No. 14Spring/Summer 2006

The monumental multi-year project to cre-ate one unified online catalog thatprovides integrated access to the magnifi-cent holdings of the Center has reached avery significant milestone.

Center Catalog Goes “Live”On February 21, the

Center’s Online Public AccessCatalog (OPAC) went “live”internally at the Center;beginning in May, access willbe universal. That means thenew unified catalog can besearched not only by on-siteusers: the Center’s OPAC willalso be available on theCenter’s website so thatanyone, anywhere, with anInternet connection, cansearch the holdings of all theCenter partners from theirhome or work place.

“What makes our OPACunique,” says Bob Sink, theCenter’s Chief Archivist andProject Director, “is that thesystems – Ex Libris softwarefor the library and archivecollections and KE for themuseum collections – areintegrated, enabling

browsers to search across systems toaccess library, archival and museum hold-ings. Users can conduct sophisticatedsearches – by name, subject, geographicarea, date and format – across all of the

materials held by the partners. The newunified system is important for theCenter’s internal workings as well, provid-ing an efficient management system forthe collections.

The vast amount of Center materialsmakes cataloging an ambitious task thathas taken several years to implement, aseach partner has created catalog entriesfor its own holdings. The system todayhas 280,000 OPAC records in its database.By May, it will have over 300,000 biblio-graphic records, representing all of thepartners’ archival collections and two-thirds of their books. The goal is for theOPAC to have an entry describing eachitem or collection held by the partnerorganizations. In addition to the OPAC,the Center has installed DigiTool, a soft-ware package that will be used by theCenter and its partners to catalog digitalimages, so that the public can have accessto them.

In recent years scholars, educators andstudents have come from all corners ofthe globe to conduct research at theCenter for Jewish History. The OPAC willnow open the pages of Jewish history pre-served at the Center as they have neverbeen before. ■

From the ChairFrom the very beginning, oneof the over-arching goals ofthe Center for Jewish Historyhas been to provide an onlinecatalog that will link togetherthe varied collections housedat the Center and make theriches of our archival, library,

and museum collections acces-sible worldwide.

Five years ago, a federalgrant from the NationalHistorical Publications andRecords Commission helpedlaunch this technological jour-ney. Today, as you will read, itis becoming a reality, makingthe memorable records of ourJewish past available to all.

We often and rightfullyboast about the magnitude ofthe vast holdings of our part-ners — a treasure trove oftexts, images, objects andexperiences that are unparal-leled in their depth anddiversity.

In this issue, we focus onthe particular. We have askedthe archivist, librarian or

another staff member at eachof the Center’s five partnerorganizations to select andshare with us one item fromtheir collections that reflectsa particular moment in Jewishhistory, conveys a particularinsight about our Jewish past,or has particular relevance tothe mission of the partner

continued on page 2

Knish Man. Lower East Side, New York. Photograph by J.B.Lightman, 1924. Graduate School for Jewish Social Work records.American Jewish Historical Society.

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Retrieving the Jewish Archive of Iraqorganization. You will readabout five very different selec-tions on the pages that follow.

Preserving our heritage forthe next generation, andbringing the kaleidoscope ofthe modern Jewish experienceto an ever-growing public, is adaunting commitment thatrequires broad support. Inrecent months the Center andits partners have presentedcritically-acclaimed exhibi-tions, headliner programs,world-class speakers and a suc-cessful film festival. We arebuilding our historical legacyevery day. I invite you to joinme in supporting this excitingendeavor.

Bruce SlovinChairman

From the Chaircontinued from page 1

It was a tight fit at theDecember 5 opening of “APerfect Fit,” as the line ofvisitors waiting to enter theCenter extended onto thestreet and down the block.With some 530 guests, thiswas the best attended of anyevent to date at the Center forJewish History.

The reception celebratedthe opening of the YeshivaUniversity Museum’s exhibit,“A Perfect Fit: The GarmentIndustry and American Jewry1860-1960,” which traces thehistory of 19th century Jewishimmigrants seeking success inAmerica, interlaced with 100years of the garment industry.

The evening also celebratedthe designation of the Centerfor Jewish History as anAffiliate of the Smithsonian

Institution.On hand tomake thatrelationshipofficial wasDr. BrentGlass,Director oftheSmithsonian’sMuseum ofAmericanHistory. “Theconsortiumthat thisCenter hasput togeth-er offeredan opportu-nity for the Smithsonian towork with an educationalinstitution, an archival andlibrary organization, and amuseum,” said Dr. Glass.

Added BruceSlovin,CenterChairman:“Our desig-nation as aSmithsonianAffiliate is asignificantrecognitionof the impor-tance of theCenter toboth the

Jewish andnon-Jewishcommuni-ties in theU.S. and

around the world.”Other distinguished guests

included Bruce Cole, Chairmanof the National Endowment forthe Humanities, which sup-

ported the exhibition with a$300,000 grant, and RichardM. Joel, President of YeshivaUniversity.

During the formal program,one theme resonated through-out the remarks of everyspeaker who graced the dais.From the Center’s Bruce Slovinto the NEH’s Bruce Cole, eachshared personal vignettesfrom their youth, as theywarmly recalled their own par-ents’ and grandparents’connection to the garmentindustry. That has been theimpact of “A Perfect Fit,”touching the lives of so manyvisitors who have viewed thissuperb and evocative exhibitin recent months. ■

Dr. Brent Glass, Director, Museum ofAmerican History, SmithsonianInstitution, addressing the large audi-ence at the opening of “A Perfect Fit.”

A Record-Breaking Opening

In February 2005, the Centerfor Jewish History was askedby the White House to exam-ine the contents of the IraqiJewish Archive, which in Mayof 2003 had been removedfrom the flooded basement ofthe Iraqi IntelligenceHeadquarters in Baghdad andwas now in the United States.A brief examination foundvaluable artifacts, some invery poor condition.

The story of the discoveryof the Archive is as rich as thematerials themselves. In 2003,a tip from the head of theIsrael-Palestinian section ofthe Mukhabarat (SaddamHussein’s feared SecretService) advised Americantroops of the existence ofimportant Jewish books, docu-ments and parchment scrollsin the basement of the IraqiIntelligence Headquarters.

In May of 2003, a selectteam of Americans joinedWeapons of Mass Destructioninvestigators in rescuing thematerials from the floodedBaghdad basement. First, theypacked the wet materials insacks, and then partially driedthem before removing thetrove in 27 metal trunks. TheCoalition ProvisionalAuthority (CPA) took tempo-rary custody of the materialsand was able to freeze them tostabilize their conditionbefore seeking advice from theUnited States NationalArchives and RecordsAdministration (NARA), whichexamined the materials andestimated the cost of preser-vation at several milliondollars. On behalf of theUnited States Government,NARA was given temporaryphysical custody of the

Archive, which is now storedin Washington, D.C., as well asresponsibility for appropriatepreservation and restoration.

A proposal the Center forJewish History submitted lastJune to the NationalEndowment for theHumanities (NEH) to conducta preliminary survey andassessment of the collectionhas been conditionallyapproved by the NEH. Thesix-month project will includean assessment of the physicalstate of the collection, adetermination of its contents,and the convening of an advi-sory panel of experts to helpset priorities for its preserva-tion. Results of the six-monthproject will be used to helpplan future work to addressthe preservation needs of theentire collection. ■

“It’s intellectual, it’schallenging, and it’sfun,” says a highschool student whoparticipated in theSamberg Program,which he remembersas a “great way tospend the summer.”That same uniqueexperience now awaitsup to 25 other highschool juniors andseniors who enroll as2006 Samberg HighSchool Fellows andwill spend four weeksthis summer utilizingall the resources ofthe Center and NewYork City historic sitesto explore their ownfamily’s Jewish rootswhile pursuing research intothe Jewish past.

In 2005, 16 applicantsfrom New York, New Jersey,Connecticut, Maryland, andWashington, D.C. applied tothe program, which draws onall the rich resources of theCenter —its library, archivaldocuments and photographs,its staff of curators, archivistsand librarians, its state-of-the

art technology, and caringeducators.

As in the past, the 2005Samberg Family HistoryProgram was built around threemajor components: workshopsat the Center focusing onresearch methods; field trips toarchives, historic sites, and dif-ferent Jewish communities inthe New York City area; andstudents’ independent research

on their own family histories.In addition to trips to EllisIsland and the NationalArchives, visits to such placesas the Bukharian Jewish com-munity in Queens and theJanina Greek Synagogue onthe Lower East Side under-scored the variety of Jewishtraditions. Said one student:“I learned about a lot of Jewishcommunities that I barely

knew existed. And Iknow where I comefrom now.”

Through the gen-erosity of theSamberg FamilyFoundation, all stu-dents accepted intoThe Samberg FamilyHistory Programreceive full tuitionfellowships. (There isa minimal registra-tion fee.) Thisfunding makes itpossible for a widearray of students,from more variedbackgrounds thanmight otherwise bethe case, to attendthe Program. Severalpast Fellows stressed

their appreciation of meetingand exchanging ideas withpeers whose notions ofJewishness and Judaism wereso different from their own.

For more information about the 2006 program,contact Beth Bernstein,Program Manager, SambergFamily History Program, at(212) 294-8324. ■

2005 Summer Samberg Family History Program at the Center.

A Rare Summer Student ExperienceEnrollment Closes May 15

Award for Great Hall Artwork

Luminous Manuscript, the large per-manent artwork installed in thePaul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Great

Hall at the Center for Jewish History, wasnamed a winner of the 2005 ReligiousArts & Architecture Design Awards, co-sponsored by Faith and Form Magazineand the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Artand Architecture. The honor was given toPittsburgh-based artist Diane Samuels inthe Visual Arts category.

Ms. Samuels was awarded the commission for the GreatHall through an international competition supported by

the Joseph S. and Diane H. SteinbergCharitable Trust. Comprised of alphabetsand the handwritten word, and utilizingstone tiles and glass, the work initiallygives the viewer the impression of aniridescent page of the Talmud. Uponcloser approach, the work reveals itselfas a multilayered mosaic of ever-prolif-erating detail. Luminous Manuscriptserves as a metaphorical preface to thecollections housed within the Center

and explores the role of language and books in Jewish his-tory and memory. ■

Artist Diane Samuels creating LuminousManuscript.

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orphans. Indigence and pover-ty were major reasons forcommitting children to theorphanage, as was disease.Tuberculosis was endemic andhospitalized many parents intothe 20th century.Abandonment by the fatherand the inability to care forone’s family are other fre-quently cited reasons.

Home addresses from theseearly years are predominantlydowntown New York streetnames, for example MaidenLane — Central Park had justbeen completed. Among recur-ring professions — cigarmanufacturer, cabinet maker,seamstress. Among not uncom-mon scenarios — a widowerabandoned his children whoare being cared for by an uncle,who now is trying to have oneof them accepted by theorphanage. There are manytales of sorrow: a fatherdrowned in New Orleans andanother died in the Sunnysidedisaster, when a steamer wentdown in the Hudson in 1875,leaving his wife unable to carefor all her children.

During these very earlyyears the support and adminis-tration for the orphanagescame from wealthy philanthro-pists, who were personallyinvolved in the vetting of theapplicants. But their charitydid not include personal atten-tion and care was rigid, withinfrequent family visitsallowed. The emphasis was onintegrating the American andJewish identities of the chil-dren, reflecting the German

“Cradled in Judea,” the American Jewish Historical Society(AJHS) exhibit on view at the Center through June, tells theevolving story of Jewish orphanages in New York City from 1860to 1960.

“The hand-scripted admission applications found in earlyorphanage ledgers, many of them in the collections of AJHS,reveal much more,” says Lyn Slome, AJHS Director of Library andArchives. “They are particularly rich in information and relevanceto the history of the city’s Jewish community, reflecting chang-ing patterns of immigration, family size and structure, publichealth issues, occupations, health concerns and child care prac-tices, and the impact of external events such as World War I.”

Consider the early ledgers of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum (HOA),New York’s first Jewish orphanage, which opened its doors in 1860with 30 children on what is now West 29th Street, and three yearslater moved to a facility large enough for 200 children on East77th Street. Ms. Slome explains that “this philanthropic endeavorwas a joint effort between the Sephardic and Ashkenazic commu-nities of New York, which realized they had to overcome theirdifferences to support the needy of their community.”

In 1870 the Jewish population of New York City was 80,000,up from 16,000 twenty years earlier. An early orphanage ledgerwith applications from 1871 reveals demographics and othertrends before the major immigration from Eastern Europe beganin the mid-1880s. Applicants’ families were immigrants fromRussia, the German provinces, England, Hungary, Holland. Eachcarefully scripted entry informs the reader who is applying, why,and whether they were admitted, where family members wereborn, the size of their family, their circumstances and needs.

Many of the residents were not literally orphans. In 1872, forexample, 99 of the orphanage’s 172 residents were only half

AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

A Mirror to a Changing New YorkReform ideals on which theseorphanages were established.

The onset of major changecame with the mass immigra-tion from Eastern Europe. In1905, for example, the Jewishpopulation in New York Cityreached 672,000, and the HOAledger reflects an increase inYiddish-speaking applicantsand a rise in orthodoxy, withapplicants predominantly fromthe Bowery and Lower EastSide. Orphanages met theneeds of their new constituen-cy and koshered their kitchens;religious practices and liturgychanged as well. A less rigidapproach to care was alsoemerging. The children wereallowed to speak Yiddish withtheir families, who could visitmore often.

Between the 1870’s and1920’s other Jewish orphan-ages, reform and orthodox,opened in Manhattan,Brooklyn, the Bronx andYonkers to meet the growingneed. These institutionsevolved over the decades inconcert with advances in childcare theory and practice andother communal and externalfactors.

“While the archive includesa great deal of material aboutthis evolution,” says Ms.Slome, “the ledgers in theirdetail reflect the history ofthe Jewish community in New York City.” ■

Children at the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, 1876.

AMERICAN JEWISHHISTORICAL SOCIETYCustodian of the Records ofthe Jewish Experience inAmerica

TREASURES FROM THE COLLECTIONSOn the pages that follow, the Center’s five partner organizations have each chosen one

selection from their rich holdings to present to our readers. Together, they underscore the fascinating diversity of materials preserved at the Center.

TREASURES FROM THE COLLECTIONS

The American SephardiFederation (ASF) hasspent the past five yearsbuilding the only publicNorth American Libraryand Archives dedicatedsolely to the Sephardicexperience. Today thiscollection boasts morethan 4,200 cataloguedbooks and 10,000archival documents.

“Amongst the severalimportant goals for ourlibrary,” says RandallBelinfante, ASFLibrarian/Archivist, “hasbeen to build a strongSephardic collection withmaterials from all thecountries whereSephardic Jews havelived throughout theages and to which theyemigrated after theirexpulsion from Spain in1492.” A 10-volumeanthology of Sephardicliturgy from around theworld, he explains, meetsthis criterion on its own.

Obtaining these booksfor ASF took some doing byseveral people, among them Leon Levy,Honorary Lifetime President of ASF. Inhis travels around the world, he has cometo know many prominent individuals,among them Yitzhak Navon, the fifthpresident of Israel (1978-1983). Navon,whose family has lived in Jerusalem forover 300 years, descends from a long lineof renowned Sephardic rabbis. He himselfhas authored two musical plays based onSephardic folklore.

Yitzhak Navon told Levy that a mannamed Isaac Levy had traveled widely,collecting tunes and liturgy fromSephardic communities everywhere, andthat this compilation had been pub-lished. Leon Levy was unable to locatethe work, but one day it literallyappeared at his door, thanks to theefforts of Navon. Leon Levy purchasedthe set and gave it to ASF — one of its

first library acquisitions. Today, theAntologia de Liturgia Judeo-Española sitson the reference shelves of the Center’sReading Room.

Collecting this liturgy was the lifeachievement of Isaac Levy, a musicologistborn in Turkey in 1919, who came toJerusalem at the age of three. He studiedmusic and singing, performed in publichalls and on radio and television, direct-ed the daily broadcasts in Judeo-Spanishon Israeli national radio (Kol Israel)beginning in 1955, and later also directedits folk music division.

Unfortunately, before Isaac Levy diedin 1977, he told his wife and daughter todestroy his research tapes, apparentlyfearing that others would critique hiswork and he could not defend himself. Asa result, the anthology is Levy’s primarymusical legacy. His legacy also lives onthrough the efforts of his daughter,

Yasmin Levy, a popularsinger of music in theLadino/ Judeo-Spanish tra-dition, which she mixeswith Andalusian flamenco.

Volume one (1965) ofthe anthology includes anintroductory appreciationof Isaac Levy by YitzhakNavon. In a prologue, Levyexpressed the hope that hiswork would not only be aliving testimonial toSephardic Jewry, but that itshould also serve as astrong inspiration for com-posers and music lovers sothat these authenticSephardic songs and liturgi-cal poems would live on.

Levy’s work provides anall-encompassing survey ofthe Ladino/Judeo-Spanishliturgical tradition. There isliturgy for the Sabbath, theHigh Holidays and festivalsthroughout the year; spe-cial songs for weddings,births and Bar Mitzvahs;and other special songs.The volumes include repre-

sentative liturgy, with music,originating in such diverse

communities as Cairo, Salonica, Sarajevo,Tetuán, Amsterdam, Sofia, Malta,Casablanca, Fez, Constantinople andJerusalem. Levy typically presents two ormore versions of each piece describingthe significantly different forms themusic took in the different countries ofthe Sephardic diaspora. He then tries toexpress the music using musical notation,Hebrew and transliteration into Latincharacters.

The final volume was completed afterLevy’s death, and was published in 1980in his memory. ■

AMERICAN SEPHARDI FEDERATION

A Liturgy Spanning Continents

AMERICAN SEPHARDI FEDERATIONRepresenting the Diverse Spectrum ofSephardic Jews in the United States

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This page from Isaac Levy’s anthology features the traditional four questions of Passover inLadino, part of the Sephardic liturgy for Passover.

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LEO BAECK INSTITUTE

Celebrating Franz Rosenzweig:A 40th Birthday Portfolio

As difficult as it is to selectonly one of the items in theremarkable collections of theLeo Baeck Institute, it is pos-sible to highlight the BirthdayPortfolio for the prominentJewish thinker, FranzRosenzweig (1886-1929),because of its uniquecontribution to understandingGerman-Jewish history beforethe Holocaust. Dr. FrankMecklenburg, Director ofResearch and Chief Archivistat the Leo Baeck Institute,notes that this folio reflectsthe revival of Jewish life inGermany after World War I.“Jewish life blossomed duringcertain periods more thanothers and the 1920’s wascertainly one of thoseproductive eras.”

It was Martin Buber whohad the idea of collecting aBirthday Portfolio for the40th Birthday of the celebrat-ed philosopher and educator,who was already physically

quite disabled and limited inthe use of his limbs andspeech due to a chronic dis-ease. But he was also alreadyone of the most importantJewish thinkers, having com-pleted a major work on Hegel,having written the now classicvolume The Star of Redemptionas well as The New Thinking,and having begun work ontranslating the Hebrew Bibleinto modern German, a projectundertaken with MartinBuber.

It was Buber who proposedspecifications for the birthdaycontributions — they were tobe handwritten and no longerthan one page of portfolio-size paper, a format thatwould facilitate Rosenzweig’sreading them. Sheets of spe-cial paper were forwarded topotential contributors,requesting that they bereturned within three weeks.

The group of 46 men andwomen who responded was as

diverse asRosenzweig’s inter-ests. All of them hadbeen affected, influ-enced or inspired byRosenzweig. Theycame from all walksof life and includedpersonal friends aswell as professionalcolleagues. Amongthe most prominent:Martin Buber, NobelPrize author S.Y.Agnon, Leo Baeck,Nahum Glatzer,Friedrich Meinecke,Gershom Scholem,Ernst Simon, andKarl Wolfskehl.

Buber’s own contributionwas a preliminary draft of the

translation of the 40th Psalmfrom their joint Bible project.Before Rosenzweig’s deaththree years later, in 1929,they were able to finalizevolumes one through ten(Genesis-Isaiah). Among thetreasures of the extensive

Rosenzweig collection in theLeo Baeck Institute is a boxthat contains 22 notebooks,totaling more than 2000pages, about the translationproject. Because Rosenzweigwas already afflicted with hisparalyzing disease, the note-books were dictated. Bubercompleted the Bible projectalone many years later.

In 1986, to mark the cen-tennial of Franz Rosenzweig’sbirth, the Leo Baeck Institutepublished a limited facsimileedition of this portfolio, alongwith an introduction andcomplete translation by Dr. Martin Goldner, who hadbeen Secretary of theBuber–Rosenzweig FreiesJüdisches Lehrhaus in

Frankfurt and washimself one of the46 contributors.This collector’sitem is availablefor purchasethrough the LeoBaeck Institute bycontacting Dr.Mecklenburg. ■

LEO BAECK INSTITUTEDocumenting the Vibrant Life of German-Speaking Jewry

Rosenzweig’s major work, The Star of Redemption, was written in part on postcards he senthome from the trenches when he was serving in the German army at the end of World War I.Rosenzweig is standing figure.

Martin Buber provided a preliminary draft ofthe translation of Psalm 40 as his 40th birth-day gift to the ailing Rosenzweig.

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YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

A Powerful Political Statement by a Jewish Conceptual ArtistOne of the firstcontemporary art-works in theYeshiva UniversityMuseum collec-tion is alarge-scale workby Luis Camnitzer,a prominent polit-ical conceptualartist who wasborn in Germanyin 1937, andimmigrated withhis parents toUruguay in 1939,where he wasraised. He came tothe United States in the1960’s.

“Leftovers” is a very impor-tant piece for the Museum,”says Sylvia Herskowitz,Director of the Museum. Alarge and powerful, political-ly-charged work created in1970, “Leftovers” has beenexhibited internationally. Ittraveled for several years aspart of a series of exhibitionsorganized by the internationaldivision of the Museum ofModern Art. Most recently, thework was shown in Paris, in a20th anniversary exhibit atthe Pompidou Centre called“Face à l’Histoire,” and at theTate/Liverpool in England.

The work is composed of awall of 80 ordinary cardboardcartons wrapped in whatappears to be bloodstainedgauze, with two acrylic “pools

of blood” placed on the floorat the foot of the stacks ofboxes. Each carton is stenciledwith the word “leftover” andhas a Roman numeral on it,representing an anonymousvictim as one of many “left-overs” of destruction.

Active in the politically-charged student movement inUruguay, Camnitzer hasalways followed a socio-politi-cal agenda. “I am moreinterested in an art aboutcontext and content ratherthan about its means andways of representation,” hehas written. “Technical virtu-osity is about convincing theviewer that the work is theperfect incarnation of theintention.”

“The storyline for Camnitzerand for our museum in lookingat this piece,” says Gabriel

Goldstein, YUM’s AssociateDirector for Exhibitions andPrograms, “is not only thepolitical liberation movement in Uruguay and the repressivemurders in Uruguay and LatinAmerica, but also the experi-ence of the Holocaust and mass murder.

“Camnitzer’s work res-onates with many themes—the struggle for freedom inLatin America, the destructionof the individual throughmass murder, and the artist’sattempt to reclaim theindividual through memorialand art.”

A new exhibition tentative-ly titled “The Jewish Presence

in Latin American Art ofthe Twentieth Century,”is being planned for2008 jointly by theYeshiva UniversityMuseum and the JaneVoorhees Zimmerli ArtMuseum of RutgersUniversity. It will be pre-sentedsimultaneously at YUM,at the Zimmerli ArtMuseum, the KrasdaleArt Galleries in theBronx, and the RutgersMason Gross School ofthe Arts Galleries on theRutgers campus. In this

upcoming exhibition, theCamnitzer work will be fea-tured at YUM. Says GabrielGoldstein: “We expect theworks that will be shown atthe Yeshiva UniversityMuseum to more clearly lookat issues of Jewish identityand Jewish expression andissues of personal freedomthrough a Holocaust and post-Holocaust lens.” ■

YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUMEducating Audiences of All Ages with Dynamic Interpretations ofJewish Life, Past and Present

Luis Camnitzer, Leftovers, 1970. Paint, gauze, plastic and cardboard (80 boxes), 80"x127"x8"

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also killed by the Nazis. Wulfhimself, after spending nearlytwo years in Auschwitz, set-tled in Paris, where he wrotefor the Yiddish press. Shadowedby his experiences, Wulf col-laborated on many Germanbooks on the subject of theThird Reich, before his tragicdeath, by suicide, in Berlin.

This unique and nearly-lostvolume, which reflects thevitality of modern Yiddishculture on the eve of itsannihilation, is one of anumber of Yiddish booksreleased in Warsaw and

Among the treasures of theYIVO library is a small quartovolume bearing the doubleimprint Warsaw/Cracow andthe date 1940. It is the onlyYiddish book printed inPoland with this date. Perhapsintended for release in 1940,it was apparently completedin Warsaw in the summer of1939. It is probable that allother copies of the book, ifindeed a whole edition wasprinted, were lost after theoutbreak of war or in thedestruction of the Warsawghetto. One copy, sent to NewYork in July 1939, contains ahandwritten dedication to theAmerican Yiddish writerJoseph Opatoshu. This copyalone survived and eventuallyreached the YIVO library.

Entitled Kritishe minyaturn,the book is a collection ofbrief sketches by the youngGerman-born critic JosephWulf (1912-1974), who hadbeen educated in Poland andat French universities. Thelast volume of Yiddish literarycriticism issued in Polandbefore the destruction ofPolish Jewry, it deals with thewhole range of modernYiddish literature, fromSholem Aleichem to suchfigures as Itsik Manger andRachel Korn. Its sketches onEuropean writers discuss H. G.Wells, Shaw, André Maurois,Céline, François Villon andCervantes. The book’s preface,written by the poet M. Shimelwho later died in theHolocaust, refers to this ‘new,young, dedicated talent, witha European education andpassionately connected to ourYiddishland.’ The volume alsoincludes a pen-and-ink por-trait of the author by theartist Ber Horovits, who was

YIVO INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH RESEARCH

‘…Plucked From the Fire’

elsewhere in Poland justbefore the Holocaust. Amongthese are volumes of poems byRejzl Zychlinska and Z.Segalowicz, Manger’s Dos bukhfun gan-eydn, C. Grade’sMusernikes, and the very rarememorial volume for thefounder of the Bund, Arkadi,almost all of whose copieswere lost. Equally rare are the

YIVO Institute for Jewish ResearchUnderstanding the East European Roots of the ContemporaryJewish Experience

books printed in Vilna in 1940(after the transfer of thePolish city to independentLithuania), such asSutzkever’s poem Valdiks.YIVO’s collection of theseYiddish ‘brands plucked fromthe fire’ is unequalled in theworld.

YIVO also holds the singleHebrew book printed inWarsaw with the date 1940,namely, the translation ofSuetonius’ De vita Caesarum(‘The Lives of the Caesars’) bythe distinguished classicistand ancient historian E. M.Stein (1895-1943). Chairmanof the Union of HebrewWriters of Warsaw, Stein waslater killed at Trawniki, nearLublin. (This Hebrew biblio-graphic treasure is alsopreserved in the Kressellibrary at Oxford, and in a fewother collections.) Even rareris the Hebrew liturgical com-mentary by one of thegreatest Talmudic scholars ininterwar Poland, R. BaruchEpstein (1860-1942), whodied during the Holocaust.Epstein’s Barukh she-amar,which also includes his com-mentary on Avot, was printedin Pinsk in 1939, one of thelast rabbinic works issued inPoland. YIVO’s copy is one oftwo known surviving copies ofthis book. ■

Brad Sabin Hill

Dean of the Library Senior Research Librarian YIVO Institute for JewishResearch

Pen-and-ink portrait of Joseph Wulf, author of Kritishe minyaturn, by artist BerHorovits.

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Some 200good friendsof the Centerand membersof the partnerorganizationsgathered inthe Paul S.and SylviaSteinbergGreat Hall onNovember 30 forthe fourth Annual Board ofDirectors and Board ofOverseers Dinner, which raisedjust under $900,000 for theprograms of the Center.

The elegant evening gotunderway with welcomeremarks by Chairman BruceSlovin, who thanked the

guests for their generoussupport. The program alsofeatured the presentation ofthe Sandra P. and Frederick P.Rose Young Historian Award toLila Corwin Berman. Ms.Berman, received the awardfor her book, “A JewishMarilyn Monroe and Tales of

Other Jews Who TransformedAmerica and Themselves.”

The featured speaker wasLeon Wieseltier, author and

literary editor of The NewRepublic, who addressed thetopic, “History, Not Memory.”Said Mr. Wieseltier: “The

accomplishments of this insti-tution encourage me in mydesire to defend the charismaof history. The archives in this

buildingdemonstrateagain andagain that if myth ismagical,knowledge is magicaltoo.”

Theeveningconcluded

with a per-formance by cabaret artistKaren Kohler, who sang thesongs of Kurt Weill. ■

Fourth Gala Dinner

Springtime is Prime Time to Update Your Estate PlanPutting your IRA to charitableuse is a beneficial way topreserve and enrich theunderstanding of our Jewishpast. There are different waysto use IRAs in your retirementplans to make a lasting com-mitment to the Center ofJewish History while realizingsignificant income tax andestate tax savings.

MAKE A GIFT NOWYou are required to begindistributions from your IRA on April 1 following the yearyou reach 70 1⁄2. These requireddistributions are usually fullytaxable as ordinary income.You can donate part or all ofyour required distributioneach year to the Center forJewish History. Such a gift

will entitle you to an incometax deduction that shouldcompletely offset the incometax on your distribution.

Charitable gifts do not have tobe limited to required distri-butions. You can withdrawassets from your IRA at anytime after age 591⁄2 withoutpaying a penalty. While yourdistribution will most likelybe completely taxable as ordi-nary income, you will get anoffsetting deduction by donat-ing the distribution to theCenter. (For larger contribu-tions, you may not be able todeduct the full value of thecontribution because of limitson the percentage of one’sincome that may be deductedfor charitable contributions.)

NAME THE CENTER ASBENEFICIARY OF ASSETSREMAINING IN YOUR IRAAFTER YOUR LIFETIMEIRAs are considered amongthe smartest assets to leave tocharity, since they are subjectto unusually heavy taxation if left to your heirs. They arenot only subject to estate taxin your estate (if left to bene-ficiaries other than yourspouse), but also to incometax when withdrawn by yourbeneficiaries. Both taxes arecompletely avoided if theCenter is named the benefici-ary of assets remaining inyour IRA after your lifetime.

Your IRA can also be left to acharitable remainder trust thatcan provide income to your

spouse, a friend, a sibling, achild or grandchild for life or aterm of years. After the termof the trust, the Center forJewish History would receivethe principal. Income taxwould be completely avoidedon the transfer of assets to theCenter. And, estate tax wouldbe avoided if your spouse isthe beneficiary for life,followed by the remainder to the Center.

As your choice of beneficiarywill not only affect how assetsare distributed at death, butalso how your mandatory life-time distributions arecalculated, it is important thatthis be discussed with yourfinancial advisor. ■

From right to left: Bruce Slovin, Francesca Slovin, JosephBecker, Leon Levy and Esme Berg.

Avivith Oppenheim, Tracey Berkowitz and Nancy Stahl.

Published by the Center for Jewish History

15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011212-294-8301 fax: 212-294-8302

website: www.cjh.org

10

CJH NEWS

BOARD OF DIRECTORSBruce Slovin, Chair

Joseph D. Becker, Vice ChairKenneth J. Bialkin, Vice Chair

Erica Jesselson, Vice ChairJoseph Greenberger, Secretary

Michael A. BambergerNorman BelmonteGeorge Blumenthal

Eva B. CohnDavid E. R. DangoorHenry L. Feingold

Max GitterMichael JesselsonSidney Lapidus

Leon LevyTheodore N. MirvisNancy T. PolevoyRobert S. RifkindDavid Solomon

BOARD OF OVERSEERSWilliam A. Ackman

Jonathan BaronStanley I. BatkinJoseph D. BeckerTracey Berkowitz

Kenneth J. BialkinLeonard BlavatnikGeorge Blumenthal

Abe FoxmanMark Goldman

Joan L. JacobsonIra H. Jolles

Harvey M. KruegerSidney Lapidus

Leon LevyIra A. Lipman

Theodore N. MirvisJoseph H. ReichRobert S. Rifkind

Stephen RosenbergBernard SelzBruce Slovin

Edward L. SteinbergJoseph S. SteinbergMichele Cohn Tocci

Fred S. ZeidmanRoy Zuckerberg

STAFFIra Berkowitz

Chief Financial Officer

Michael GlickmanChief Administrative Officer

Robert SinkChief Archivist and Project Director

Sandra RubinDirector of Development

Robert FriedmanDirector, Genealogy Institute

Natalia IndrimiProgram Curator

Lynne WintersDirector of Production

Stanley BergmanDirector, Werner J. and Gisella LeviCahnman Preservation Laboratory

Tony GillDirector,

Gruss Lipper Digital Laboratory

Diane SpielmannDirector, Public Services

Julie KaplanVolunteer Coordinator

PARTNER INSTITUTIONSAmerican Jewish Historical SocietyDavid Solomon, Executive Director

American Sephardi FederationEsme Berg, Director

Leo Baeck InstituteCarol Kahn Strauss, Executive Director

Yeshiva University MuseumSylvia Herskowitz, Director

YIVO Institute For Jewish ResearchCarl J. Rheins, Executive Director

ACADEMIC ADVISORY COUNCILMichael A. Meyer, Chairman

Hebrew Union College

Elisheva Carlebach,Co-ChairmanQueens College

Todd EndelmanUniversity of Michigan

Henry L. FeingoldBaruch College

David FishmanJewish Theological Seminary

Ernest FrerichsBrown University

Jane GerberGraduate Center of the

City University of New York

Jeffrey GurockYeshiva University

Deborah Dash MooreUniversity of Michigan

Riv-Ellen PrellUniversity of Minnesota

Jeffrey ShandlerRutgers University

Paul ShapiroUnited States Holocaust

Memorial Museum

Chava WeisslerLehigh University

Beth S. WengerUniversity of Pennsylvania

Steven J. ZippersteinStanford University

Editor: Gabrielle BambergerEditorial Director: Sandra Rubin

Printing: Mar+x Myles, Inc.

Underwriting for this Newslettergenerously provided by the

Joseph Alexander Foundation

Sharing Our CommitmentThe Center for Jewish History proudly recognizes the following donors fortheir most generous support of its mission: to preserve, research, and edu-cate by fostering the creation and dissemination of knowledge and bymaking the historical and cultural record of the Jewish people readilyaccessible to scholars, students and the broad public. This list includesmajor gifts received through March 15, 2006. Many significant giftopportunities remain available at the Center, including the naming ofoutstanding facilities. Please call our Development Department at 212-294-8310 for more information.

FOUNDERS ($1,000,000 AND OVER)S. DANIEL ABRAHAM, DR. EDWARD L. STEINBERG -

HEALTHY FOODS OF AMERICA, LLCANONYMOUSANTIQUA FOUNDATIONEMILY AND LEN BLAVATNIKESTATE OF SOPHIE BOOKHALTER, M.D.BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN - C. VIRGINIA FIELDS,

MANHATTAN BOROUGH PRESIDENTLEO AND JULIA FORCHHEIMER FOUNDATIONLILLIAN GOLDMAN CHARITABLE TRUSTHORACE W. GOLDSMITH FOUNDATIONKATHERINE AND CLIFFORD H. GOLDSMITHTHE GRUSS LIPPER FOUNDATIONTHE JESSELSON FAMILYTHE KRESGE FOUNDATIONRONALD S. LAUDERBARBARA AND IRA A. LIPMAN AND SONSNEW YORK CITY COUNCIL - GIFFORD MILLER, SPEAKER;

EVA MOSKOWITZ; CHRISTINE QUINN; DAVID WEPRINNEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRSNEW YORK STATE - GEORGE E. PATAKI, GOVERNORNEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY - SHELDON SILVER, SPEAKERNEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, LIBRARY AID

PROGRAMBETTY AND WALTER L. POPPERRELIANCE GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.INGEBORG AND IRA LEON RENNERT - THE KEREN RUTH

FOUNDATIONANN AND MARCUS ROSENBERGTHE SELZ FOUNDATIONTHE SLOVIN FAMILYTHE SMART FAMILY FOUNDATIONJOSEPH S. AND DIANE H. STEINBERGTHE WINNICK FAMILY FOUNDATION

SPONSORS ($500,000 to $999,999)STANLEY I. BATKINJOAN AND JOSEPH F. CULLMAN 3RD

DIANE AND MARK GOLDMANTHE GOTTESMAN FUNDTHE SAMBERG FAMILY FOUNDATIONTHE SKIRBALL FOUNDATIONTISCH FAMILY FOUNDATIONUNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – JERROLD

NADLER; NITA LOWEY; CAROLYN B. MALONEYUNITED STATES SENATE – CHARLES E. SCHUMER; HILLARY

RODHAM CLINTON; ARLEN SPECTERTHEODORE AND RENEE WEILER FOUNDATION

PATRONS ($100,000 to $499,999)KAREN H. AND WILLIAM A. ACKMANANONYMOUSJUDY AND RONALD BARONJAYNE AND HARVEY BEKERROBERT M. BEREN FOUNDATIONTHE DAVID BERG FOUNDATIONTRACEY AND BRUCE BERKOWITZBIALKIN FAMILY FOUNDATION - ANN AND KENNETH J.

BIALKINGEORGE BLUMENTHALABRAHAM AND RACHEL BORNSTEINLILI AND JON BOSSELOTTE AND LUDWIG BRAVMANNTHE ELI AND EDYTHE L. BROAD FOUNDATIONTHE CAHNMAN FOUNDATIONCONFERENCE ON JEWISH MATERIAL CLAIMS AGAINST

GERMANY - RABBI ISRAEL MILLER FUND FOR SHOAHRESEARCH, DOCUMENTATION AND EDUCATION

THE CONSTANTINER FAMILYMR. AND MRS. J. MORTON DAVISDONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTEMICHAEL DOUGLAS AND KIRK DOUGLASTHE DAVID GEFFEN FOUNDATIONGEORGICA ADVISORS LLCWILLIAM B. GINSBERGNATHAN AND LOUISE GOLDSMITH FOUNDATIONFRANCIS GREENBERGER

Faces of Israel,an exhibit ofsixty photo-graphicportraits byStanley Batkin,is on view inthe ConstantinerGallery located onthe lobby floor of theCenter of Jewish History.

Stanley Batkin’s life-longavocation as a photographerbegan in 1927, when he wasgiven the gift of a camerafor his Bar Mitzvah. A NewYorker, who for 50 yearsworked and subsequentlyheaded the UniversalFolding Box Company,Batkin’s documentation ofIsraelis from all walks of lifestarted in the late 1950s,

when hebegan makingtwice-yearlytrips to Israel.

To date, hehas pho-tographed

some 20,000Israelis, including 200 Israeliartists as well as prominentjudges and statesmen, shop-keepers, office holders,businessmen and women.Batkin’s work has beenexhibited in various venuesin New York, Jerusalem,Beer Sheva and otherAmerican and Israeli cen-ters. Faces of Israel will beon view at the Centerthrough June 30. ■

The Faces of Israel

Former Mayor of Jerusalem,Teddy Kollek. Photo byStanley Batkin.

11

Exhibition HoursMon–Thurs 9:30am–5:30pm

Fri 9:30am–3pm

Sun 11am–5pm

Yeshiva University Museum HoursSun, Tues, Wed, Thurs 11am–5pm

Genealogy InstituteMon–Thurs 9:30am–5pm

Lillian Goldman Reading RoomMon–Thurs 9:30am–5pm

Fri By appointment only

Constantiner Date Palm CaféSun–Thurs 11am–4pm

Fanya Gottesfeld Heller BookstoreMon–Thurs 11am–6pm

Sun 11am–5pm

(Also open on select evenings; call 917-606-8220)

Contact InfoBox Office 917-606-8200

Reading Room 917-606-8217

Genealogy Institute 212-294-8318

General Information 212-294-8301

Group Tours 917-606-8226

DIRECTORY OF THE PARTNERS AND AFFILIATES OF THE CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY

PartnersAmerican Jewish Historical Society 212-294-6160

www.ajhs.org

American Sephardi Federation 212-294-8350www.asfonline.org

Leo Baeck Institute 212-744-6400www.lbi.org

Yeshiva University Museum 212-294-8330www.yu.edu/museum

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 212-246-6080 www.yivoinstitute.org

AffiliatesAmerican Society for Jewish Music 212-294-8328

Centro Primo Levi 917-606-8202

Gomez Mill House 212-294-8329

Yemenite Jewish Federationof America 212-294-8327

Center for Jewish History (all facilities closed Saturdays)

JACK B. GRUBMANFANYA GOTTESFELD HELLERSUSAN AND ROGER HERTOGINSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICESJOAN L. JACOBSONMR. AND MRS. PAUL KAGANLEAH AND MICHAEL KARFUNKELSIMA AND NATHAN KATZ AND FAMILYBARCLAY KNAPPMR. AND MRS. HENRY R. KRAVISCONSTANCE AND HARVEY KRUEGERSIDNEY KRUMSIDNEY AND RUTH LAPIDUSMR. AND MRS. THOMAS H. LEELEON LEVYGEORGE L. LINDEMANNTHE MARCUS FOUNDATIONMARK FAMILY FOUNDATIONCRAIG AND SUSAN MCCAW FOUNDATIONLEO AND BETTY MELAMEDEDWARD AND SANDRA MEYER FOUNDATIONDEL AND BEATRICE P. MINTZ FAMILY CHARITABLE

FOUNDATIONRUTH AND THEODORE N. MIRVISNEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY – DEBORAH J. GLICKNEW YORK STATE SENATE - ROY M. GOODMANNUSACH VILNE, INC.SUSAN AND ALAN PATRICOFRONALD O. PERELMANANNE AND MARTY PERETZJOSEPH H. AND CAROL F. REICHJUDITH AND BURTON P. RESNICKTHE MARC RICH FOUNDATIONRIGHTEOUS PERSONS FOUNDATION - STEVEN SPIELBERGSTEPHEN ROSENBERG - GREYSTONE & CO.LOUISE AND GABRIEL ROSENFELD, HARRIET AND STEVEN

PASSERMANDR. AND MRS. LINDSAY A. ROSENWALDTHE MORRIS AND ALMA SCHAPIRO FUNDS. H. AND HELEN R. SCHEUER FAMILY FOUNDATIONFREDERIC M. SEEGALTHE SHELDON H. SOLOW FOUNDATIONDAVID AND CINDY STONE - FREEDMAN & STONE LAW FIRMROBYNN N. AND ROBERT M. SUSSMANHELENE AND MORRIS TALANSKYWACHTELL, LIPTON, ROSEN & KATZDR. SAMUEL D. WAKSALFRANCES AND LAURENCE A. WEINSTEINGENEVIEVE AND JUSTIN WYNERBARBARA AND ROY J. ZUCKERBERG

BUILDERS ($50,000 TO $99,999)JOSEPH ALEXANDER FOUNDATIONDWAYNE O. ANDREAS - ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND

FOUNDATIONANONYMOUSBEATE AND JOSEPH D. BECKERANTHONY S. BELINKOFFHALINA AND SAMSON BITENSKYANA AND IVAN BOESKYCARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK

CITIBANKROSALIND DEVONVALERIE AND CHARLES DIKERERNST & YOUNG LLPMR. AND MRS. BARRY FEIRSTEINRICHARD AND RHODA GOLDMAN FUNDARNOLD AND ARLENE GOLDSTEINJOHN W. JORDAN, IITHE SIDNEY KIMMEL FOUNDATIONGERALD AND MONA LEVINETHE LIMAN FOUNDATIONMERRILL LYNCH & CO., INC.LOIS AND RICHARD MILLERDAVID M. POLENARLEEN AND ROBERT S. RIFKINDMRS. FREDERICK P. ROSEMAY AND SAMUEL RUDIN FAMILY FOUNDATION, INC.SAVE AMERICA’S TREASURESI. B. SPITZSHARON AND FRED STEINJUDY AND MICHAEL STEINHARDTJANE AND STUART WEITZMANDAPHNA AND RICHARD ZIMAN

GUARDIANS ($10,000 TO $49,999)MR. AND MRS. SAMUEL AARONSMR. AND MRS. MERV ADELSONARTHUR S. AINSBERGMARJORIE AND NORMAN E. ALEXANDERANONYMOUSMARCIA AND EUGENE APPLEBAUMPHYLIS S. AND MICHAEL A. BAMBERGERBANK OF AMERICAAIMEE AND JONATHAN BARONSANFORD L. BATKINBEAR, STEARNS & CO., INC.VIVIAN AND NORMAN BELMONTEJACK AND MARILYN BELZTHE BENDHEIM FOUNDATIONNANCY AND DAVID BERKOWITZMEYER BERMAN FOUNDATIONWILLIAM L. BERNHARDTHE BLOOMFIELD FAMILYBOGATIN FAMILY FOUNDATIONRALPH H. BOOTH IIBOVIS LEND LEASE LMB, INC.DASSA AND BRILL - MARLENE BRILLETHEL BRODSKYCALIFORNIA FEDERAL BANKPATRICIA AND JAMES CAYNECENTER SHEET METAL, INC. - VICTOR GANYCHASE MANHATTAN CORPORATIONCAREN AND ARTURO CONSTANTINERCREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTONTHE NATHAN CUMMINGS FOUNDATIONELLA CWIK-LIDSKYIDE AND DAVID DANGOORESTHER AND ROBERT DAVIDOFFJEFFREY M. DEANEANTHONY DEFELICE - WILLISTHE PHILIP DEVON FAMILY FOUNDATION

BERNICE AND DONALD DRAPKINE. M. WARBURG, PINCUS & CO., LLCHENRY, KAMRAN AND FREDERICK ELGHANAYANMARTIN I. ELIASGAIL AND ALFRED ENGELBERGROGER H. FELBERBAUMCLAIRE AND JOSEPH H. FLOMFOREST ELECTRIC CORPORATIONKINDY AND EMANUEL J. FRIEDMANMICHAEL J. FUCHSDAVID GERBER AND CAROLYN KORSMEYERELISABETH AND MAX GITTERHOWARD GITTISROBERT T. AND LINDA W. GOADGOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.ERIC GOLDSTEINREBECCA AND LAURENCE GRAFSTEINEUGENE AND EMILY GRANT FAMILY FOUNDATIONJONATHAN D. GRAYCLIFF GREENBERGEMANUEL GRUSSLORELEI AND BENJAMIN HAMMERMANJAMES HARMONELLEN AND DAVID S. HIRSCHADA AND JIM HORWICHHSBC BANK USAPAUL T. JONES IIGERSHON KEKSTKLEINHANDLER CORPORATIONKNIGHT TRADING GROUP, INC.JANET AND JOHN KORNREICHKPMG LLPHILARY BALLON AND ORIN KRAMERLAQUILA CONSTRUCTIONTHE FAMILY OF LOLLY AND JULIAN LAVITTLEHMAN BROTHERSEILEEN AND PETER M. LEHRERDENNIS LEIBOWITZABBY AND MITCH LEIGH FOUNDATIONLIBERTY MARBLE, INC.KENNETH AND EVELYN LIPPER FOUNDATIONAMBASSADOR JOHN L. LOEB, JR.MACKENZIE PARTNERS, INC.BERNARD L. AND RUTH MADOFF FOUNDATIONSALLY AND ABE MAGIDJOSEPH MALEHLAUREL AND JOEL MARCUSMR. AND MRS. PETER W. MAYTHE MAYROCK FOUNDATIONEUGENIE G. MESZNIKDRS. ERNEST AND ERIKA MICHAELABBY AND HOWARD MILSTEINMORGAN STANLEY & CO.AGAHAJAN NASSIMI AND FAMILYNATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIESTHE FAMILY OF EUGENE AND MURIEL AND MAYER D. NELSONTHE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANYBERNARD AND TOBY NUSSBAUMFRITZI AND HERBERT H. OWENSJOSEPH K. PAGANOPAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & GARRISON

DORIS L. AND MARTIN D. PAYSONARTHUR AND MARILYN PENN CHARITABLE TRUSTMR. AND MRS. NORMAN H. PESSINPHILIP MORRIS COMPANIES INC.DAVID AND CINDY PINTERNANCY AND MARTIN POLEVOYYVONNE AND LESLIE POLLACK FAMILY FOUNDATIONGERI AND LESTER POLLACKFANNY PORTNOYPUMPKIN TRUST – CAROL F. REICHBESSY L. PUPKOR & J CONSTRUCTION CORPORATIONANNA AND MARTIN J. RABINOWITZJAMES AND SUSAN RATNER PHILANTHROPIC FUNDTHE REED FOUNDATION, INC.THE RELATED COMPANIES, L. P., BRUCE A. BEAL AND

JEFF T. BLAUANITA AND YALE ROEBEATRICE SCHRETER AND CHARLES J. ROSELESTER ROSENKRANTZTHE FAMILY OF EDWARD AND DORIS ROSENTHALJACK AND ELIZABETH ROSENTHALSHAREN NANCY ROZENLILY SAFRATHE HARVEY AND PHYLLIS SANDLER FOUNDATIONCAROL AND LAWRENCE SAPERLARRY B. SCHEINFELDJOAN G. AND RICHARD J. SCHEUERESTATE OF ARLENE R. SCHREIBERALLYNE AND FRED SCHWARTZIRENE AND BERNARD SCHWARTZJOSEPH E. SEAGRAM & SONS, INC.ALFRED AND HANINA SHASHAELLEN AND ROBERT SHASHASIMPSON THACHER & BARTLETTSKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM LLCALAN B. SLIFKA FOUNDATIONSONY CORPORATION OF AMERICAJERRY I. SPEYER/KATHERINE G. FARLEYTHE SAM SPIEGEL FOUNDATIONMEI AND RONALD STANTONJUDY AND EDWARD L. STEINBERGANITA AND STUART SUBOTNICKLYNN AND SY SYMSLYNNE AND MICKEY TARNOPOLTHOMAS WEISEL PARTNERSALICE M. AND THOMAS J. TISCHTRIARC COMPANIES - NELSON PELTZ AND PETER MAYSIMA AND RUBIN WAGNERHARLAN WAKSALCLAUDIA AND WILLIAM G. WALTERSWEIL, GOTSHAL & MANGESPETER A. WEINBERGERNST AND PUTTI WIMPFHEIMER - ERNA STIEBEL

MEMORIAL FUNDDALE AND RAFAEL ZAKLADKAY AND FRED S. ZEIDMANHOPE AND SIMON ZIFFTHE ZISES FAMILY

Sharing Our CommitmentContinued from page 10

The Center for Jewish History extends its thanks to

The Jewish Book Council for generously advising and assisting the

Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Book Store.

15 West 16th StreetNew York, NY 10011www.cjh.org

Nonprofit Org.US Postage

PAIDNew York, NYPermit #4970

Upcoming EventsPROGRAMS

SUN | APRIL 30 | 7:30 PM PEN WORLD VOICES AT CJH

SPONSORED BY THE NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF

INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE IN COLLABORATION

WITH CJH AND THE CULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF

THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL.

A Dialogue on Literature and Peace Israeli author David Grossman andLebanese-born author Elias Khourywill discuss democracy and liberty ofexpression. $15

TUES | MAY 2 | 7:30PM GISELLA LEVI CAHNMAN SEMINAR

SPONSORED BY CENTRO PRIMO LEVI IN

COLLABORATION WITH NYU’S CASA ITALIANA

ZERILLI MARIMÓ AND THE ITALIAN CULTURAL

INSTITUTE.

Hebraic and Islamic Sources of Dante AlighieriProfessor Sandra Debenedetti Stow, Bar Ilan University, will discuss therelationship between idea and represen-tation central to Dante’s notion ofheresy in The Divine Comedy, illustrat-ing its Jewish, Sufi and Neo-platonicroots. $10

WED | MAY 3 | 7PM Screening: Image Before My Eyes (New DVD Release) Based on YIVO’s prize-winning 1976exhibition and book, this film pres-ents a photographic history of Jewishlife in Poland before history’s greatestpogrom. The first 240 attendees willreceive free copies of the DVD, com-pliments of YIVO and the New VideoGroup. $10 ($5 FOR YIVO MEMBERS, STUDENTS

AND SENIORS)

WED | MAY 10 | 7PM AJHS AND CJH PRESENT JEWS & JUSTICE

MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROUS

SUPPORT OF THE DAVID BERG FOUNDATION.

The Rise and Transformation of the Jewish Law Firm: From Discrimination to Competition Professor Eli Wald, University ofDenver, Sturm College of Law, willpresent the results of his interviews ofJewish lawyers, some of whom willshare their reflections. Commentingare: David Wilkins, the Kirkland andEllis Professor, Harvard Law School, andRussell G. Pearce, Professor of Law andCo-Director, Louis Stein Center for Lawand Ethics, Fordham Law School. $10

($5 AJHS AND CJH MEMBERS, STUDENTS AND

SENIORS)

MON | MAY 22 | 7PMAJHS. MUSIC SERIES MADE POSSIBLE

THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF

MR. AND MRS. LEONARD BLAVATNIK.

Darius Milhaud and his Circle of French ComposersThis concert, performed by the critical-ly acclaimed musicians of the PhoenixChamber Ensemble under the artisticdirection of Vassa Shevel and InessaZaretsky, explores the work and influ-ence of Darius Milhaud, one of the mostcreative composers of the 20th century. $12 ($6 FOR AJHS MEMBERS, STUDENTS AND

SENIORS)

WED | MAY 24 | 7PM YIVO

The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us ModernityThe explosive issues raised bySpinoza’s excommunication by theAmsterdam Jewish community 350years ago and Spinoza’s responses arevery much with us today: the limits ofreligion’s tolerance of freedom ofthought, the conflicting claims ofuniversalism and sectarianism, andstrict separation of church and state.Speaker: Dr. Rebecca Goldstein,philosopher and author. $15 ($7 FOR STUDENTS AND SENIORS)

EXHIBITIONSFramed In Words: The Art of Mark PodwalYeshiva University MuseumThrough April 27, 2006Betty and Walter L. Popper Gallery The Holocaust in the Paintings of Valentin LustigYeshiva University MuseumMay 7 to October 29, 2006Winnick Gallery Iron-Fiber-Glass: Orna Ben-Ami -GeorgetteBenisty - Saara GallinYeshiva University MuseumMay 7 to October 22, 2006Rosenberg Gallery ‘Cradled in Judea’: Jewish Orphanages inNew York 1860-1960American Jewish Historical SocietyThrough June 18, 2006Diane & Mark Goldman Gallery Cochin Diary: Jewish Life in Southern IndiaAmerican Sephardi FederationThrough June 30, 2006Leon Levy Exhibition Cases Widely Scattered, Closely Linked: The DailyLife of Central European Jewry, 1600-1948Leo Baeck InstituteThrough May 18, 2006Katherine and Clifford H. Goldsmith Gallery Faces of Israel: Stanley BatkinPhotographerCenter for Jewish HistoryThrough June 30, 2006Constantiner Gallery