Beacon Spring, 2018 by Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

Priceless Re:collections Taking On Hate Let Our People Go!

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WHAT IS IT ?

Pictured here is an object from our collection. Can you tell what the object is? Submit your guess to beacon@nmajh.org and be entered for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to our Museum Store. Watch for the answer to be revealed in our April e-newsletter!

Contents

04 Lights…Camera…Access! 06 Priceless Re:collections 08 Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music 12 Taking On Hate 14 Staff Profile / Member Memory

15 16 18 19

Let Our People Go! Happenings at NMAJH Calendar of Events Reflecting on Success: Annual Report

MISSION STATEMENT: The National Museum of American Jewish History, on historic Independence Mall in Philadelphia, presents educational programs and experiences that preserve, explore, and celebrate the history of Jews in America. Its purpose is to connect Jews more closely to their heritage and to inspire in people of all backgrounds a greater appreciation for the diversity of the American Jewish experience and the freedoms to which Americans aspire.

Cover Image: Leonard Bernstein, 1956. © Made available online with permission of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Friedman-Abeles, Billy Rose Theatre Collection. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.

From the Director “Music . . . can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable.” — L E ONARD BE RNST E I N

T H E S T O R Y O F L E O N A R D B E R N S T E I N M AY B E THE MUSEUM’S MOST PERFECT SUBJECT MAT TER.

Photo by 2016 NMAJH Open for Interpretation Artist-inResidence, JJ Tiziou. As part of his residency, Tiziou took photos of staff, some of which he included in a street-level installation called “A confession & an invitation.”

A child of immigrants, whose Jewish upbringing and values informed every aspect of his life’s work, Bernstein made contributions to American music, American society, and the world that are immeasurable. In this issue of Beacon, as in the exhibition itself, you’ll experience different perspectives on the maestro: Lenny the composer, Lenny the conductor, Lenny the social activist, Lenny the rebbe. Like so much of our core exhibition, and American Jewish history writ large, his is a complex story that raises more questions than it answers. And we don’t shy away from the complexity; in fact, we embrace it. It’s not hard to imagine what Bernstein would have made of some of the other articles in this issue. The movement to free Soviet Jewry—and especially Russian musicians—was important to him, and more broadly, the power of protest was always a part of his life. The Museum’s activities nationally and in the virtual world—our digital object collections, our distance-learning vehicles, and Re:collection, our family-history collecting platform—all would have appealed to him. Always youthful, always curious, Bernstein would no doubt have loved the crossing of genres, the democratization of information, and the perpetuation of memory in order to take us into a more noble future—deeply rooted in tradition but ever forward-thinking. The Museum is not history for history’s sake. We love history, and our community holds it dear. But it is history in the service of building a foundation, as well as a perch from which to see the future better and build a better future; as Bernstein’s daughter Jamie might say, “That’s so Lenny.” Enjoy this issue from wherever your perch may be, but pay us a visit on Independence Mall soon. Warmly,

Ivy L. Barsky, CEO and Gwen Goodman Director P.S. We’d love to hear your thoughts on our magazine. Please feel free to email us at beacon@nmajh.org. SPRING 2018

Lights…Camera… Access!

Now at your fingertips online: high-quality photos of NMAJH artifacts By Claire Pingel, Chief Registrar and Associate Curator

hanks to an anonymous donor, you can now browse hundreds of images of historic items from the National Museum of American Jewish History’s collection on a computer or mobile device near you—and we’re adding more every month! Although the Museum has long had images of most of its 30,000 artifacts, many were low quality— Polaroid snapshots or photocopies made in the 1970s through the 1990s for record-keeping purposes only. Some of the photographs look fine. Others, however, are blurry, are shot against confusing backdrops, or include staff members. Given today’s visually sophisticated digital environment, NMAJH staff decided to reshoot these objects to highlight the collection properly and make it more engaging to visitors on social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, as well as with the Museum’s online collections database. The ultimate goal is to excite virtual visitors from anywhere in the world about American Jewish history.

Fortunately, in 2015 NMAJH received a generous grant from a national foundation to cover, in part, the cost of professionally photographing objects. With funding in place, the Museum engaged awardwinning fine-arts photographer Katrina D’Autremont, who appreciates the stories that objects can tell and has captured the unique personalities of our diverse collections. D’Autremont has already photographed hundreds of artifacts, including many of the Museum’s iconic pieces: WWII uniforms and wedding dresses, immigrants’ Hanukkah lamps and luggage, and Lower East Side pickle crocks. She has also captured sensitive images of some unusual objects in our collection, including: • A Megillah given to Jessoula Levy by Esther Cantos when they were married in Ioannina, Greece, circa 1897 (above)

• A handheld 1920s vacuum cleaner from Meyer Luborsky’s Philadelphia fur shop (left) This rich collection of Jewish Americana is available at nmajh.pastperfectonline.com.

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The Deglin family’s violin. Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Gift of the Blitzstein and Deglin families in memory of Ruth and Morris Deglin.

The Museum’s beautiful new photographs are also an important feature of the Google Cultural Institute’s (GCI) Virtual Museum Initiative. This initiative aims to make important cultural material widely accessible in order to educate and inspire future generations. To take a virtual tour of NMAJH, visit on.NMAJH.org/360gci. ——

Above: Chief Registrar and Associate Curator Claire Pingel positions the Megillah described on the opposite page. Left: Yiddish typewriter used by Nathan Fleisher (1885 Poland - 1952 Philadelphia), as redactor of Philadelphia’s Yiddishe Welt (Jewish World) newspaper from 1920 to 1935. Opposite page, top: Megillah, Gift of Daniel Weinberg in memory of Jessoula and Esther Levy. Opposite page, bottom: Royal vacuum cleaner, handheld, ca. 1932, Philadelphia, Gift of Meyer Luborsky.

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Priceless Re:collections

The Museum offers an exciting new way to preserve and share your family stories By Alisa Kraut, Assistant Curator

“ Simply creating a family tree would never have captured the richness of this narrative.”

he Museum’s innovative digital project Re:collection started with a challenge. Think outside the Museum’s four walls, urged Ira Saligman z”l, a devoted member of the NMAJH board who passed away in 2016. During the Museum’s first strategic-planning process, Saligman expressed interest in a national storytelling project. In 2014, he initiated the conversation in earnest, encouraging us to look for a way to share stories of the diverse and interconnected American Jewish community and preserve these stories for generations to come. Inspired by Saligman’s idea, we began exploring possibilities. In 2016, NMAJH chief curator Josh Perelman, Ph.D., discovered a Bay Area start-up, Enwoven, that had developed an online platform that made it easier to store personal and communal history in pictures, video, sound, and words. Enwoven gave us a strong technical base for our community. Over the past few years, I’ve created numerous online collecting initiatives for the Museum aimed at engaging the public and gathering materials for a program or an exhibition, but Re:collection was different. Could we make this kind of site accessible and exciting to people around the country? Would it be easy for Museum Members and friends to use? The only way to find out was to use it myself.

Preparing My Own Re:collection Re:collection’s instructions are simple: Click to add digital content from a computer, a phone, social media, or the internet; add text, dates, and categories. You can also record a video or audio note with a smart phone to add more depth. To prepare my Re:collection, I went through my family’s photo drawer and found, inside a manila envelope, a series of black-and-white snapshots with writing in Yiddish on the back. Those photos documented part of the difficult yet hopeful story of my father’s family. After surviving the Holocaust, my grandparents met, married, and had a child—my father— while living in a displaced persons (DP) camp in Ahlen, Germany. I realized that my grandparents must have taken these snapshots at the DP camp and sent them to what little family they had left, newly settled in America. The photographs showed courageous optimism and signs of life continuing. 6

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Using those pictures as a focus, I researched and uploaded data and digital images about my grandparents’ early decades in America and my father’s childhood. As I worked, I thought a great deal about what I would want my daughter to learn about the great-grandparents she never knew. Re:collection offered me ways to share this content with family and friends, keeping the stories I cherish in trust for my daughter and those who will come after us. Once a story is displayed on Re:collection, users can share it. I plan to add new information to the stories I’ve posted and invite my family and friends to use my entries as a forum for answering questions or adding comments. Re:collection encourages users to continue adding content, without pressure to make a finished piece. All

you need is one photo, one sentence, or one voice-memo from your phone. In my case, simply creating a family tree would never have captured the richness of this narrative, and the manila envelope would have remained in the photo drawer, without the larger context of place, time, and history. Re:collection offers all of us the opportunity to capture the stories of our lives for our families, our friends…and our future. To explore this new site, visit recollection.nmajh.org. ——

HOW TO CONNECT WITH

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Go to recollection.nmajh.org and click on CREATE MY ACCOUNT or EXPLORE PROJECT. You will be asked to create a simple log-on.

Next, add a single video, photograph, or document to one of our public Community Projects and click the ADD MEMORY button. You will then see different types of content you can upload. Select from those options and follow the instructions. You can also start your own personal project and add as many files as you like.

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Click the icon in the upper left-hand corner of your screen to return to your home screen. Then click the large CREATE A PROJECT button.

Share with your friends and family or invite them to contribute or comment.

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This project is generously supported by: The Robert Saligman Charitable Foundation, Alkemy X, M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation, and the Clayman Family Foundation.

MUSEUM RECEIVES MAJOR GIFT, NAMES “FIRST FAMILIES” GALLERY Family is important to renowned shoe designer and entrepreneur Stuart Weitzman. Thanks to Weitzman and his family, the Museum is honored to name its “First Families” gallery, on the Museum’s fourth floor in recognition of their $1 million gift. This gallery focuses on the Colonial period and its first Jewish families (primarily Sephardic of Spanish or Portuguese lineage). Weitzman says, “My family and I are proud to support the Museum. One of our greatest pleasures is having the opportunity to give back to important causes. …We feel very strongly about our Jewish heritage.” Weitzman was the inaugural speaker in the Dreamers and Doers speaker series in 2013 (left). This program was anonymously endowed by a friend of the Museum and admirer of all Dreamers and Doers. WHYY provided media sponsorship. © Matthew Christopher Photography

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THIS REMARKABLE EXHIBITION OFFERS INSIGHTS INTO THE MAESTRO’S AMBITIONS, ACTIVISM, AND JEWISH IDENTITY

eonard Bernstein (1918-1990) is world-renowned as a conductor, composer, educator, and humanitarian. Yet those descriptions don’t begin to describe the astonishing breadth of his gifts and achievements. The first-ever large-scale museum show dedicated to Bernstein’s Jewish identity and the “crisis of faith” at the center of his work, Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music was created by NMAJH and will be presented at the Museum from March 16 through September 2, 2018—after which it will tour the United States. This groundbreaking exhibition brings together approximately 100 original artifacts and photographs, listening stations, and immersive films and documentaries. One of its many innovations is Samples of Faith, an interactive multimedia display that encourages visitors to peel back the many layers of Bernstein’s compositions, including their roots in his life and traditional Jewish music.

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To learn more about Bernstein, the show, and its surprises, we spoke with Ivy Weingram, the Museum’s associate curator and the organizer of the exhibition.

Why did NMAJH decide that Leonard Bernstein merited this major exhibition now? Ivy Weingram: Our Museum proudly tells the story of Jews who shaped and were shaped by America, and there seemed no better illustration of that beautiful, complicated tale than Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein’s centennial year of 2018 felt like the perfect time to reexplore his life and work. You’ve said this show will remake our understanding of Bernstein’s accomplishments. How so? IW: Bernstein once said that perhaps the most significant theme of his original works was his “search for a solution to the 20th-century crisis of faith.” If we were to examine his life and work through that lens, how would it change our understanding of who he was and what he accomplished? What did faith look like to Leonard Bernstein, beyond the religious meanings that immediately come to mind? This narrative has received little scholarly attention and has never before been explored in a museum exhibition. We decided that Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music would do just that. How significant is Bernstein’s Jewish identity? IW: Bernstein was raised in a home steeped in Jewish tradition and study. His family’s synagogue, Boston’s Congregation Mishkan Tefila, exposed him to Jewish prayer settings, organ music, a choir, a cantor, and a music director. He has said that it helped to shape the kind of composer—and the kind of Jew—he became. His Jewish identity is woven into each mini-story we tell in this exhibition. In so much of his work—his symphonies, his social-justice activism, and his Mass— Bernstein relied and riffed on Jewish text, prayer, and tradition in both obvious and not-so-obvious ways. Visitors will find all of that brought to light, both through listening to the music itself and through seeing his handwritten scores and notes.

Photo of Leonard Bernstein, taken in Israel, 1948, Collection of the National Museum of American Jewish History.

Is there an artifact that you think is especially interesting? IW: Among my favorites is a one-of-a-kind copy of Romeo and Juliet that was hand-annotated by Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins as they first conceived the musical that we now know as West Side Story. I get chills every time I see this book with Bernstein’s and Robbins’s actual handwriting in it. In their notes scribbled in the margins, we find two artistic geniuses working out how to restage Shakespeare’s play as a tale of gang violence between Catholics and Jews on the eve of Passover and Easter on New York City’s Lower East Side. We see Bernstein and Robbins, both Jewish, thinking about Jewishness in terms of religion and ethnicity in the mid-1950s.

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Bernstein Was My Rabbi Josh Feiglson, Dean of Students, The University of Chicago Divinity School; Founder, Ask Big Questions

ne of the great regrets of my life is that I never met Leonard Bernstein. He died when I was 14 years old.

Before I became a rabbi, I dreamed of being an orchestra conductor. From the time I was just out of diapers, I flapped my arms to the music of Mozart and Mahler as it played on the living room stereo. I chose my college, in part, because it had student orchestras, and I conducted one of them for two years. But by graduation I realized just how hard it was to make it as a conductor, not to mention a conductor who wouldn’t roll on Shabbos. And I discovered that I loved learning and teaching Torah even more than I loved Brahms and Stravinsky. Yet I still can’t get over not meeting Bernstein, because he remains my idol. He was so much more than simply the man on the podium. Bernstein was first and foremost an educator. He brought old texts to life and inspired people to find meaning in them. He was always teaching, always connecting people with one another through music, culture, words, and history, whether he was leading a rehearsal or taping a young people’s concert or giving lectures or writing books. At the heart of all his activity, including his activism for Israel and his unabashed love of Jewish life, Bernstein was a teacher. When I think of Bernstein, my rabbinic mind takes me to the image of Hillel the Elder, whose ability to embrace people made him the stuff of Talmudic legend. The stories of Hillel accepting converts or of patiently answering silly questions when a nudnik tried to provoke him, remind me of the stories people tell about Bernstein—of his hugging them, welcoming them, smiling at them. Bernstein loved learning, he loved creating, he loved thinking, and he loved people. That’s perhaps the biggest reason I continue to draw inspiration from Bernstein. I love learning and studying; I love thinking and the life of the mind. And I love people. I love their capacity to create and care; I’m fascinated by their needs and contradictions. I became a rabbi because I wanted to help people make their lives better through learning and living Torah. Yet I am not a perfect combination. I tend slightly to the text side of the text—people dialectic. I get frustrated with people more easily than I get angry at texts. And that’s why I love Bernstein: He reminds me that that is my yetzer hara (“evil impulse”) and inspires me to overcome it. Bernstein was a believer, a person who saw the image of God in human beings. He believed in human creativity and in the human capacity for change. That isn’t always easy, and it frequently leads to being disappointed. But he wrote, “The laborious, loving way, the way of dignity and divinity, presupposes a belief in people and in their capacity to change, grow, communicate, and love.” I never met Leonard Bernstein. I never saw him conduct, never played in his orchestra. But 28 years after his death, he continues to be one of my rebbes.

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This story originally appeared in a slightly different form in Tablet magazine (tabletmag.com) and is reprinted with permission from Tablet and the author.

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There’s also a connection between the sound of the shofar and the score for West Side Story. What is it? IW: If you know West Side Story well, you can probably close your eyes and hear the very first notes. The “gang call”—the way the Jets signal one another—opens the show, and Bernstein once said it “was really like the call of the shofar that I used to hear blown in temple on Rosh Hashanah.” Once you hear the connection between those two sounds, you can never un-hear it! What are some lesser-known aspects of Bernstein’s life that are covered in the show? IW: The exhibition examines how Bernstein’s wrestling with his crisis of faith is expressed not only in his music but also in his social-justice activism, which I think derives from his Jewish identity. Connecting those dots in his life is an experience that we as a history museum are well suited to explore. And we would certainly be remiss if we didn’t also highlight Bernstein’s lifelong relationship with the State of Israel and its phenomenal orchestra. The complexities of Bernstein’s identity are central to understanding the man and his work. Becoming a conductor and a composer, being a married man and having relationships with men, being a quintessential American and a Jew—any in-depth portrait of Leonard Bernstein must consider all of these identity pieces. What do you hope viewers will take away from their visit? IW: Visitors of all generations will gain a new understanding of the man and his music, and of the consummate humanitarian that Leonard Bernstein was…and should inspire all of us to be. —— Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music has been made possible in part by major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Key support provided by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. Major support provided by The Asper Foundation; CHG Charitable Trust as recommended by Carole Haas Gravagno; The Harvey Goodstein Charitable Foundation; Lindy Communities; The Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Family Foundation; and Cheryl and Philip Milstein. Additional support provided by Judith Creed and Robert Schwartz; Jill and Mark Fishman; Robert and Marjie Kargman; David G. and Sandra G. Marshall; Robin and Mark Rubenstein; and The Savitz Family Foundation. Special thanks to The Leonard Bernstein Office; the Bernstein Family; Jacobs Music; and the Milken Archive of Jewish Music. For a complete list of funders, visit NMAJH.org/Bernstein.

THE ARTIST WAS AN ACTIVIST

Bernstein’s passions encompassed social justice as well as artistic excellence By Stanford Thompson, Founder and Executive Director of Play On, Philly!

L “Bernstein didn’t just talk about his values; he took action to advance causes he believed in.”

Top: Leonard Bernstein conducting, Paul de Hueck, courtesy the Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc. Bottom: Leonard Bernstein composing, courtesy of The Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc.

eonard Bernstein was a brilliant musician, of course, but there’s another crucial, less well-known aspect of his legacy: He was a tireless advocate for social justice. Bernstein didn’t just talk about his values; he took action to advance causes he believed in. Throughout his career, he reached out to performers ignored by mainstream musical organizations because of their backgrounds. As early as 1944—even as the United States was at war with Japan—the Massachusetts-born prodigy premiered his Broadway musical On the Town with a JapaneseAmerican singer and actress, Sono Osato, in the major role of Ivy Smith. On the Town’s overall casting challenged prejudices of the day: Sailors of different races were equally engaged on stage, white female actors and black male actors held hands, and the orchestra’s concertmaster, Everett Lee, was a black man who became its conductor during the final months of the show’s run. In 1962, Bernstein’s recording of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion featured two African-American soloists. He was the first New York Philharmonic conductor to include a black American guest jazz performer—trumpeter Louis Armstrong—and he highlighted the African-American pianist Andre Watts in his nationally televised Young People’s Concerts.

Bernstein’s works frequently reflected his deep engagement with social issues. He wrote the score for West Side Story, a show that tackled the issues of gang violence and racism, and his operetta Candide examined the human condition. In the 1970s, Bernstein’s major theater piece, Mass, protested the Vietnam War, and he and his wife, Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, even opened their home to host a fund-raiser to help 21 Black Panther members who were in jail. Why was Bernstein so committed to social activism? From a young age, he was aware of the indignities that could be forced on less-powerful or marginalized groups of people. Perhaps he could empathize with those suffering injustice and powerlessness because of his American-Jewish upbringing by immigrant parents whose family had been greatly affected by the Holocaust. Across his many years in the public eye, Bernstein remained a devoted fighter for human and civil rights. As we mark the hundredth anniversary of his birth, Bernstein’s example stands as a vivid reminder of how powerful art can be as a tool for social justice. —— Stanford Thompson will be at NMAJH throughout spring 2018 participating in Bernstein-related programming.

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“Students here are of many different races, religions, and cultures,” she explains. “Thanks to the Museum’s expert educational programs, my students learn, usually for the first time, about the remarkable 360-plus years of Jewish life in America. And every time, they come away [with a] better understanding of the experience of people who do not look like them.” Martin adds, “I wholeheartedly believe that if [young children] are taught that being ‘different’ doesn’t equate to being bad or evil, we have a chance to live by the words of the Declaration of Independence that ‘all men are created equal.’ ”

Taking On Hate

The Museum’s educational programs help schools explain, explore, and confront antisemitism and other forms of prejudice By Rachel Urkowitz, Manager of Education Programs and Events

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hat does the Museum do to combat antisemitism and hatred?” That kind of urgent question comes to the Museum regularly through social media, especially when terrifying threats and antisemitic incidents are in the news. As a member of the NMAJH educational team, I often think about this heartfelt query. What can the Museum do to counter these disturbing messages? The answer is at the core of what we do: we educate. Every day, our Museum welcomes students of all backgrounds and faiths. Last year, more than 10,000 school-age students visited us. Most did not come from Jewish homes but what they learned left a lasting impression. Yalon Martin, a social studies teacher at Solis-Cohen Elementary School in Philadelphia, has brought her class to the Museum each year for the past three years.

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Beyond Student Visits Since our new building opened in 2010, we have hosted tens of thousands of students. However, school trips are only one aspect of the Museum’s commitment to education. Here are two of our other educational initiatives that are growing in size and importance. Becoming AmericanTraveling Suitcase: NMAJH sends

suitcases packed with museum-quality replicas of artifacts to schools around the country. Eva Baen Kravitz, a young immigrant in the early 1900s, once owned those artifacts. The materials help students explore who we are as Americans and where we come from. Traveling Suitcase began as a Philadelphia program, but it is now one of the Museum’s signature national educational initiatives and has doubled in reach since 2015, expanding to Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York. NMAJH educators lead lessons remotely via Skype, bringing the Museum directly into far-flung classrooms. National Educators Institute (NEI):The Art and Science of Teaching American Jewish History: In 2016, we

launched this intensive workshop, which brings educators from across the country to our Museum for several days each summer to help them reinvigorate the teaching of American Jewish history in their classrooms. At NMAJH, educators work closely with Museum staff, in havruta study pairs, and with leading academics and practitioners, including Professor Jonathan Sarna, the Museum’s chief historian and an acclaimed scholar of American Jewish history. After the summer session ends, NEI graduates become part of our nationwide network of Jewish educators.

One attendee told us that she “really jumped” when she heard about the program because, she said, she had been “screaming for years that we don’t have enough [resources] on American Jewish history.” Another attendee enthusiastically told us that the experience would surely improve her teaching. As a result of her NEI experience, she noted, “I can now connect with my students better.”

A Crucial Mission Through these and other educational programs— such as free family days when we welcome several thousand visitors, and professional development sessions in which we engage with many teachers—we reach an ever-widening audience with messages of understanding and appreciation of our nation’s remarkable history and diversity. “I never imagined we would find ourselves in a climate of increased antisemitism, racism, and hatred,” a new Museum Member told us recently. She added, “I joined as a member because over the last year I have watched the Museum stand up against bigotry.” —— The Museum is honored to receive generous support for its educational initiatives from donors too numerous to list here. Visit NMAJH.org/education for a complete list.

“ My students learn, usually for the first time, about the remarkable 360-plus years of Jewish life in America.” — YALON MARTIN, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER Above: Judy Schultz of Los Gatos, California, and Meryl Ankori of Queens, New York, work together at the National Educators Institute. Below: Students visit the Museum. Opposite page: Families enjoy arts and crafts during our Independence Day celebration.

The Museum is proud to have received a 2018 grant from The Covenant Foundation, which honors organizations delivering the highest excellence in Jewish education. SPRING 2018

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—member

Ellen Weiss

A Member Becomes a Partner Rabbi Eric Yanoff

Director of Facility Rentals & Events Ellen Weiss oversees the renting and managing of private parties, galas, corporate events, weddings, and fund-raisers. “I never get tired of showing our space,” Weiss says, “even after having done it thousands of times” since the Museum opened in 2010. The Museum’s event spaces include the ballroom and Toll Terrace, with its spectacular view of Independence Mall, and the Dell Theater. Organizations and individuals have many reasons for holding their events at NMAJH. For some, the Museum’s mission—honoring American Jewish history—adds a deeper significance to their gatherings. For others, the stories of the immigrant experience are a memorable backdrop. For all, the striking architectural details and walls of windows on each floor provide a unique setting. As Ellen notes, “The great event spaces are what attract everyone.” A native of western Pennsylvania, Weiss began her career as a production manager at Philadelphia’s Electric Factory Concerts, then was a tour manager for pop icon Cyndi Lauper. She later specialized in organizing international conferences for commercial real estate. Bringing her skills to the Museum was a natural next step. Best part of the job: Ellen delights in helping clients

plan events. “I really get to know my customers and I work hard to ensure they have the best possible experience.” Favorite event space: The Dreams of Freedom gallery on the third floor features a large-scale projection on an exquisite Corian sculpture that is “absolutely stunning.” The Power of Bernstein: “I’m enthusiastic about

Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music.” This spring, Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) will hold its gala at the Museum. Weiss points out that it was access to this special exhibition that clinched AVA’s decision. 14

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memory—

abbi Eric Yanoff moved back to Philadelphia from Michigan in 2010—the year that the Museum opened at the corner of 5th and Market Streets. “It was a really exciting time,” he recalls. “As a communal leader who had grown up in Philadelphia, I wanted to be part of the Museum in whatever way I could.” The rabbi, who serves at Adath Israel, joined NMAJH that first year. “ T h e M u s e u m’s s i t e o n Independence Mall and the story told inside speak to me about where [American Jews] are now and for the Jewish voice in American society going forward,” he adds. Rabbi Yanoff says his relationship with the Museum is more like a partnership than a membership: “To have a national institution like the Museum available to us is so important. My synagogue and the Museum reinforce each other.” For example: In 2014 he developed an adult education program for his congregants based on the Museum’s special exhibition Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American. “The exhibit allowed us to take something that is interesting and exciting outside of our Jewish lives— baseball—and see it through a Jewish lens,” he says. NMAJH programs also play a role in his family life. Last December, his oldest son attended an educational sleepover at the Museum with nearly 60 other local fifth graders. “He loved it,” the rabbi says, noting that his younger son plans to attend the event when he reaches fifth grade. All in all, Rabbi Yanoff kvells (gushes), the Museum is not only “a point of pride. It is also a source of responsibility to do good things.” —— Chasing Dreams has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.

LET OUR PEOPLE GO! Power of Protest tells the story of the movement to free Soviet Jewry By Stephanie Levin

he worldwide protest movement demanding that Jews in the Soviet Union be free to emigrate was dramatic, dangerous, and extremely successful. In a new exhibition that is now touring the United States, the Museum explores how that international campaign triumphed. The Museum received support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency, to create this exhibition that will help educate audiences around the country. Using photos, posters, and other ephemera, it shows how American Jews and Soviet Jews mobilized organizations, student activists, community leaders, and thousands of individuals around the world. “The movement was one of the most successful human-rights campaigns of the 20th century,” says Shira Goldstein, the Museum’s exhibitions manager. “The grassroots efforts of everyday people organizing and lobbying government were extremely effective.” The exhibition, she adds, is “a reminder that everyone has a political voice, that our voices can spur action.” Yigal Kotler, content coordinator of the exhibition, notes that the movement played a crucial role in strengthening Jewish identity. “It was a cornerstone in the unification of the Jewish community all over the world,” he says. Kotler, a native of Odessa, Ukraine, who is now a doctoral candidate at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, was active in the movement to reinvigorate Jewish life in the former Soviet Union (FSU). The exhibition tells his story, too. “It was not easy to be a Jew in the FSU, surrounded by antisemitism,” he recalls. Jews had no freedom to practice their religion there, and they were frequently victims of discrimination.

Power of Protest opened at NMAJH on December 6, the 30th anniversary of Freedom Sunday, a historic 250,000-person march in Washington, D.C. That 1987 demonstration by American Jews in support of their Soviet brothers and sisters took place on the eve of a summit between Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. president Ronald Reagan. The Soviet Jewry Movement remains a powerful symbol today. “American Jews took responsibility—during the Cold War, a time of pessimism and skepticism—for their Soviet counterparts,” Kotler says. “It ’s a very inspirational story.” Power of Protest has been designed with portable panels so that it can travel easily beyond the Museum’s walls. The show is ideal for colleges, schools, community centers, libraries, synagogues, and historical societies. The Museum especially hopes to reach students, many of whom know little about this moving story. ——

Visit NMAJH.org/sovietjews to learn how to bring Power of Protest to your organization.

Power of Protest was created by the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia and is supported in part through a Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a U.S. government agency dedicated to advancing innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Additional support provided by Alkemy X, the Charlestein Family in memory of Malvina and Morton Charlestein, and the Genesis Philanthropy Group. Top: Stamps, “Protest Oppression of Soviet Jewry,” ca. 1980. Gift of the Soviet Jewry Council of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Philadelphia. Middle: Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach performing at a Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ) event. Yeshiva University Archives, Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry Records.

SPRING 2018

Happenings at NMAJH: Snapshots of a Great Year

Dr. Kathy Fields (center), world-renowned dermatologist and cofounder of Proactiv® Solution and Rodan + Fields® skin care brands, poses with Board Chairperson, Phil Darivoff and his wife, Betsy Darivoff, following Dr. Fields’s Dreamers and Doers presentation. (Jessi Melcer)

Ivy Weingram, associate curator and organizer of Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music, talks with Alexander Bernstein to give a sneak preview of the special exhibition to 1654 Society Members at the inaugural 1654 Society Summit. (Jennifer Isakowitz/NMAJH)

More than 70 players joined the Museum on the links for the inaugural Signature Golf Classic supporting the Young Friends of NMAJH. (Brielle Weinstein, Young Friends Board Member)

NMAJH

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Artist Bruce Gendelman describes his work during a Sifting Through Ashes gallery talk. (Tessa Kennamer/NMAJH)

Young Friends celebrate Tu B’Av, the ancient Jewish holiday of love at A Midsummer’s Eve celebration. Left to right: Lauren Marlow, Katie Walker, and Becca Chazin. (Jessi Melcer)

Alon Ben Gurion speaks at Reflections of My Grandfather, a program presented in partnership with American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Mid-Atlantic Region. (Jessi Melcer)

The Museum’s docent guides go above and beyond. Pictured here with NMAJH staff are docents who have volunteered more than 90 hours in a year. Left to right: Jane Brown, Alicia Askenase, Katerina Romanenko, Steve Capin, Natalie Hess, Resa Levinson, Lauren Gross, Rachel Urkowitz, Ronit Lusky, and Charlie Hersh. (Michele Schutte/NMAJH)

Jackie and Andrew Klaber (left) with Daniel and Joanna Rose (center) and Ivy Barsky (right). The Klabers, New York–based supporters, invited major Museum supporters, The Roses to their home for a conversation about the past, present, and future of Jewish philanthropy in America. (Megan Helzner/NMAJH)

Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American at the Skirball Museum in Cincinnati. (Courtesy of the Skirball Musuem)

Families enjoy the Museum’s annual day of family fun on December 25, sponsored by the Robert Saligman Jewish Heritage Fund. (Jennifer Isakowitz/NMAJH)

Exhibition consultant Yigal Kotler (left) and American Jewish activist Connie Smukler (right) explore Power of Protest, an exhibition supported, in part, through a Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a government agency dedicated to advancing innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. (Emily August/NMAJH)

Acclaimed klezmer fiddler Alicia Svigals performs at a 1917: How One Year Changed the World exhibition-themed arts salon in the Dell Theater. (Jessi Melcer)

Sifting Through Ashes exhibition Members’ opening. Left to right: Ivy Barsky; Susanna Lachs Adler, Museum Trustee; and David Adelman, Chairman of the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation. (Jessi Melcer) SPRING 2018

W H AT ’ S H A P P E N I N G AT T H E M U S E U M • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 01 8

Calendar of Events March

April

May

Friday, March 16 – Sunday, September 2

Thursday, April 12 • 6 pm

Thursday, May 17 • 11 am

Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music open to the public Scientific Perspectives on Jewish Mating

Tuesday, March 20 • 6:30 pm

Scholars and geneticists explore historical and current trends in marriage and reproductive patterns in the global Jewish community.

Young Friends Curated Cocktails: Bernstein Edition $12 / Free for Young Friends Members Join the Young Friends of NMAJH for an after-hours tour of Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music and a cocktail reception. Presented in partnership with Ursinus College’s GOLD Council and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Emerging Leaders Circle.

Presented with Penn’s Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies.

Jamie Bernstein Takeover

Corporate Partners Breakfast

Wednesday, April 18 – Sunday, April 22

Friday, March 23 • 8 am

Corporate supporters are invited for a breakfast and private curator-led tour of Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music. For more information, visit NMAJH.org/CorporatePartners.

See website for ticket details. Packages available. Join NMAJH,The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Play On! Philly for five days of music, film, and conversation featuring Leonard Bernstein’s daughter as she takes over the Museum!

6th Annual Freedom Seder Revisited

Sponsored in part by the CHG Charitable Trust as recommended by Carole Haas Gravangno.

Monday, March 26 • 6:30 pm

Shabbat Dinner with Jamie Bernstein, Musician and Producer

An evening of commemoration, stories, and a community exploration of freedom in America, inspired by the original 1969 Freedom Seder. NMAJH.org/FreedomSeder

Friday, April 20 • At a private home in Philadelphia By invitation only. To inquire, email development@nmajh.org.

In partnership with First Person Arts and the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Members’ Tour of Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music

Wednesday, March 28 • 11 am

Members at all levels are invited for a private curator-led tour. Space is limited. RSVP to Paige Randazzo at prandazzo@nmajh.org.

FREE ADMISSION ON FRIDAYS

1 to 5 pm April through August.

Members’ Tour of Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music Members at all levels are invited for a private curator-led tour. Space is limited. RSVP to Paige Randazzo at prandazzo@nmajh.org.

June

Anniversaries for Lenny

Sunday, June 3 • 7 pm

Featuring acclaimed Steinway pianist and Sony recording artist Lara Downes with Alexander Bernstein.

Corporate Partners Dinner

Thursday, June 21 • 6:30 pm

By invitation only, exclusively for current Corporate Partners. NMAJH.org/CorporatePartners

July

Independence Day at NMAJH

Wednesday, July 4 • 10 am – 5 pm Free Celebrate Independence Day with NMAJH!

3rd Annual National Educators Institute: The Art and Science of Teaching Jewish History in America

Sunday, July 8 – Wednesday, July 11

We invite educators from across the U.S. to apply for this innovative professional development program designed to empower teachers to reenvision Jewish history education. NMAJH.org/NEI

Details and tickets online • Students always get the Member price • NMAJH.org • 215.923.3811 18

NMAJH

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REFLECTING on SUCCESS

A N N UA L R E P O R T • F I S CA L Y E A R 2 0 1 7 ( J U LY 1 , 2 0 1 6 T H R O U G H J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 )

40 NEARLY

INTERNS BROUGHT THEIR FRESH PERSPECTIVES TO SUMMER, FALL, AND SPRING INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS AT THE MUSEUM.

More than

10,000 K–12 STUDENTS through specially designed programs such as Courageous Choices, Becoming American and the accompanying Traveling Suitcase, and others. Thanks to our generous donors, approximately 2/3 of all student groups received funding to support their NMAJH visit.

These students and recent graduates, who hail from schools including Brandeis University, Michigan State University, Princeton University, and others, have called their time at NMAJH “thrilling” and “life-changing.” Several of the internship positions were partially or fully funded, enabling all interested students to apply. NMAJH.org/Internships

120 MORE THAN

experienced the Museum

“This visit helped our students more fully understand the obstacles, challenges, and successes of Jewish immigrants and other immigrant groups.”

—ST. ISIDORE SCHOOL IN QUAKERTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

100

programs

families and organizations rented the Museum for private functions, including weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, corporate functions, nonprofit fund-raising events, and more. NMAJH.org/EventSpace

NEARLY

32,500 visitors experienced the Museum free of charge thanks to special-access initiatives.

The Museum presented 100 programs, including lectures, film screenings, family days, Young Friends events, sensory-friendly activities, and more.

ach year, the Museum welcomes visitors from around the world. This year brought us individual visitors, families, and groups from Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, and others.

SPRING 2018

REFLECTING on SUCCESS

A N N UA L R E P O R T • F I S CA L Y E A R 2 0 1 7 ( J U LY 1 , 2 0 1 6 T H R O U G H J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 )

T HE MUSEUM PRESEN T ED

4 Special Exhibitions

on-site in Philadelphia, and toured two exhibitions to five different venues across the United States. NMAJH.org/TravelingExhibitions

In fiscal year 2017,

MORE THAN

102

8,500 Volunteer Hours were contributed in FY17. The Museum thanks its volunteers for their incredible service.

FOUNDATIONS, CORPORATIONS, OR GOVERNMENT ENTITIES contributed $10,000 or more.

LocallY Grown Jersey’s Jewish Farms

In fiscal year 2017, the Museum received nearly

“Your outstanding American Jewish history museum [is] too important to ignore.” —MELVYN, MEMBER SINCE 2010

90%

More than 90 percent of members choose to renew their memberships year after year, which is 50 percent higher than the industry average. 45% of NMAJH members live outside a 50-mile radius of the Museum.

On July 4, 2016, the Museum welcomed nearly

3,200 visitors

to celebrate Independence Day.

NMAJH

BEACON

9,000 gifts from more than 7,000 supporters. Nearly 1,200 made their first gift to NMAJH.

The Museum was awarded significant government funding for arts and humanities in fiscal year 2017. EXHIBITIONS 1917 How One Year Changed the World supported by

Power of Protest: The Movement to Free Soviet Jews supported by

“The students enjoyed seeing the actual artifacts that were brought to our school in the Traveling Suitcase. The stories, pictures, and simulation of how immigrants lived were wonderful.”

—SOLIS-COHEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

MANY THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS

P LED G ES A N D CA S H G I F T S M A D E I N F I S CA L Y E A R 2017

$100,000 to $1,000,000+ Anonymous Betsy and Phil Darivoff Kathy Fields-Rayant and Garry A. Rayant Jacqueline Finkelstein LeBow and Bennett S. LeBow Richard A. and Susan P. Friedman Family Foundation The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Institute of Museum & Library Services Liz and Matthew Kamens The Eleanor M. and Herbert D. Katz Family Foundation, Inc. Sidney Kimmel Foundation Koret Foundation Andrea E. and Michael A. Leven The Lindy Family National Endowment for the Humanities Jane and Daniel Och Family Foundation Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) Lyn M. Ross Marcia and Ron Rubin Robert Saligman Charitable Foundation The Snider Foundation Sotheby’s Roy J. Zuckerberg Renée and Joseph Zuritsky

$50,000 to $99,999 Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Comcast Corporation Cozen O’Connor Foundation for Jewish Day Schools - Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Sandra E. Goodstein Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Robbi and Bruce Toll

$25,000 to $49,999 Blank Rome LLP Pamela and Alec Ellison The Jill and Mark Fishman Foundation International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 Lasko Charitable Fund Cheryl and Philip L. Milstein Tammy and Richard P. Morganstern The Neubauer Family Foundation Origlio Beverage Parkway Corporation PECO Carolyn and Marc J. Rowan Tracey and Shanin Specter Harriet and Larry Weiss Lisa and Richard Witten

$10,000 to $24,999 Hallee and David Adelman Assured Guaranty Corp. The Baelen Family Barrack Foundation Sandra A. Bloch Solomon & Sylvia Bronstein Foundation Michele and Jeffrey Brotman Shirlee and Bernard Brown Joan Carter and John Aglialoro Charina Endowment Fund, Inc. Clayman Family Foundation D. Walter Cohen and Claire J. Reichlin Suzanne and Norman Cohn Robert Lloyd Corkin Charitable Foundation Curtis Family Foundation, Inc. EisnerAmper LLP Amy L. Finkel and Richard J. Braemer Firstrust Bank Christina and Lance Funston Bill Graham Memorial Foundation Grant Thornton LLP Insperity Robert & Marjie Kargman Fund Elissa and Tom Katz Barbara Kay The Sylvia Kellem Memorial Fund The Kestenbaum Family Foundation

Susan and Leonard Klehr Jane and Leonard Korman Family Foundation Susanna Lachs Adler and Dean Adler The Lazarus Charitable Trust Kathy and Thomas Leonard Ruth Libros Lucius N. Littauer Foundation Lubert-Adler Management Co., LLP Joyce Magar de Botton and Claude de Botton Samuel P. Mandell Foundation Sandra and David Marshall Leslie Anne Miller and Richard Worley Foundation The Philadelphia Cultural Fund Daniel Promislo The Edward John and Patricia Rosenwald Foundation Lorraine and George Rubin Alice Saligman and Klaus Brinkmann Sherrie R. Savett Sayer Family Foundation Schwartz Foundation Seed the Dream Foundation Abraham Z. & Norma Shanzer Charitable Remainder Unit Trust Rebecca and Daniel Shapiro Connie Smukler Joan and Bernard Spain Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young Constance and Sankey Williams / Hess Foundation, Inc. Marian and Norman Wolgin M.B. & Edna Zale Foundation

$5,000 to $9,999 Nicole and Raanan Agus Joseph Alexander Foundation, Inc. Anonymous The Eugene Applebaum Family Foundation Arronson Foundation Astor, Weiss, Kaplan & Mandel, LLP Pamela and Laurence Baer Ballard Spahr LLP

Mr. and Mrs. Saul Berkowitz Seth Berkowitz Candace Bernard and Robert J. Glickman Miriam G. Bernstein Gay and John Binswanger Byrd Alley, LLC Civic Foundation, Inc. Louise and Robert Cohen Colliers International Charlotte and Buddy Cook Dawn and Joseph Coradino Walter D’Alessio Ilana B. Dean Delaware North Companies Kelly and Michael DeMarco Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Fox Rothschild LLP Paula and William H. Glazer Julie Goldman and Alan Hoffman Samuel M. and Gail V. Goldstein Gwen D. Goodman Rosemarie Greco and Anne Morrissey Greenblatt Family Charitable Trust Martin J. Gross Penny Grossman Fox and Robert A. Fox The Hassel Foundation Arthur Hiller z”l Marjorie and Jeffrey Honickman The Honickman Foundation The Jacobson Family Foundation The Frank and Marta Jager Foundation Cynthia and Jordan Katz Bryna and Joshua Landes Rachel and Jonathon Levine The McLean Contributionship Barbara and David Messer Beatrice and Larry V. Metzman Micklin Family David and Linda Moscow Foundation Sharon Ann Musher and Daniel Mark Eisenstadt Pearl and Albert Nipon OCF Realty Ellen and Mark Oster Palm Restaurant of Philadelphia, Inc. Mark E. Pasquerilla

Elise and Charlie Pizzi Norman Raab Foundation Elizabeth and Stephen Raynes Charlene and John Roberts Jeanne and John Rowe Judith Rubin Garfinkel and Marvin Garfinkel Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, LLP Mimi and Allan Schneirov Vivian C. Seltzer, Ph.D. and William Seltzer The Paul and Emily Singer Family Foundation Barbara Spiro Ryan and Robert Ryan Sidney Stern Memorial Trust The Tobin Family Foundation Wilmington Trust / M&T Bank Etta Z. Winigrad

$2,000 to $4,999 Peter and Jan Albert Family Foundation Altair Development Associates Bank of America Harold & Renee Berger Foundation The Sybiel B. Berkman Foundation Bryna and Fred Berman The Broad Foundation Lois and Julian Brodsky Sandra and Sidney Brown Casey for Treasurer Committee Pearl and Paul Caslow Charles Schwab & Co. Conner Strong & Buckelew Cindi and Glenn Cooper DFDR Consulting Dranoff Properties Duane Morris, LLP Lee Ducat Echelon Protection & Surveillance Mitzi & Warren Eisenberg Family Foundation, Inc. Federation Housing Jill Bender Feld Kurtzman and Charles D. Kurtzman The Fine Foundation Phyllis and Stephen Flink Gallagher & Associates The Joseph and Anna Gartner Foundation

The Edwin M. Gilberg Family Foundation Global Tax Management, Inc. Goldman, Sachs & Co. Margaret F. and Joseph S. Gordon Archie Gottesman and Gary DeBode Harriet and Bernard Gross Jewish Federation Real Estate Group Michael F. and Elizabeth Joynt Family Charitable Fund Sherri Jurgens and Michael Ross Elaine Kaufman Korman Communities Elaine and Emanuel Landau Fran and Leon Levy Sueyun and Gene Locks Christopher Ludwick Foundation Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan Sandy and Howard Needleman Newman & Company Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue Hotel Pearl Properties Commercial Management Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Rethink Staffing LLC Leslie Rosen Catering, Inc. Judy and Richard Rosenbleeth Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC Adele K. Schaeffer Danny Scher Susan and Stephen Scherr Bubbles M. Seidenberg Leonard B. and Joan K. Shore Avi Silberstein Sporting Club at the Bellevue Carla Stern and Richard C. Goodwin Nina Tinari-Schulson and Michael Schulson Carroll and Charlotte Weinberg Charitable Foundation Inc

SPRING 2018

REFLECTING on SUCCESS

$1,000,000+ Lifetime Donors The Annenberg Foundation The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation Shirlee & Bernard Brown Hope Lubin Byer City of Philadelphia Betsy & Ed Cohen Betty Ann & D. Walter Cohen Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Herbert I. Corkin Sandy & Stephen Cozen & Family Betsy & Philip Darivoff Delaware River Port Authority Alexander & Lorraine Dell Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Marie & Joseph Field Amanda & Glenn Fuhrman Howard Gittis The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Alexander & Louise Grass Hess Foundation Andrew & Mindy Heyer The Honickman Family Marjorie & Lewis Katz Sharon & Joseph Kestenbaum Family Sidney & Caroline Kimmel Geraldine & Bennett LeBow Velda & David Levitsky Samuel P. Foundation Mandell John P. & Anne Welsh McNulty Foundation Jill & Alan Miller National Endowment for the Humanities The Neubauer Family Jane & Daniel Och The William Penn Foundation Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Raymond & Ruth Perelman Righteous Persons Foundation Ann B. Ritt Lyn & George Ross Marcia & Ronald Rubin Robert Saligman Charitable Foundation Roberta & Ernest Scheller, Jr. Eric & Erica Schwartz Constance & Joseph Smukler Kadimah Foundation Ed Snider The Tisch Families Frances & Sylvan Tobin Robbi & Bruce Toll

Jane, Stuart, Elizabeth, & Rachael Weitzman Lisa & Richard Witten Marian & Norman Wolgin Roy J. Zuckerberg Family Foundation Zuritsky / Winigrad Families

1654 Society Members Elie M. Abemayor and Judy Shandling Nicole and Raanan Agus Tracy and Dennis Albers Anonymous (3) Lezlie and Richard Atlas The Baelen Family Pam and Larry Baer Carol E. Baker and Mark E. Stein Ivy L. Barsky and Randall Freed Mr. and Mrs. Saul Berkowitz Bryna and Fred Berman Candace Bernard and Robert J. Glickman Marcella and Stuart Bernstein Eli and Edythe Broad Don and Linda Brodie The Julian A. & Lois G. Brodsky Foundation Jeffrey and Michele Brotman Joan Carter and John Aglialoro Civic Foundation, Inc. D. Walter Cohen and Claire J. Reichlin Louise and Robert Cohen Stephen and Sandy Cozen Curtis Family Foundation, Inc. Phil and Betsy Darivoff Richard and Rosalee C. Davison Foundation, Inc. Ilana B. Dean Marian and Kenneth Disken Allan Domb Chung Do and Frank Lindy Peter and Silvia Dreyfuss Gloria and Paul Fine Phyllis and Gary Finkelstein Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence M. Fishman Judith R. Forman and Richard N. Weiner Steven and Melanie Glass Gail and Samuel Goldstein Jane and Neil Golub Gwen Goodman Sylvia G. Gordon Terry A. Graboyes Martin J. Gross Andy and Mindy Heyer Andrea Hirschfeld

Ms. Carolyn Hirsh and Mr. Alan S. Lindy Jane Barr Horstman and John Horstman The Jacobson Family Foundation The Deanne & Arnold Kaplan Foundation Robert & Marjie Kargman Fund The Eleanor M. and Herbert D. Katz Family Foundation Inc. Jonathon and Rachel Levine Leon L. and Fran Levy Elaine Lindy Samuel P. Mandell Foundation Anne Welsh McNulty Barbara and David Messer Micklin Family Mitchell and Hilarie Morgan Sharon Ann Musher and Daniel Mark Eisenstadt Robin Chemers Neustein and Shimon Neustein Daniel Promislo Susan and Evan Ratner Joanna and Daniel Rose Lyn M. Ross Robin and Steven Rotter Barbara Spiro Ryan and Robert Ryan Robert Saligman Charitable Foundation Evelyn Sandground / Bill Perkins in honor of Frank & Marta Jager Savitz Family Foundation Mimi and Allan Schneirov Vivian C. Seltzer Ph.D. and William Seltzer Rayman Solomon and Carol Avins Joan and Bernard Spain Marc and Diane Spilker Carla Stern and Richard C. Goodwin Meredith and Jon Stevens Lynne L. Tarnopol Connie and Sankey Williams Etta Z. Winigrad Marian and Norman Wolgin Renée and Joseph Zuritsky For more information, please visit NMAJH.org/1654Society

Legacy Society Members Valla Amsterdam z”l Reba Bacharach z”l Susanne H. Becker z”l Jean Beloff z”l Alan S. Berg

Hope L. Byer D. Walter Cohen Jeanette Cohen z”l Steve & Sandy Cozen Samuel Dubin Minna Dubner z”l Mr. & Mrs. Robert Evans Joanne R. Fishbane Benjamin Garsten z”l Donald & Susan Gold Tevis M. Goldhaft z”l Elaine Golland Alexander Grass z”l Mark W. Hart Hatchwell Family Arthur Hiller z”l & Gwen Hiller z”l Michael Isaacson Evelyn Isserman z”l Bertha Karavin z”l Lewis Katz z”l Edna Kean z”l Philip J. Kendall z”l Howard Kichler Naomi Klein z”l Linda M. Knapp z”l Charitable Trust & Adelene B. Miller z”l Joan Leftin Dorothy A. Levin Hadassah R. Levin z”l Ruth Libros Mollie Lischin z”l Joseph H. Levine z”l Bernard J. Malis z”l Morris Mashonsky z”l Rosalie Middlemas z”l Mr. & Mrs. Michael Miron Leo Nothmann Marital Trust Ella W. Ostroff z”l Barbara D. Paxton Theodore & Lenore Robinson Daniel & Joanna Rose Beatrice B. Rosenkoff z”l Lyn M. Ross & George M. Ross z”l Bertha C. Roth Mimi & Allan Schneirov Miriam Schonwetter Sharp z”l Nancy Silver Shalit Abraham Z. Shanzer z”l & Norma Shanzer z”l Toni Mendez Shapiro z”l Shirley Shay Ann Shipper Elizabeth & Alan Shulman Joanne L. Snow Ruth Sondak z”l May M. Spirt Charitable Remainder Trust Diana L. Stein z”l Philip Sternberg Barbara Sugarman

Etta Weinberg z”l Mildred L. Weinstock z”l Joy L. Wezelman Paul & Nancy Woolf For more information on making a planned gift to the Museum, kindly contact Cobi Weissbach, Director of Development at 215.923.3811 ext. 131 or cweissbach@nmajh.org.

Docents Bernice Abramovich Linda Abramowitz Rosalie Alexander Andrea Allison-Williams Alicia Askenase Barbara Block Jane Brown Phil Bursky Stephen Capin Chana Cohen Judith Cohen Lou Criden Ierachmiel “Yerach” Daskal Lyn Davis Beryl Dean Carol Dranoff David Epstein Adele Fine Phyllis Finkelstein Marian Fisher David Forsted Helene Friedman Sybil Terres Gilmar Beth Goldman Laurie Gottlieb Lillian Hassman Natalie Hess Rochelle Hirsh Joyce Kay Erica King Joyce Krain Beth Latham Andrea Leighton Resa Levinson Elaine Jaffe Linda Markoff Nancy Messinger Fran Miller Barbara Mollin Lerner Naida Mosenkis Frances Novack Meryl Rodgers Gerry Rudman z”l Charlotte Schwartz Vivian Seltzer Sharon Thaler Susan Vineberg Nan Wallace Susan Weinberg Rochelle Wolf Paul Woolf Gloria Wuhl

For a donor listing including members at the Supporter Level through $999, please visit NMAJH.org/annualreport. 22

NMAJH

BEACON

Volunteers Nona Levin Abrams Gloria Baer Debby Baratz Judy Becker Barbara Block Jeff Brown Minda Gold Carp Karen Cherwony Amy Chipetz Honey Cohen Louis Criden Nancy Davis Randee Donn Barbara Epstein Renee Feduniue Marc Feldman Nancy Feldman Alvin & Patti First Selma Harris Forstater Ronald Friedman Ellen Garber Kenneth Geller Alan Golis Brenda Goodis Estel Goody Penina Gould Barbara Gross Diane Hark Beverly Hayden Helene Herman Len Huber Sue Isenberg Ann Ryan Kaplan Erica King Mona Kolsky Lisa Leff Amy Levine Evelyn Levitt Hariette Mishkin Barbara Nochumson Becky Nunez Lisa Penn Paul Pennock Celeste Rose Ida Rosen Sharon Ross Lily Rothman Robert Sahl Sandy Sham Alice Siet Doris Slutsky Phyllis Stern Philip Sternberg Betty Jane “BJ” Strouss Helen Victor Turk & Roland Turk Deborah Vanderveer Beverly Siegel Victor Lenore “Lee” Weinstein Mickie Williams Arline Winkler Harriet Yanowitz

C O R P O R AT E PA R T N E R S

BOARD MEMBERS

Thank you to these Corporate Partners and supporters from the corporate community who made gifts in Fiscal Year 2017, from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017

NMAJH Officers Philip M. Darivoff, Chairperson Lyn M. Ross, Honorary Chairperson Stephen A. Cozen, First Vice Chairperson Andrew R. Heyer, Vice Chairperson Thomas O. Katz, Vice Chairperson Joseph S. Zuritsky, Vice Chairperson Elijah S. Dornstreich, Treasurer Mark Oster, Secretary George Ross z”l, Founding Chairperson

Trustees Susanna Lachs Adler Philip Balderston Alec Ellison Alan J. Hoffman Sharon Tobin Kestenbaum Elaine Lindy Seymour G. Mandell z”l Mitchell L. Morgan Lisa B. Popowich Marc Porter Daniel Promislo Ronald Rubin, Chairperson Emeritus Laury Saligman Sherrie R. Savett Miriam Schneirov Brett Schulman Daniel A. Shapiro Michelle Singer Meredith C. Slawe Lindy Snider Shanin Specter

National Leadership Council Roy Zuckerberg (New York, NY), Chairperson Eugene Applebaum z”l (Detroit, MI) Charles Bronfman (New York, NY) Betsy Z. Cohen (New York, NY) Ambassador Edward Elson (Palm Beach, FL) Milton Fine (Pittsburgh, PA) Rabbi Irving (Yitz) Greenberg (Bronx, NY) J. Ira Harris (Palm Beach, FL) Senator Joseph Lieberman (Hartford, CT) Newton Minow (Chicago, IL) Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. (New York, NY) Allan “Bud” Selig (Milwaukee, WI) Albert Small (Washington, DC) Edward Snider z”l (Philadelphia, PA) Fred Wilpon (New York, NY) Board Young Friends Chairperson Jake Markovitz, Vice Chairperson Steven Share, Brielle Weinstein, Outreach Committee Chairperson

Board Young Friends Members at Large

Shana Golen Zachary Golen Benjamin Hirsh Melissa Hochbaum Ellie Levy Bryan Lieb Ali Sayer Michael Swift Alex Weiner Shana Weiner Andrew Zakroff

Emeriti Harold Berger, Trustee Emeritus D. Walter Cohen, Chairman Emeritus Gwen Goodman, Executive Director Emerita Raymond Perelman, Trustee Emeritus Ruth Sarner Libros, President Emerita Samuel J. Savitz, Trustee Emeritus Ivy L. Barsky, CEO and Gwen Goodman Director

SPRING 2018

Non Profit Org US Postage PAID Philadelphia, PA Permit No.

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Museum Store Since 1976, the Museum Store has offered the best in ceremonial Judaica, Jewish gifts, and jewelry. If you are planning your wedding, view our worldclass Ketubah gallery or consider a NMAJH gift registry. The Museum offers over 500 Ketubah choices; shop online or visit us in person. Admission is always free for the Museum Store and Ketubah gallery.

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The only Judaica produced in Poland since World War II

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The only Judaica produced in Poland since World War II

Mi Polin mezuzot are cast from trace impressions found on doorframes where pre-war mezuzot were removed from the homes of Poland’s Jewish community after their residents were forced out during the Nazi occupation. Preserved first in wax and then hand-forged in bronze, the mezuzah is a replica of the scar left behind.