Lecture

Stefan Rozenfeld was born in 1934 in Lodz, Poland. His father, Abraham, was a ribbon manufacturer traveling in Belgium when World War II began on September 1, 1939. Separated from his wife Eugenia (Jenny) and Stefan, Abraham organized a daring escape that reunited the family.  However, without the help of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux, France, the Rozenfeld family would never had mad it to safety.  Stefan Rozenfeld and his daughter Leah Rozenfeld Sills will tell his, and their family story.

This discussion is part of the Harold A. Gottesman ’50 Lecture Series and is open to the public.

Mariana Abrantes de Sousa, Treasurer of the Sousa Mendes Foundation, will speak about Aristides de Sousa Mendes and the work of the Sousa Mendes Foundation during the International Council of B’nai B’rith Meeting from June 23-25, 2019.  Mariana’s talk will be held on Sunday, June 23rd at 11:45 a.m. and will be followed by a testimonial of Monica Barzilay, whose family received visas from Aristides de Sousa Mendes.

Sousa Mendes visa recipient Lee Sterling tells the story of his family’s exodus from Nazi-occupied Europe in 1940 and the role played by Aristides de Sousa Mendes in his survival.

How Aristides de Sousa Mendes Saved Thousands from the Nazis

Jill Neuwelt will discuss her trip last year with the Sousa Mendes Foundation to commemorate the work of Aristides de Sousa Mendes. She and a group met in Bordeaux and travelled along the route that the refugees took to Lisbon. Among those on the trip was Henry Dyner, whose parents received a visa when he was 3 years old. He and his family eventually moved to Paraguay, then to Brazil and finally to the US. The group included three other descendants of visa recipients. During the talk, Jill will share the work of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and the stories of the survivors.

In this workshop for Holocaust educators and librarians, Joan Arnay Halperin will be presenting her book, My Sister’s Eyes, dealing with how her family was saved during the war by Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese diplomat, who permitted thousands of desperate refugees safe passage via France from the Nazis.  The role of Rescuers will be discussed. Who is considered a Righteous Among the Nations? Most importantly the difference individuals and communities can make when they believe in moral responsibility and right conduct.  Note:  This event is restricted to Long Island-based school librarians.

Author-illustrators Hans and Margret Rey fled Nazi-occupied France on handmade bicycles with the manuscript to the first Curious George book among their meager possessions. Thanks to a fortuitous encounter with Aristides de Sousa Mendes, they were all saved. Meet Louise Borden, author of The Journey That Saved Curious George, and Sheila Abranches-Pierce, granddaughter of Sousa Mendes. The program moderator will be Robert Jacobvitz.  This will be a fun program, appropriate for all ages.

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1 PM LOS ANGELES • 4 PM NEW YORK

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Irshad Manji is the winner of Oprah Winfrey’s first annual Chutzpah Award for boldness. As founder of the Moral Courage Project, Irshad equips people to do the right thing in the face of fear. She discovered her mission through a deeply personal journey. In 2003, Irshad released The Trouble with Islam Today, an open letter to her fellow Muslims about why anti-Semitism and other prejudices must end in the name of Allah. In 2007, Irshad turned the book into an Emmy-nominated PBS film, Faith Without Fear. And in 2011, she published Allah, Liberty & Love, which shows how Islam can be reinterpreted for the 21st century. Along the way, Irshad became a professor of moral courage — first teaching at New York University and now lecturing with Oxford University’s Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights. Irshad’s latest book is Don’t Label Me. In our deeply polarized time, she says, standing for what’s right is not enough to make progress. We must also learn to engage the “Other.” Labeling is easy. But listening is a form of moral courage. (more…)

1 PM LOS ANGELES • 4 PM NEW YORK

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At a time when too many people looked away, a handful of American political cartoonists used their pens to raise the alarm about the raging Holocaust. These included some of America’s most famous cartoonists, such as the beloved Dr. Seuss, the Washington Post‘s Pulitzer Prize winning Herbert Block (“Herblock”) and many others. Holocaust historian Rafael Medoff, author of We Spoke Out: Comic Books and the Holocaust, will discuss this fascinating subject together with George Gustines, who covers comics and graphic novels for The New York Times.

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6:00-8:30 PM NEW YORK