We heard inspiring words from Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein and a thought-provoking conversation between Museum Historian Edna Friedberg and R. Derek Black, who renounced the white supremacist movement. Together with emcee Emmy Rossum, a Golden Globe-nominated actress, and leaders from the western region, we reaffirmed our resolve to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust shape the way forward. This moving experience is now available to watch and share:
On March 11, 2021, members of the Museum community from across the western region—Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington—came together for a virtual tribute event.
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Featured Guests
Emcee
Emmy Rossum
Golden Globe-nominated actress
Emmy Rossum has been captivating audiences with her varied and exceptional talents for more than a decade. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance as “Christine” in The Phantom of the Opera and starred in nine seasons of Showtime’s critically acclaimed dark comedy series, Shameless. Her acting credits are numerous, and she also has expanded to direct and produce for television and streaming services. Rossum also has released two albums, which showcase her classically trained voice. She has been an outspoken critic of antisemitism and bigotry in Hollywood.
MoreSpecial Guest
Gerda Weissmann Klein
Holocaust survivor and 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Gerda Weissmann Klein was 15 years old when Germany invaded her hometown of Bielsko, Poland. In May 1945, Gerda, starving and ill, was liberated by an American soldier who would become her beloved husband of over five decades. An acclaimed speaker and author whose autobiography, All but My Life, was the subject of the Emmy- and Academy Award-winning documentary, Gerda exemplifies the resilience of the human spirit. An accomplished humanitarian, in 2010 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As a longtime Museum leader, Gerda embodies the values it was established to protect.
MoreFeatured Speaker
R. Derek Black
Renounced the white supremacist movement
R. Derek Black was raised in a prominent white supremacist family and spent his teenage years helping his father expand the world’s first online racial hate community, Stormfront. He will discuss why he renounced the white supremacist movement and philosophy he was raised in, and his current work at the University of Chicago exploring the medieval and early modern origins of race, racist ideologies, and antisemitic beliefs.
MoreMusical Performance
The Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at the Colburn School
Music from the Museum's collection performed by conservatory students
Event Leadership
2021 Western Regional Event Leadership
Arizona
Sheryl Bronkesh
Amy and Andrew Cohn
Suzi and Steve Hilton
Susan and William S. Levine
Judy and Mark Searle
California, Bay Area
Adrienne Bavar
Shefali Razdan Duggal
Amy and Mort Friedkin
Susan Lowenberg and Joyce Newstat
Tzipi and Sam Tramiel
California, Los Angeles
Martha and Barry Berkett
Sylvie and Mark Deutsch
Judy and Tom Flesh
Deborah Oppenheimer
Dana Perlman and Hugh Kinsellagh
Sheryl and Ken Pressberg
Janet and Leonard Rosenblatt
Linda and Tony Rubin
Helen and Moshe Sassover
California, San Diego
Judi Gottschalk
California, Santa Barbara
Cindy and Steve Lyons
Montana
Connie Ostrovsky
Nevada
Sonia Breslow
New Mexico
Mim Burhans
Karen Kahn
Washington State
Suzi and Eric LeVine
Program Agenda
The Power of Coming Together: Welcome
Suzi and Eric LeVine, Leadership Committee
Marla Eglash Abraham, Director, Western Region
What You Do Matters
Emmy Rossum, Emcee
The Power of Individuals and the Resilience of the Human Spirit
Musical Performance
The Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at the Colburn School
Tarantella, Movement 5, Five Pieces for String Quartet, by composer Erwin Schulhoff who died at the Wülzburg internment camp in 1942
Played by Gallia Kastner and Adam Millstein (violin); Cara Pogossian (viola); and Ben Solomonow (cello)
Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, sole US and Canadian agent for Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz, Germany
Special Guest
Gerda Weissmann Klein, Holocaust survivor, author, and activist
2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
We Remember Through the Words of Witnesses
General (Ret.) Robin Rand, Chief Executive Officer, Gary Sinise Foundation
Reflections from Holocaust survivors Steven Fenves, Agi Geva, and Estelle Laughlin
Dramatic readings of victims’ last messages and American GI eyewitness accounts by Jamie Lee Curtis, David Eigenberg, Morgan Freeman, Joshua Malina, Camryn Manheim, Tim Matheson, Mandy Patinkin, Daniela Ruah, and Elizabeth Tulloch
Rising to the Challenge: The Need for Global Holocaust Education
Sara J. Bloomfield, Museum Director
Antisemitism, White Nationalism, and Extremist Ideology
A Conversation with R. Derek Black and Museum Historian Dr. Edna Friedberg
From Generation to Generation: Pledge to the Future
Honoring the legacy of Holocaust survivors Hedi and Ted Orden, z”l
Led by their daughters and spouses Martha and Barry Berkett; Judy and Tom Flesh; and Helen and Moshe Sassover, as well as 32 of their children and grandchildren
Event Sponsors
Event Sponsors
Gifts as of March 10, 2021
Benefactor
Gifts of $100,000 or more
Mary and Mark Lieberman
Diamond
Gifts of $50,000–$99,999
Harvey Motulsky and Lisa Norton
The Rosenwald Family
David and Sheryl Wiener
Platinum
Gifts of $25,000–$49,999
Sonia Breslow
The Devinki Family
Mark and Sylvie Deutsch
Debra and Robert Kasirer
The Orden Family—Martha and Barry Berkett, Judy and Tom Flesh, and Helen and Moshe Sassover
Tony and Linda Rubin
Marilyn Ziering and Family
Gold
Gifts of $10,000–$24,999
Donald and Carole Chaiken Foundation
Memory Lane, Inc.
Edward P. Lazarus
Cindy and Steve Lyons
Deborah Oppenheimer
Sheryl and Ken Pressberg
Janet and Lenny Rosenblatt
Carol and Jac Stulberg
Silver
Gifts of $5,000–$9,999
Adrienne Bavar
Yahn Bernier
Sheryl Bronkesh
Gail Buchalter and Warren Breslow
Amy and Andrew Cohn
The Hurd Foundation
Debra and Jay Levine
Meg and Greg Lipstone
Harry and Arlette Lumer
Anna Mantell
Susie and Carl A. Miller
Dana Perlman and Hugh Kinsellagh
Heidi and Albert Praw
Rosa Rosenberg
David and Bob Schneiderman
Bronze
Gifts of $2,500–$4,999
Amy and Mort Friedkin
Dr. Joel Geiderman
Pattikay and Meyer Gottlieb
Judi Gottschalk
Hitter Family Foundation
Sue Nahley-Fleishman
Rita and Pepe Sigal
Reverends Sally Welch and David Berkedal
Robert Zarnegin
Supporting Friend
Gifts of $1,000 or more
Mr. Jeff D. Bader and Mrs. Michelle Kleinert Bader
Michael and Melissa Berenbaum
Steve and Julie Bram Charitable Fund
Philip Estrin
Sharyn and Walter Gertz
Steve and Suzi Hilton
Rachael Horwitz
Seymour Kaufman
Eddie Kislinger
Judy and Nathan Laufer
Bella Liber
Modrall Sperling Law Firm
Jeffrey Portnoy
Stanley Schwartz
Vicki Shenkman
Ellen Stein
Supo Foundation
Elizabeth Weiss
Media Sponsors
Western Regional Office
The Western regional office serves Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Find out more about past programs and how to contact us.
Thank You to Our National and Regional Partners and Donors
National Acknowledgements
- Campaign Leadership
- National Patrons
- Corporate Partners
- Founders Society
- Legacy of Light Founders Society
- United States Holocaust Memorial Council
Regional Acknowledgements
