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Gala event: “A Toast to Freedom!”
Come join us at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in a beautiful setting next to the Statue of Liberty for a gala luncheon — “A Toast to Freedom!” — to benefit the Sousa Mendes Foundation.
Master of Ceremonies:
Actor Michel Gill (“House of Cards”), the son and grandson of Sousa Mendes visa recipients.
Honoring:
Congressman Jerry Nadler of New York’s 10th Congressional District, recognized by Time magazine for his political courage;
Dr. Eva Fogelman, psychologist and advocate for Holocaust survivors; author of the seminal book on Holocaust rescue, Conscience & Courage;
Maggie Favretti, teacher at Scarsdale High School; founder and advisor of the group Students for Refugees in Westchester County.
Live musical performance:
Highlights from “Circular 14: The Apotheosis of Aristides” with tenor Benjamin Sloman as Aristides de Sousa Mendes, Michel Gill narrating as his twin brother César, soprano Marina Harris as Angelina de Sousa Mendes, tenor Gilad Paz as Salazar, Pedro da Silva on Portuguese guitar, and the composer Neely Bruce at the piano.
Flowers provided by Amy’s Greenhouse.
Event WebsiteFilm screening in Stamford, CT
The film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story returns to the historic State Cinema in Stamford, CT in a joint program of the Jewish Arts & Film Festival of Fairfield County and the Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County. Discussion following the film will be led by Joan Arnay Halperin, author of My Sister’s Eyes: A Family Chronicle of Rescue and Loss During World War II.
Event WebsitePerformance in the Mormon Tabernacle for International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The Sousa Mendes Foundation and the Utah Youth Orchestras and Ensembles present a performance in the Mormon Tabernacle of the oratorio Circular 14: The Apotheosis of Aristides by Neely Bruce. This free concert, conducted by the world-renowned choral conductor Barlow Bradford, will be held on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day of 2018. The event is part of the Temple Square Concert Series.
The piece tells the dramatic true story of the Holocaust hero Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul General in Bordeaux, who saved thousands of lives in the spring of 1940 by issuing Portuguese visas to refugees desperate to escape Nazi-occupied France. From Portugal these refugees boarded ships to freedom in the United States and other final destinations.
Soloists include David Sauer, tenor (Aristides), Michelle Pedersen, soprano (Angelina), Andrew Neumayer, baritone (Rabbi Kruger), Adam Griffiths, tenor (Salazar), and Elizabeth Peters, soprano (Andrée Cibial). The narrator is the actor Michel Gill (César). An accompanying video is by Carole Kim.
Featuring the University of Utah Chamber Choir, the University of Utah A Cappella Choir, and seven high school choirs from across the state: Syracuse High School (Syracuse, UT), Pineview High School (St. George, UT), American Heritage School (American Fork, UT), Alta High School (Sandy, UT), Westlake High School (Saratoga Springs, UT), Woods Cross High School (Woods Cross, UT), and Hillcrest High School (Midvale, UT).
The Mayor of Salt Lake County, Ben McAdams, will deliver opening remarks. In attendance will be Dr. Daniel Mattis, a Sousa Mendes visa recipient living in Utah, and two of Sousa Mendes’s grandsons: Gerald Mendes and Aristides Mendes, one of whom also lives in Utah.
The piece has been performed with a reduced ensemble in Los Angeles in 2016, but this will be the first performance of the definitive version with full orchestra.
Sponsors include: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Foundation, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, the Lawrence T. and Janet T. Dee Foundation, the John and Marcia Price Family Foundation, Zions Bank, the United Jewish Federation of Utah and numerous individual donors.
Event WebsiteFilm screening in Utah
Congregation Kol Ami presents a screening of the film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story. Discussion following the film will be led by Dan Mattis, who received a visa from Aristides de Sousa Mendes in May of 1940 during his escape from Nazi-occupied Europe.
Event WebsiteFilm screening in Pennsylvania
Congregation Beth Hamedrosh of Wynnewood, PA presents a screening of the film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story. Light refreshments will be served.
Event WebsiteFilm screening in Mineola, NY
The Long Island Portuguese Lions Club presents a screening of the award-winning film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story at Mineola High School. Q&A will be led by Olivia Mattis, President of the Sousa Mendes Foundation. Come learn about a true Portuguese hero and be inspired! Refreshments available for purchase.
Tickets $10 available at the door.
Film screening in Pinecrest, Florida
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami presents a two-part program in honor of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, beginning with this March 11 screening of the film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story. Post-screening Q&A led by Robert Jacobvitz, Chair of the Advisory Council, Sousa Mendes Foundation. Later in April, on the occasion of Yom Hashoah, the Genealogical Society will present Rebecca Barber, who will tell the gripping true story of how her mother and other family members were rescued by Sousa Mendes.
Event WebsitePresentation and book signing by Joan Arnay Halperin in Leonia, NJ
The realities of World War II catapult the Krakowiak family out of their charmed life and into an exodus across half the world. Joan Arnay Halperin’s book My Sister’s Eyes tells the dramatic true story of her family’s rescue by Aristides de Sousa Mendes and subsequent semi-internment in a British evacuee camp on the island of Jamaica, amounting to a Holocaust tale quite unlike any other.
Film screening and presentation in Chicago, IL
Anshe Emet Synagogue presents excerpts from the film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story. Paulette Freed, whose family was saved by Aristides de Sousa Mendes, will present the story of her family’s escape from Nazi-occupied Europe and her own pilgrimage to retrace her family’s footsteps to freedom. To register for the event, and purchase optional memorial candles, please go here: http://tinyurl.com/yomhashoah5778.
Event WebsiteFilm screening in Millersville, PA
Millersville University presents a screening of the film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story as part of the 35th Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide — “Holocaust and Genocide Trials.” For the full conference program, please see http://www.millersville.edu/holocon/files/2018_mu_holocaust_conference_program.pdf.
Event Website