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2022 Risa K. Lambert Midwest Event

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In our radically changing world, where violent antisemitism is on the rise and unprovoked war has again been unleashed in Europe, the timeless and timely lessons of the Holocaust have never been more urgently needed.

Thanks to your support, the Museum is reaching a global audience—especially young people—to inspire critical thinking about Holocaust history and the ability of individuals to shape the future. With the power of truth held in our vast collections, our scholarship, and survivors’ own memories, we are confronting the dangerous distortion and misuse of this history—most recently to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine.

We must meet the challenges of these uncertain times. Together, we can ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust continue to inspire individuals and leaders worldwide to confront antisemitism and hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Join us, either in person or virtually, to learn how.

The health and safety of our guests and staff is always our top priority. We request that all guests be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and masks are recommended except when eating or drinking. We will hold the event in accordance with all other local and state laws and CDC guidelines, and will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on pandemic-related safety measures.

Register Individual tickets are $250 per person

Attend This Event

  • September 14, 2022
  • 12:00 pm CT
  • Sheraton Grand Chicago, 301 East North Water Street Chicago, Illinois
  • Individual tickets are $250 per person

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Featured Guests

Honoring

Howard and Loren Friend
Howard and Loren Friend

Dedicated Museum supporters, the Friends have hosted fundraising events at their home, served as corporate co-chairs for the 2009 Chicago Luncheon, and traveled with the Museum on multiple occasions, including visits to Eastern Europe and Rwanda.

They are both active in their community of Glencoe, Illinois, and beyond. Howard is a board member of Am Shalom Temple, Jewish United Fund, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Loren is on the women’s board of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and volunteers for Jewish Family Services and WITS (Working in the Schools).

Loren and Howard have been married for 47 years and have two children and five grandchildren.

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Speakers

Anne Applebaum
Anne Applebaum

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, journalist, and staff writer for The Atlantic, Anne Applebaum examines the challenges and opportunities of global political and economic change through the lenses of world history and the contemporary political landscape. View her work (external link).

From Syrian refugees to Putin’s disinformation narratives, from the EU and the European financial crises to responding to terrorism, from solutions to transition-government corruption to political populists’ game-changing campaign language, Applebaum provides both background and up-to-the-minute insights that are vital to understanding the risks and opportunities of today’s world political and economic climate.

Anne’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Gulag: A History is about the Soviet concentration camps. Her book, Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine, is the winner of her second Duff Cooper Prize and the 28th Lionel Gelber Prize 2018. In it, Anne proves what many suspected: Stalin set out to destroy the Ukrainian peasantry. Her other books include Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1946, Between East and West: Across the Borderlands of Europe, and Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism.

She is a senior fellow of International Affairs and Agora Fellow in Residence at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.

Photo: Rahil Ahmad

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Edna Friedberg
Edna Friedberg

Dr. Edna Friedberg is a Museum historian and senior program curator and the host of the popular Facebook Live series. She joined the staff of the Museum in 1999 and served as the historian for the multingual online Holocaust Encyclopedia and as director of its Wexner Learning Center. She also curated a special exhibition on the legacy of the Nuremberg trials and postwar justice.

Dr. Friedberg regularly speaks to audiences across the country, and her essays connecting Holocaust history with social, cultural, and political issues today have appeared in publications including The Atlantic, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and The Forward.

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Event Leadership

Chairs

Priscilla and Steven Kersten
Priscilla and Steven Kersten

Priscilla is president of the Square One Foundation, a private family foundation rooted in Tikkun Olam and social justice, with a focus on access to social and economic opportunity for all Chicagoans and strengthening our democratic institutions. She is a former member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council at the appointment of President Barack Obama and currently serves on the board of Debate It Forward and the advisory council of UChicago Charter School. In addition, she has served on a variety of boards, including the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Chicago Public Media, and was immediate past chair of the UChicago Women’s Board.

Steven is the owner and president of two manufacturing companies in Chicago, WaterSaver Faucet Co. and Guardian Equipment Inc. He is also an investor in industrial and office properties in the Chicago metropolitan area and has been a member and chair of several organizations and boards promoting manufacturing and workforce development. Steven is a member of World Business Chicago, the Commercial Club, and the Economic Club of Chicago and has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago since 2006. He currently serves on the Executive, Investment, and Institutional Capacity Committees.

Priscilla and Steven have three children, Sam, Benjamin, and Allie.

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Vice Chairs

Janet and Steven Anixter
Gila Bronner and Dr. Craig Deligdish
Suzanne and Lee Miller
JoAnn Silva

Corporate Chair

Brian Price, Mesirow

Honorary Chairs

Governor JB Pritzker
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot

Program Agenda

Event Schedule

11 a.m. Registration opens

11:30 a.m. Lunch

Noon: In-person and virtual program begins

Register Individual tickets are $250 per person

Sponsorship

For questions or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Midwest Regional Office at 312.905.5459 or midwest@ushmm.org.

Press Contact

Raymund Flandez, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
202.314.1772
rflandez@ushmm.org

Midwest Regional Office

Midwest Regional Office

The Midwest Regional Office serves Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York (upstate), North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Find out more about past programs and how to contact us.

Risa K. Lambert was dedicated to the Museum from its inception and involved many of her friends in supporting this historic venture. As a fitting tribute, her family and friends generously named the annual Chicago luncheon, this year to be held virtually and include the whole midwest region, in her memory.