch it today, as it is #NationalTellAJokeDay. We hope laughter has helped you and your loved ones through this unprecedented time. You can watch the full program here:
https://mjhnyc.org/yiddish-humor-during-wwii/
Fran “Fay” Malkin was born in the spring of 1938 in Sokal, Poland (now Ukraine). After the Gestapo shot and killed 400 of Sokal’s Jewish men including Fran’s father, Fran’s remaining family fled to the home of a Polish Catholic woman named Francisca Halamajowa, who hid them in the hayloft above her pigsty for two years. Worried that Fran's inconsolable crying would reveal their hideout, the adults tried to silence her with poison. Miraculously, she survived.
In 1949, Fran moved with her family to the United States, where she went on to become a successful real estate broker. In 2007, she returned to Sokal with her cousin, filmmaker Judy Maltz, to film "No. 4 Street of Our Lady," a documentary about the rescue. By the end of the war, only 30 of Sokal’s 6,000 Jews had survived, half of them rescued by Francisca.
In today's online public program (2PM Eastern Time) we will be joined by Fran Malkin, her daughter Debbi Schonberger-Pierce, and Judy Maltz for a discussion of "No. 4 Street of Our Lady" 13 years later.
Watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/80085717
Register for the program at the link below:
"No. 4 Street of Our Lady" tells the remarkable story of Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish Catholic woman who rescued 15 of her Jewish neighbors."
Gerda III played a significant role in saving nearly 95% of Denmark’s Jewish population.
On August 25, we'll be talking to Gerda III volunteer Howard Veisz whose connection to this ship is far from accidental. Joining him will be screenwriter Damian Slattery, whose 1991 film A Day in October tells the story of the Danish rescue.
On your way to sign up for this webinar, we hope you'll use the link to our blog below to read more about Veisz whose efforts help us bring histories to life.
You can register here:
https://mjhnyc.info/GerdaIII
The remarkable story of Howard Veisz, a Mystic Seaport volunteer who steadfastly ensures that the stories of Henny and Gerda III are remembered.
Whether you're curious about what you'll find at the Museum or if you are already anticipating seeing "Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away." since our extension announcement, you can learn the history of this internationally-acclaimed exhibition here:
More than 1.1 million people were murdered between May 1940 and January 1945 behind the barbed-wire fences of Auschwitz, located in Nazi-occupied Poland.
"Typhus was the direct cause of thousands of deaths in the ghettos, various camps during the war, and directly after liberation in displaced persons (DP) camps. These living conditions did not come about by happenstance; they were purposefully created and constructed as part of Nazi policy."
Learn more about typhus through translations of the Grunbaum family's documents:
https://mjhnyc.org/post-liberation-battles-surviving-typhus/
Typhus was the direct cause of thousands of deaths in the Nazi ghettos, various camps during the war, and directly after liberation in DP camps.
We are pleased to announce our plans to safely reopen our doors to the public on September 13 pending approval from New York State and New York City. We are also extending the closing date of the exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. to May 2, 2021.
Read our full statement here:
https://mjhnyc.org/museum-announces-september-reopening-and-extends-award-winning-exhibition-on-auschwitz-until-may-2-2021/
In this Yiddish lullaby “Ven ikh volt gehat (“If I had the Kaiser’s Treasures”), musician Vladimir Fridman croons:
“My child, my crown.
When I see you
It seems to me
That the whole world is mine.”
This song was performed by Yiddish theater actress Diana Blumenfeld and recorded by folklorist Ben Stonehill more than 70 years ago. In the summer of 1948, Stonehill recorded more than 1,000 songs from Holocaust refugees who were being housed temporarily at the Hotel Marseilles on New York’s Upper West Side. The recordings are now being disseminated on the web by Yiddish scholar Miriam Isaacs through a partnership with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance.
Watch last week’s program “Survivor Songs: The Amazing Stonehill Recordings” in full here: https://youtu.be/QpVwA39sWgI
The postponement of this year's Summer Olympics was a history-making moment. The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin was another Olympics of historical note. As Germany instituted antisemitic and racist laws in 1935, other countries considered boycotting the 1936 Summer Games.
Learn more about the 1936 Berlin Olympics boycott efforts and the personal decisions placed on Jewish athletes around the world on our blog:
https://mjhnyc.org/the-summer-olympics-of-1936/
The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin was almost boycotted by several nations who protested the antisemitic and racist practices occurring in the Third Reich.
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New York, NY
10280
SUBWAY -4/5 to Bowling Green, walk west along Battery Place -W/R to Whitehall Street, walk west along Battery Place -1 to South Ferry, walk north along Battery Place/State Street, turn left and walk west on Battery Place. -J/M/Z to Broad Street, walk one block west along Broadway, and then south to the corner of Battery Place and Bowling Green. Walk west along Battery Place BUS M1, 6, 15 to Battery Park M9, 20 to Battery Park City (stops in front of the Museum) The Downtown Alliance operates a free shuttle bus that includes a stop in front of the Museum.
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How does one discuss the Black Lives Matter movement in Yiddish, and why is that significant? Join us for a conversation with acclaimed Yiddish vocalist Anthony Russell and Jewish Communities Liaison to the NYC Commission on Human Rights Jonah Sampson Boyarin about their recent translation initiative and ongoing efforts to support racial justice within Jewish communities. Co-sponsored by the NYC Commission On Human Rights, The Workers Circle, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice [JFREJ] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Relevant Links: "Translating Black Lives Matter into Yiddish" by Anthony Russell (via Jewish Currents): https://jewishcurrents.org/translating-black-lives-matter-into-yiddish/ Episode of The Allusionist Podcast: https://www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/yiddishblm Yiddish Terms: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MWmD507ip5qHvwmVFhriO5GeRRdZj5PQkp1rI7ZggMs/edit?usp=sharing
Five months ago today, the Museum closed its doors as part of New York City's lockdown measures to fight COVID-19. As we grappled with how to reach our followers, we moved to virtual programs. One of the first online programs we shared was “Yiddish Humor During WWII with Professor Anna Shternshis,” and we invite you to rewatch it today, as it is #NationalTellAJokeDay. We hope laughter has helped you and your loved ones through this unprecedented time. You can watch the full program here: https://mjhnyc.org/yiddish-humor-during-wwii/
In this Yiddish lullaby “Ven ikh volt gehat (“If I had the Kaiser’s Treasures”), musician Vladimir Fridman croons: “My child, my crown. When I see you It seems to me That the whole world is mine.” This song was performed by Yiddish theater actress Diana Blumenfeld and recorded by folklorist Ben Stonehill more than 70 years ago. In the summer of 1948, Stonehill recorded more than 1,000 songs from Holocaust refugees who were being housed temporarily at the Hotel Marseilles on New York’s Upper West Side. The recordings are now being disseminated on the web by Yiddish scholar Miriam Isaacs through a partnership with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance. Watch last week’s program “Survivor Songs: The Amazing Stonehill Recordings” in full here: https://youtu.be/QpVwA39sWgI
Children of Holocaust survivors (often referred to as “2Gs," for second generation) are no strangers to intergenerational trauma. Children of survivors process and cope with inherited trauma in remarkably diverse ways, often through transmutation in the creative process or sublimation into other activities. In this discussion, clinical psychologist Irit Felsen – a trauma specialist focusing on Holocaust survivors and their children – is joined by award-winning author and poet Elizabeth Rosner ("Survivor Cafe," "Speed of Light") for a discussion of how trauma is passed on and manifested from generation to generation.
This discussion of the hit Netflix series "Unorthodox" explores the show’s portrayal of Holocaust memory, German-Jewish relations, Yiddish language, and more. Hear from special guests Eli Rosen (Reb Yossele), show co-creator Alexa Karolinski, and Michael Wex, bestselling author of "Born to Kvetch." Co-sponsored by New Yiddish Rep.
Anne Frank House in Amsterdam has become a site of pilgrimage for millions of people around the world captivated by Anne Frank’s story. Its rich collections include many of Anne’s original items, several of which are on display in the Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. exhibition at the Museum. We held a special program with Teresien da Silva, Head of Collections at the Anne Frank House, where we discuss Anne’s life, legacy, and diary. You can watch a snippet here before viewing the full video: https://mjhnyc.org/understanding-anne-frank/
When Esther Safran Foer’s mother casually mentioned an astonishing revelation—that her father had a previous wife and daughter, both killed in the Holocaust—she resolved to find out who they were, and how her father survived. Armed with only a black-and-white photo and a hand-drawn map, she traveled to Ukraine, determined to find the shtetl where her father hid during the war. What she found reshaped her identity and gave her the opportunity to finally mourn. Join us to watch the recording of our program with Esther Safran Foer, author of the post-Holocaust memoir "I Want You to Know We’re Still Here." She is joined by her son Jonathan Safran Foer, author of the acclaimed books "Everything Is Illuminated," "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," and "Eating Animals."
The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust goes live with Susan Woodland, our Director of Collections and Research.
In May 1939, more than 930 Jews fled the Third Reich aboard the MS St. Louis. Their destination was Cuba and then most planned to immigrate to the United States, but they were turned away by both countries. Forced to return to Europe, ultimately more than 250 of the passengers died in the Holocaust. In this special commemorative program, award-winning journalist Armando Lucas Correa ("The German Girl"), who is an expert on the history of the St. Louis, is in conversation with Sirius XM radio host Jessica Shaw. This event is pre-recorded and will be available on YouTube following its premiere on Facebook.
During yesterday’s MJH Live program, NY State Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou spoke about the “other virus” accompanying coronavirus: prejudice. Click the link below to watch the full program “Beyond Social Distancing: Understanding Discrimination During the Coronavirus Pandemic” with Yuh-Line, Stephen Smith, and Amy Spitalnick. https://youtu.be/n0SjTzbUWzs
We are grateful for our partnership with Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and for their continued support of the Museum and community on this Holocaust Remembrance Day. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul
The work of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is even more urgent as the pandemic has sparked an increase in violent hate of all kinds. Your support allows us to continue to educate children and adults about the Holocaust and the dangers of intolerance, including through an expansion of our online programming. Please donate to the Museum during this challenging time. Thank you. http://mjhnyc.info/donate We come together as a community to say: we will never forget. This year's commemoration for Yom HaShoah / Holocaust Remembrance Day will be a virtual event. As we do every year, we will honor the memory of those who perished at the hands of evil, and pay tribute to those who survived and have made a better world for us all. Participate - Take a video or photograph of yourself lighting a candle in remembrance, and if you know the name of a family member killed in the Holocaust or a Holocaust survivor who has passed, please state/include their name. Upload the video or photograph with the hashtag #CandlesOfRemembrance to: Museum's Facebook: MuseumofJewishHeritage Instagram: tag @MuseumJewishHeritage Twitter: tag @MJHnews Download A Program - If you want to download a program with the translations of the songs, we'e made one available here - mjhnyc.org/agrprogram The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is very grateful to our generous supporters who helped to make this virtual presentation possible. Thank you to our partner organizations: Anti-Defamation League, 3GNY – Descendants of Holocaust Survivors, Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, Consulate General of Israel in New York, Manhattan Chapter of Women Holocaust Survivors, Young Friends of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, Selfhelp Community Services, The Blue Card, The New York Board of Rabbis, and UJA-Federation of New York Donate - Your donation will help ensure t
In this clip, Dr. Bernice Lerner, author of "All the Horrors of War: A Jewish Girl, a British Doctor, and the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen" speaks about the comparable efforts of medical students deployed to treat survivors at Bergen-Belsen and the COVID-19 outbreak. "These are the heroes on the frontlines and they're called to do whatever is asked of them," she says. Watch the program with Dr. Lerner and Dr. Michael Berenbaum in full here: https://youtu.be/9vEmXomthpY Purchase the book here: https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/all-horrors-war
In last night's MJH Live program in honor of International Romani Day, Dr. Petra Gelbart shared songs, texts, and images created by Roma and Sinti as works of Holocaust remembrance. Petra, a grandchild of Roma Holocaust survivors, is an ethnomusicologist and music therapist who has been researching Holocaust commemoration for two decades. In the short clip below, Petra sings a song that was composed by Roma prisoners in Auschwitz about their experience in the camps. "These songs were really meant to be sung in the family circle," said Petra, asking that viewers not applaud out of respect for the victims. To watch the full program, click here: https://youtu.be/aEEdDYpJJic
In today's MJH Live book talk, bestselling author Helen Fremont chatted with Helen Epstein about her new memoir "The Escape Artist." In the book, Fremont writes about growing up with parents who pretended to be Catholics but were really Jewish survivors of Nazi-occupied Poland. In this clip, Helen details her father’s deportation from Poland to Siberia and his daring escape. Watch the program in full here: https://youtu.be/5YeHQxHsXug Buy Helen's book The Escape Artist on Amazon https://amzn.to/3cqXKM1 Sign up for our newsletter for information about upcoming virtual programs: https://mjhnyc.info/newsletter
Many are wondering how to celebrate Passover as we practice social distancing or self-isolate. Our panel will share how they are adapting preparations and recipes. Liza Schoenfein, food journalist and host of the podcast and blog Life, Death & Dinner, and Adeena Sussman, author of Sababa: Fresh Sunny Flavors from my Israeli Kitchen, will be in conversation with Jane Eisner, Director of Academic Affairs for the Columbia School of Journalism Graduate Program and former Editor-in-Chief of The Forward. Following the discussion, they will take questions from viewers.
In this webinar "Heroines of the Holocaust," Dr. Lori R Weintrob (Director, Wagner College Holocaust Center) and Yiddish culture writer Rokhl Kafrissen (Tablet Magazine) spoke about female resistance fighters Vitka Kempner, one of the first partisan leaders to blow up a German ammunition train with a grenade, and Sara Ginaite, who smuggled weapons into the ghetto and fought in the forests. Please consider supporting the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust with a gift of any size today. Although our physical space is closed, our virtual community remains busy and vibrant. Your donation of any amount helps us to bring you more programs like this. Thanks very much for your support. mjhnyc.info/donate
Can humor be a weapon? If yes, is it effective? Based on Yiddish jokes and anecdotes recorded between 1943 and 1945, this interactive lecture/seminar tells the story of what Soviet Jews found funny and why, as they lived through the darkest period of modern Jewish history in Europe. Join University of Toronto Professor of Yiddish Studies Anna Shternshis for this illuminating lecture, followed by a live Q&A with viewers. Your donation of any amount helps make it possible for the Museum to present programs such as this. Your support is greatly appreciated, especially at this time. Please click the following link to contribute and thank you again: https://mjhnyc.info/donate
Welcome to our first digital public program with author Helen Epstein (Children of the Holocaust, The Long Half-Lives of Love and Trauma) who will read from Franci's War, a new memoir by her late mother, Franci Rabinek Epstein. Franci, a spirited young fashion designer from Prague, lied to Dr. Mengele at an Auschwitz selection by saying she was an electrician – an occupation that both endangered and saved her life. Learn more about Franci's War here: http://bit.ly/38UzXSb This live online reading will be followed by a Q&A session with viewers.
Among the ordinary goods found after Auschwitz was liberated were common buttons. Robert Jan van Pelt, the chief curator of the exhibition, discusses the significance of these buttons. Watch the video to learn more. For more information on "Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away." click here: bit.ly/3bgTQ8s Produced with Auschwitz Memorial / Muzeum Auschwitz, Auschwitz Exhibition, and Musealia. #NotlongagoNotfaraway
Do you ever wonder how our exhibitions come together? Watch this time-lapse to get a behind-the-scenes look at the installation of our most recent exhibition, "Rendering Witness: Holocaust-Era Art as Testimony," which is on display now through July 5, 2020. For more information about the exhibition, click here: bit.ly/2RIXUFM
To honor the life and legacy of Kirk Douglas, here's a look back on September 9, 2007, when he spoke at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in conversation with journalist Budd Mishkin. Douglas discussed his memoir, "Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning" in which he talked about changing his name from Issur Danielovich to Kirk Douglas before entering the U.S. Navy, and how he focused on his spirituality and Judaism more as he aged. In the short clip below from the 2007 program, Douglas answers an audience member's question. To watch the full program, click here: bit.ly/39pNUbq
"By Chance Alone" with author Max Eisen: At 15, Max Eisen was saved from certain death in Auschwitz by a Polish physician who employed him as a cleaner in his operating room. His remarkable memoir By Chance Alone received Canada’s top literary award in 2019. Celebrating the launch of the book’s American edition, Eisen will be in conversation with Emmy-winning 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl and joined by Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President, International March of the Living; Eli Rubenstein, National Director, March of the Living Canada, and Cantor Aviva Rajsky. Introductory remarks by Mark Gordon, Executive Committee, USC Shoah Foundation Board of Councilors.
Trains, traveling around the clock, brought 1.3 million Jews, Poles, Roma, and other enemies of the Third Reich, real or perceived, to Auschwitz. This was a diverse group of city dwellers and shtetl dwellers, young and old, rich and poor, poets and peddlers, teachers and students, doctors and rabbis, women, men, and children. Between March 1942 and April 1944, the trains stopped on the side of the Oświęcim freight station. Some were taken to the Auschwitz main camp, but most were taken to the growing Birkenau site. By May 1944, the trains were able to enter directly into the Birkenau camp on a newly built railway spur. After unlocking the train doors, the Kapos (prisoner functionaries) were able to rush the passengers out. Baggage containing household goods, clothes, and trinkets was left on the platform. During the train journey, families and friends were still together. On the Rampe (ramp), the deepest ties were torn asunder. For more on the history of Auschwitz, visit “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” Exhibition information available here: https://bit.ly/2Z0uKEY Produced with Auschwitz Memorial / Muzeum Auschwitz, Musealia and Auschwitz Exhibition.
Chaya Porus' blouse has been on an incredible journey: from a ghetto to the battlefield, from displacement to a home, and finally from that home to our Museum. Paul Salmons, one of the curators of "Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.", discusses the blouse and its incredible story at the link below: http://bit.ly/2KW7Ed1
The Museum has archived more than 3,800 Holocaust survivor stories. They are a remarkable collection of first-hand accounts that document genocide and personal histories of family, hope, courage, resilience, and renewal that must be told, preserved, and heard–now and for generations to come. Today on #GivingTuesday, please donate to help us professionally record testimonies from 20 survivors in the New York area whose experiences during the Holocaust have never been recorded and are in danger of being lost forever. Holocaust survivor Philip B. explains why it is so important to ensure #StoriesSurvive. Thank you for donating today: http://bit.ly/2P5O8Mv
Tomorrow, NYC-ARTS will take a look at “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” Part of the exhibition examines artists who felt compelled to document their experiences in the camp. In this clip, Museum Chairman Bruce Ratner discusses the work of one Holocaust survivor and artist. Be sure to tune in to Thirteen WNET New York tomorrow at 8pm for the whole program.
Holocaust survivor Erwin Forley spoke with Paula Zahn about his experience surviving Auschwitz in NYC-ARTS' upcoming special program, “Auschwitz Remembered,” which will explore the significance and relevance of, "Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away." Tune in to watch it this Thursday at 8pm on Thirteen WNET New York, Saturday at 7pm on NJTV, and Sunday at 7:30 on WLIW21 New York.
Why are we presenting an exhibition about Auschwitz? Our Chairman Bruce Ratner discusses the importance of bringing objects and images from the camp to the U.S. for “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” in an upcoming NYC-ARTS special, which will air on Thirteen WNET New York this Thursday, 11/21 at 8pm, on WLIW21 New York on Sunday, 11/24 at 7:30pm, and on NJTV on Saturday, 11/23 at 7pm.
The Museum commemorated the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht—featuring remarks by keynote speaker H.E. Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations—on Thursday, November 7, 2019. “Kristallnacht was not just a Night of Broken Glass; it was the night of broken lives, broken families, broken societies, broken dreams,” Secretary-General Guterres said. The Secretary-General, who has twice visited the Museum’s groundbreaking exhibition, “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.,” noted that the exhibition “calls on us to witness. And it summons us to speak. After all, ‘never again’ means telling the story again and again – especially in these times.” Listen to his remarks below.
Young Friends of the Museum of Jewish Heritag
Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery PlLipper Internship for Holocaust Education
36 Battery PlThe Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
17 Battery Pl, Ste 210Castle Clinton National Monument
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Castle Clinton National Monument
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