Historic broadcast to benefit Holocaust Memorial Center
It’s not too late to witness the special presentation of the 36th Anniversary Benefit by the Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus, today at 7 p.m.
What makes this year’s virtual broadcast truly unique for the audience is that they will be given the rare opportunity to hear from Benjamin Ferencz, the American attorney, who served as the chief prosecutor for the United States Army, during the famous Nuremberg Trials.
He is 100 years old but he still remembers the role he played in one of the biggest murder trials in history.
That makes his presentation a unique opportunity for aspiring lawyers as well as Holocaust survivors and their descendants as well as anyone else interested in the historical prosecution of German SS officers accused of committing the largest number of Nazi killings outside the concentration camps.
Eleanor Jackier, a Holocaust survivor whose deep commitment to advancing Holocaust education in Michigan and ensuring the museum’s work can continue for generations, is this year’s honoree and will also be speaking during the broadcast.
“We are fortunate to have supporters like Eleanor who passionately believe in the importance of Holocaust education,” said Eli Mayerfeld, a Rabbi and CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Center. “Eleanor’s story and her life in America show the power of hope and the love of family. We honor her resilience and the resilience of so many others who stand against evil with fearless determination.”
Joining Ferencz and Jackier will be several other guests including actor and Emmy winner Ed Asner and Abraham Foxman.
Asner is a Jewish American actor best known for his Emmy-winning role as Lou Grant on CBS’s “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-1977), and later in the spin-off series, “Lou Grant” (1977-1982). Among his most recent roles was that of Holocaust survivor Milton Saltzman in stage production of “The Soap Myth” by Jeff Cohen, which tells the story of Saltzman, who is on a mission to ensure that evidence that Nazis made soap out of Jewish corpses is included in Holocaust museums, and a young Jewish journalist, determined to discover the truth. The play examines anti-Semitism in the guise of Holocaust denial, and takes a hard look at who has the right to chronicle history.
Speaking about the dangers of antisemitism and the importance of Holocaust museums will be Foxman, a Holocaust survivor who hails from the same town in Poland as Jackier. Foxman, who is also known for his work as the national director for the Anti-Defamation League and currently serves as National Director Emeritus is also the author of several books, including “Never Again? The Threat of the New Anti-Semitism,” and co-author of “Viral Hate: Containing Its Spread on the Internet.”
Other guests appearing during this special presentation by the Museum include Broadway actor and Grammy winner Adam Kantor; author and historian Deborah Lipstadt; and Grammy-nominated Broadway actress Alexandra Silber.
Serving as chair for the event is Larry Jackier and advisors for the event are Nina and Bernie Kent and Elaine and Michael Serling. Among the supporters of this year’s benefit is Schechter Investment Advisors.
Tickets for the fundraiser are $500, with proceeds going to support the work of the Holocaust Memorial Center.
To register, and receive a link to the broadcast (up until 6 p.m. Nov. 15) visit holocaustcenter.org/benefit
The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus is a 55,000 square foot museum and Library Archive in Farmington Hills that teaches about the senseless murder of millions and why each of us must respect and stand up for the rights of others if we are to prevent future genocide and hate crimes.
For for more information visit holocaustcenter.org/ or call 248-536-9601.