Join the HMC and be one of Lula's 72!
President's Message
Join the Holocaust Memorial
Center and be one of Lula's 72!
There's never been a better time to
become a member of the Holocaust
Memorial Center.
The Lula Wilson Trust recently
offered a generous grant of $3,500
to support our annual operations if
we can obtain 72 new or upgraded
membership gifts before the end of
the year.
Their timing couldn't be better!
We've just announced an updated
membership program which offers
a wide array of new benefits to both
recognize our members' generosity
and provide special access to our many
programs and activities.
As our newest member, you will
receive complimentary admission
to the Center and all special exhibi-
tions throughout the year (which
over the next year will include Secret
Heroes: The Ritchie Boys, Women of
Ravensbruck: Portraits of Courage, and
In our Hands: A Personal Story of the
Bielski Partisans) as well as invitations
to exclusive member-only openings
I have a solu-
tion for weather-
ing the stifling
summer heat:
Spend a moving
and thought-pro-
voking day inside
the Holocaust
Gary Karp
Memorial Center.
Our Executive Director, Board of
Directors, docents and staff continue
to work tirelessly to maintain the
HMC's high standards and improve
every facet of the experience.
A little over a year ago, the HMC
launched an initiative to stage tempo-
rary exhibits. Our latest, Secret Heroes:
The Ritchie Boys, tells the remarkable
story of a brash group of young Jewish
immigrants who returned to war-torn
Europe as intelligence officers to play a
critical role in the American war effort.
These heroic individuals, including
our own Guy Stern, are featured in
the award-winning documentary The
Ritchie Boys. We are so pleased to
bring this story to a wider audience. I
encourage you to visit this exhibit and
and events.
Our members play such an im-
portant role in assuring our programs
are accessible. This year, more than
25,000 students will receive a reduced-
price or complimentary ticket to visit
the Holocaust Memorial Center. For
most, this will be their first opportu-
nity to experience our exhibits where
they learn to: recognize the importance
of remembrance by honoring survivors
and memorializing those who were
lost; develop an awareness of rac-
ism, stereotyping and prejudice; and
become knowledgeable, sensitive and
responsive to the consequences of apa-
thy. It is an extraordinary opportunity
they might not otherwise have were it
not for the generosity of our members,
whose ongoing support makes it pos-
sible to operate this world-class facility
and offer such important programs.
Making your gift is easy! You can
join online by visiting our website
www.holocaustcenter.org , or call us at
248.553.2400.
We would be thrilled to welcome
you as one of Lula's 72!
the other outstanding curated exhibits
throughout the HMC.
At this year's annual dinner on
September 18, 2011, we will be pre-
senting the first annual "Rabbi Charles
H. Rosenzveig Memorial Award" to
four women who have been stalwart
pillars of the HMC essentially since its
inception. Helen Rosenzveig, Selma
Silverman, Gail Cohen and Feiga
Weiss have dedicated themselves to
building a world-class institution. We
are honored by their commitment
and look forward to recognizing their
numerous achievements.
We also invite you to join us this
year in celebrating our esteemed hon-
orees Lauren and Sam Bienenstock.
They are role models who wonderfully
epitomize our mission to preserve
our precious memories and promote
tolerance. Lauren and Sam, like the
HMC, are unyielding in their determi-
nation to educate each generation so
that "Zachor" and "Never Again" are
more than mere slogans, but abiding
principles.
Congratulations New Docents!
The staff and Board of Directors extend a warm welcome to two new docents, who have completed a rigorous training process with distinction. We are proud that
Kris and Michael Updike have joined our docent family and look forward to many years of cooperative work.
Celebrating 25 Years of Service
Gail Cohen, Helen Rosenzveig,
Selma Silverman, and Feiga Weiss
will receive the Rabbi Charles H.
Rosenzveig Award this year during
the annual dinner in honor of their
twenty-five years of service at the
Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman
Family Campus. They have contrib-
uted invaluably to the success of the
HMC and its goal of "Illuminating
the Past and Enlightening the Future."
Tour Director Gail Cohen sched-
ules every group tour, assigns docents,
and keeps the calendar. She is the rea-
son that the HMC runs smoothly for
more than 100,000 visitors annually.
Besides being a secretary's secretary,
Gail is a dear friend, good listener and
her personal advice is always greatly
appreciated.
Helen Rosenzveig, wife of found-
ing director Rabbi Rosenzveig z'l, is a
woman of many talents. She was the
Membership Secretary of the HMC
and managed everyday donations until
her recent retirement. Helen handled
her duties swiftly, effectively, and
competently. She has a ready smile and
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regards everyone as "one of the family."
Administrator Selma Silverman
graduated from Detroit Central High
School, where she was on the tennis
team. She still scores "aces" with the
volunteers. She is perceptive and gives
excellent counsel. Selma is the HMC's
"Wonder Woman." She exudes con-
fidence and combines dignity with
diplomacy.
Feiga Weiss is a librarian beyond
compare; there is no one better to
guide your research. Every docent
knows that our resourceful librarian
can efficiently direct them to one of
the 15,000 books to answer virtually
any question. We are indebted to her
knowledge and expertise.
The HMC is privileged to count
these talented and conscientious wom-
en among its supporters. The docents
salute their achievements!
Dr. Stuart Falk, An Appreciative Docent
"Who Returned My Soul.:
The original 2 Act Play by K. D.
Brock, A Project of the Foundation for
Holocaust Education Projects.
The Foundation for Holocaust
Education Projects was founded by
Katharine Gorsuch and Avi Mizrachi
in 2008 as a result of a Holocaust
survivor's visit to a small town in
Virginia. Realizing the need for
Holocaust awareness and education in
smaller communities across the United
States, Katharine, together with
Middle School teacher Amy Faulkner
(Waynesboro, VA.) and playwright
Kelly D. Brock (Oxford, MI.), devel-
oped new projects based upon stu-
dents' writing and drama to preserve
the stories of Holocaust survivors.
The Foundation and the
Foundation playwright, Ms. Brock, are
honored to bring one such project, the
dramatic theater performance "Who
Returned My Soul..." to the 2011
Summer Educational Institute.
"Who returned my soul..." tells
the life experiences of ten Holocaust
survivors who share their lives before,
during, and after the Holocaust. For
this production, the reader's theater
format brings each Holocaust survi-
vor's story to the foreground, as if each
survivor is sharing with you in his
or her own living room. The words
you hear are the words spoken by the
survivors themselves, written down to
be passed on, to be shared again and
again. Ms. Brock explains: "The focus
is on the text, or story, not the spec-
tacle of the production which can be
very overwhelming for teachers who
don't have a theater background and
aren't prepared to tackle a traditional
play. Also, research shows that read-
ers' theater has been shown to raise
comprehension in the classroom (30%
1)
or more).
The Foundation for Holocaust
Education Projects is honored to
be part of Holocaust Memorial
Center's 2011 Summer Educational
Institute. This special performance is
Wednesday, August 17, 7:00 pm, free
and open to the public. Refreshments
will be served during intermission.
Email rsvp@holocaustcenter.org for
more information and to RSVP.