News Briefs – Spring 2007

Hatikvah is organizing and participating in a number of interesting and important programs this spring. We hope that you will be able to join us.

Annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration

Date: Sunday, April 15, 2007

Time: 7:30 P.M.

Location: Sinai Temple, 1100 Dickinson Street, Springfield

Cost: Free to the public

The theme for this year’s annual commemoration for Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, is "Life Reborn: Remembering the Displaced Persons Camps".

There will be music by Mak'hela Choir of Pioneer Valley, Sinai Temple Choir, and Cantor Emily Mekler. Hannah Perlstein Marcus who was born in Bergen Belsen Displaced Persons Camp, and Irving Schild, who was interred in Ft. Ontario near Oswego, New York, will tell their personal stories.

An interesting note, Ft. Ontario was the only refugee camp created by the United States government. As a U.S. War Refugee Board rescue effort, 982 refugees were brought to the camp from Europe in 1944 with understanding that they would return to Europe after the war. However, most of them were able to stay in the United States.

The traditional candle lighting ceremony will feature survivors who were interred in Displaced Persons' Camps. The program will conclude with a call to Action for the United States to assist in ending the genocide in Darfur.

One-Book Holyoke: Night, by Elie Wiesel

A grassroots reading initiative, residents of Holyoke are encouraged to read Night by Elie Wiesel during the month of March.

Night is the haunting memoir of a young Jewish boy who lives through the Holocaust. This is a classic book that delves into universal issues of good and evil, prejudice and the limits of faith.

Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Time: 7:00 P.M.

Location: Holyoke Public Library, 335 Maple Street, Holyoke

Cost: Free to the public

Rabbi Robert Sternberg, Hatikvah’s Executive Director, will lead a discussion on Night from a literary and historical perspective. Sponsored by the City of Holyoke and Holyoke Community College, the lecture is open to residents of Holyoke and all surrounding communities.

One-Book Holyoke: Special Tour of Hatikvah’s Permanent Exhibit

The public is invited, including participants in the One-Book Holyoke program, to Hatikvah for a special tour of our permanent exhibit, “A Reason to Remember”. Herb Roth, one of the survivors whose story is told in the exhibit, will be the special guest speaker for that tour.

This special tour will begin at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, April 24

"An Evening with Academy Award Winner Hilary Swank and Innovative Educator Erin Gruwell"

Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Time: 5:15 – 9:45 P.M.

Location: Hatikvah Center and Bushnell Theatre, Hartford (transportation provided)

Cost: $75, space is limited

For more information: call Debbie Peskin (413) 737-4313 x121

Join us for a special evening that includes dinner at Hatikvah, round-trip transportation, and an inspiration program with Hillary Swank and Erin Gruwell. This event is sponsored by the Women's Division of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts.

Hilary Swank is currently starring in the film "Freedom Writers" in which she portrays the true story of inner city teacher Erin Gruwell. Through her teachings of the Holocaust and other unconventional methods, Ms. Gruwell was able to dramatically transform the lives of her very troubled students and inspire them to succeed.

Anne Frank Exhibit

This well-known exhibit is coming to the Westfield Athenaeum, 6 Elm Street, Westfield, from May 16 to June 15. Please check our website for more information and details.

School Tours

This tour season is our busiest ever. Many new schools, as well as those who regularly come to Hatikvah, have toured our permanent exhibit.

A new committee, headed by Peg Landon, is contacting schools who have not yet seen the exhibit and encouraging them to visit. We thank Peg and her committee for all of their hard work.

New Artifacts

Hatikvah has expanded our already large and impressive artifact collection. Some new additions include posters announcing the establishment of Japanese American Internment camps; a Nazi political poster from the Ukraine; and in our local exhibit, “A Living Memorial”, Gruenwald family letters outlining their difficult journey to this country.

We encourage you to come see the artifacts as they are most powerful when seen in person. Should you not be able to come to Hatikvah, some of these new artifacts can be seen on our website in this location: http://www.hatikvah-center.org/Artifacts/view_artifacts.html.

Future Events and Programs

Many other institutions and organizations have heard about the work we do at Hatikvah and have contacted us to partner with them. Most notably is the Commonwealth Opera Company. In Spring 2008, they will be performing, Brundibar, the children’s opera originally performed in the concentration camp, Theresienstadt. Hatikvah will offer a companion curriculum for schools. Please watch our website for more information about Brundibar

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