Today. A Publication of the Center for Jewish History Summer 2008

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1 Today A Publication of the Center for Jewish History Summer 2008 from the Chairman Dear Friends, We are very pleased to present a new edition of CJH Today, to keep our friends and supporters up to date on some of the exciting events and meaningful work that is going on every day at the Center for Jewish History. Each year since the Center first opened its doors, we have welcomed an increasing number of visitors. Some are pursuing scholarly research, some are enjoying artistic or cultural events, others are exploring their family history but whatever brings them through our doors, all are experiencing in some way the significance of the Jewish past speaking to the present and echoing into the future. A recent article in the New York Times put into eloquent words what we have known all along to be the Center s value, and at the core of its mission: to preserve details of Jewish history and culture that might otherwise be lost forever. The article focused on the current work taking place at the Center by its partner YIVO: the archiving of hundreds of thousands of records of Jewish refugees who came to the United States in the early 1950s, survivors of the Holocaust seeking a chance to start their lives over. What these records reveal and what the New York Times article pointed out is the amazing resilience and determination these immigrants possessed, overcoming resistance to not only survive but to thrive, and to make incalculable contributions to all aspects of life in their new country. These are the stories of our shared past that inform and enlighten all of us history brought to life that can provide insight into our past, motivation for our present, and inspiration for our future. This is what the Center for Jewish History was created for. And we are grateful every day for your support that allows us to continue fulfilling that mission. News from OUR Partners American Jewish Historical Society presented An Evening with the Straus Family. The special evening lecture featured descendants of Nathan, Oscar and Isidor Straus remembering and discussing this seminal American Jewish family s legacy as merchants, philanthropists, and public servants and the contributions they made to American Jewry. The American Sephardi Federation hosted its 12th NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, offering 16 riveting films related to Sephardic culture and heritage. Opening night featured the U.S. premiere of I Got No Help and My Camel Died, a film by Ehud Tomalak portraying the musical journey of Yair Dalal, who was on hand for a post-screening discussion. Leo Baeck Institute s 51st Annual Leo Baeck Memorial Lecture, titled From Jerusalem to Berlin and Back: A Diplomatic Journey, was presented by The Honorable Shimon Stein, Israeli Ambassador to Germany from Ambassador Stein offered extraordinary insights into the complex relationship between Germany, Europe, the U.S. and the Middle East. Yeshiva University Museum recently presented an acclaimed exhibition along with an international conference on the Dreyfus Affair, titled A Century Later: Legacy & Lessons. Introduced by the grandson of Charles Dreyfus, the conference also featured a panel discussion of contemporary implications of the Dreyfus Affair, chaired by Richard Weisberg of Yeshiva University s Cordozo School of Law. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research celebrated the publication of The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe by Yale University Press with a gala event and thoughtful panel discussion. The panelists gave their reactions to this monumental new scholarly work, a two-volume, 2,400-page reference that addresses all aspects of the history and culture of East European Jewry. Bruce Slovin Chairman For more information about our work or to learn about special giving opportunities, membership and special events, please contact us at (212) or bstrauss@cjh.org.

2 Event Chairs William Ackman and Joseph Steinberg Keynote Speaker James Grant Sharon Handler and Amb. John Loeb Finance Event Draws Key Business Audience An influential group of more than 140 people from the finance community gathered at the Center for Jewish History on November 15, 2007, for the third annual The History of Jewish Involvement in Business and Finance event. Attendees enjoyed thoughtprovoking presentations and discussions over dinner, and in the process raised almost $500,000 for the Center. The event was highlighted by an inspiring keynote address by James Grant, noted financial historian, author and founder of Grant s Interest Rate Observer, who offered an intriguing look at Benjamin Grossbaum (better known as Benjamin Graham). Additional sessions gave participants an opportunity to explore issues of Jewish business and financial relationships throughout the American landscape from philanthropy to political philosophy. The success of the event would not have been possible without the work and support of its Chairs: William A. Ackman, Pershing Square Capital Management and Joseph S. Steinberg, Leucadia National Corporation, as well as that of its co-chairs: Bruce Berkowitz, Fairholme Capital Management; Charles Diker, Diker Management; David Einhorn, Greenlight Capital; Jonathan D. Gray, The Blackstone Group; Steven J. Kumble, Corinthian Capital Group; Sidney Lapidus, Warburg Pincus; Daniel S. Loeb, Third Point Management Company; David Polen, Polen Capital Management; Charles J. Rose, Ardsley Partners; and Bruce Slovin, 1 Eleven Associates. David Polen, Larry and Ronnie Ackman, Adam Emmerich and others listen intently during their Breakout Session Jay Anderson with Brian, Jeffrey, and Joshua Feil Archbishop of Paris Visits CJH On March 3, the Center for Jewish History had some very special guests: a delegation of Catholic leaders from France, led by Andrew Vingt-trois, the Archbishop of Paris and leading Holocaust historian at the Vatican. The mission of the Church leaders trip was to strengthen the relationship between Catholics and Jews, as well as to further study the Holocaust. In addition to their stop at the Center, where they reviewed some of the collections of the Partners, the Archbishop and his group were also planning to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

3 Board member Stanley Batkin, Donna Batkin, Rosalind Devon, and Sanford Batkin Seventh Annual Dinner Attracts Center Supporters A festive crowd of more than 200 Center supporters gathered on December 11, 2007, for the Center for Jewish History s seventh Annual Dinner a major fundraising event that this year brought in nearly $1 million to support the Center s programs and work. Dinner attendees were treated to remarks by Rabbi Moshe Waldoks, who entertained guests with stories of his world travels as a rabbi. The Center extends its great appreciation to the dinner committee Tracey Berkowitz, Natalie Eigen, Michele Tocci, Julie Chervinsky, Nancy Polevoy, and Hope Ziff for their outstanding efforts in planning and organizing the resoundingly successful event. Event Chair Tracey Berkowitz gives welcoming remarks Board member Tracey Berkowitz and friends Hope and Simon Ziff light the Hanukkah candles Board member Joseph Steinberg with Adam Steinberg and Emily Meyer Board member Michele Cohn Tocci with Valerie Tocci

4 Steven Kumble, Jon Halpern, and Todd Kumble Keynote moderator Judith H. Dobrzynski, Event Chair Simon Ziff, Center Chairman Bruce Slovin, Keynote speaker Lloyd Goldman, Keynote speaker Kent Swig, and Event Chair Bill Ackman Real Estate Event Builds Community Connections On April 16, 2008, the Center hosted its second annual The History of Jewish Involvement in Building New York, a special evening for the real estate community. The event was attended by over 150 people, garnering a high level of interest and financial support from some of the community s most prominent members. Lloyd Goldman of BLDG Management Corporation and Kent Swig of Terra Holdings, LLC, gave a fascinating keynote address, providing a candid peek into their careers and involvement with the Center. Judith H. Dobrzynski, a former New York Times editor and reporter, moderated the discussion. Jared Kushner shares his real estate family story during the breakout session Meir Cohen, Kent Swig, and Ben Korman Members of the Goldman family - Amy, Victoria, Lloyd, Dorian, and Katja Following the keynote presentation, intimate breakout sessions, led by prominent experts and real estate community leaders, gave participants the opportunity to engage with one another while exploring the Jewish community s impact on the development of New York City. The success of the event would not have been possible without the work and support of its Chairs: Simon Ziff, Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group and William A. Ackman, Pershing Square Capital Management, as well as that of its co-chairs: Bruce Beal, The Related Companies; Bruce Berkowitz, Fairholme Capital Management; Jeff T. Blau, The Related Companies; Jonathan D. Gray, The Blackstone Group; Jeffrey Gural, Newmark Knight Frank; Steven J. Kumble, Corinthian Capital Group; Stephen Rosenberg, Greystone & Co.; and Bruce Slovin, 1 Eleven Associates. Louis and Ruth Brause Wendy Hakim Jaffe with her father Kamran Hakim Guests enjoy learning about Jewish real estate families The Center for Jewish History is pleased to announce the launch of our new Real Estate Circle, which will aim to engage the real estate community via a specialized membership that will include a variety of insider events and benefits. The Circle s goal will be to increase awareness among the community, help members network within the field, and raise funds for the Center through membership and events. For more information about the Real Estate Circle, please contact us at (212) or bstrauss@cjh.org.

5 New Appointments to the Center s Board of Overseers The Center for Jewish History is pleased to welcome the following members to its Board of Overseers: Steven J. Kumble has served as a Co-Chair for the Center s annual The History of Jewish Involvement in Business and Finance as well as for The History of Jewish Involvement in Building New York events. Steven J. Kumble is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Corinthian Capital Group, LLC, the manager of Corinthian Equity Fund, L.P., a private equity investment fund focused on making investments primarily in niche market leaders in the manufacturing, distribution, service and consumer products sectors. Prior to founding Corinthian, Mr. Kumble served as chairman of Lincolnshire Management Inc., a private equity firm which Mr. Kumble founded in From 1968 to 1986, Mr. Kumble was a founding partner of a law firm, specializing in corporate law. From 1955 to 1957, Mr. Kumble served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army. Mr. Kumble serves on the Dean s Advisory Board of the Harvard law school, as a member of the Board of Trustees of Long Island University (Vice Chairman), as Chairman Emeritus of the New York Governor s Committee on Scholastic Achievement, and until recently as a member of the Advisory Board of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice. Steven J. Kumble was educated at Yale University where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa and graduated magna cum laude. He earned his doctorate of jurisprudence degree cum laude at the Harvard Law School. His professional achievements have earned him mention in Who s Who in America and Who s Who in the East. Simon Ziff is a benefactor of the Center s Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, has served as Chair for The History of Jewish Involvement in Building New York, and is Chair of the Center s Real Estate Circle, a new initiative designed to engage the real estate community. Simon Ziff serves as president of Ackman-Ziff, a position he assumed in Since joining the firm as Larry Ackman s analyst in 1989, Simon has structured over $8 billion of debt and equity financings for some of the nation s foremost real estate developers and owners while solidifying the firm s relationship with key capital sources. Simon has engineered the firm s collaborative culture, which functions as a magnet for financial talent and has supported its evolution as an industry thought-leader. Simon received a B.S. in finance from Pennsylvania State University, and an M.S. in real estate finance from New York University. In May 2002, New York University awarded Simon its second ever Distinguished Real Estate Alumni Recognition Award. He has also been recognized on multiple occasions by the Real Estate Board of New York, including the first recipient of its Most Promising Commercial Salesperson of the Year Award and six times as the recipient of its Most Ingenious Deal of the Year award. Amy P. Goldman and her family have been generous supporters of the Center for many years as benefactors of the Lillian Goldman Reading Room. Dr. Goldman also has been a strong supporter of the Center s library operations and our work to enhance scholarship. Amy P. Goldman is a renowned horticulturalist and an impassioned advocate for agricultural biodiversity. She has written three books on heirloom fruits and vegetables: The Heirloom Tomato (Bloomsbury, in press), The Compleat Squash, and Melons for the Passionate Grower. She serves as chair of the Board of the Seed Savers Exchange, and is a board member of the New York Botanical Garden and the New York Restoration Project. Ms. Goldman is a Trustee of the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, and the Amy P. Goldman Foundation. She holds a Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University, but has retired from clinical practice to devote herself to garden writing, advocacy, and philanthropy. For more information on Ms. Goldman, visit her website: The Center for Jewish History mourns the passing of our board member and vice chairman, Erica Jesselson (z l), whose dedication and support was instrumental in the founding of the Center. We are eternally grateful for her intelligence, generosity and commitment to the Jewish community and we will miss our dear friend and leader. Give the gift of Genealogy The Center s Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute makes tracing your family s history easier with our cadre of Genealogy and Preservation professionals and the vast treasures and resources housed at the Center. From a $100 Kick Start Kit to a $10,000 Platinum Membership, the Center s A to Z Genealogy Membership Program has something for every level of ancestry research interest. Contact us for more information, to become a member, or to Give the Gift of Genealogy to your friends and family!

6 We Are Pleased to Announce The Center was awarded $110,000 from the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund for several areas of our work: electronic resources for the Lillian Goldman Reading Room; electronic resources for the Samberg Family History Program; an annual Morris and Alma Schapiro Fellowship; and the first phase of an initiative to digitize Jewish children s books. The David Berg Foundation awarded the Center $75,000 to launch the next phase in the Jews and Justice series, which will be designed to provide historical context for the Jewish response to genocide and other human rights concerns. The Center is working with AJHS, which holds the papers of Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide and whose efforts led to the UN adoption of its Convention on Genocide. This initiative will preserve, digitize, and exhibit selections from Lemkin s archives, and will invite the public to discuss a range of related issues through a public program series. With the past support of the David Berg Foundation, the Center was able to implement six years of Jews and Justice programming, the longest standing program series at the Center. In an effort to expand the reach of the Samberg Family History Program and to ensure its continued success, the The Samuel Bronfman Foundation committed $30,000 to the Center to augment the $250,000 three-year pledge from the Samberg Family Foundation. The Jewish Community Youth Foundation, a philanthropic group of teenagers from Princeton, NJ, also awarded the Center $1,000 for the Samberg Program. The Brenner Family Foundation contributed $25,000 to launch an initiative Emerging Jewish Artists: Works in Progress, a partnership with The Six Points Fellowship that showcased the work of young artists at the Center. This four-part public program series brought together emerging artists with expert scholars to present and examine new interpretations on traditional Jewish themes. A more than $1 Million bequest was left to the Center by direct mail donor Dr. Nathan Rosenbloom, who had supported the Center since Dr. Rosenbloom s estate will be distributed in the second half of The Center for Jewish History is one of the great public Jewish historical and cultural institutions in the world. Opened to the public in October 2000 as the campus to its five Partner organizations, the Center has achieved recognition as a venue of unrivaled historical documentation and scholarship, imaginative exhibitions of Judaic art and artifacts, and vital public dialogue. The collections of its Partners total more than 500,000 volumes and 100 million archival documents, and include thousands of pieces of artwork, textiles, and ritual objects, as well as music, films, and photographs. They comprise, taken as a whole, the largest repository of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. Visit us online at non profit org us postage paid new york - ny permit no. o West 16th Street, New York, NY wwww.cjh.org