53rd JCC Book And Arts Fair Takes Place May-June 2019

The Annual Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo Book and Arts Fair, celebrating its 53rd year, will showcase acclaimed authors, playwrights, artists, musicians and more.

Programs begin May 6, with an opening night reception of Ghosts: French Holocaust Children, by artist, curator, educator and historian Robert Hirsch. This haunting three-dimensional photographic installation commemorates the lives of French children murdered during the Holocaust. On display at the Bunis Family Art Gallery at the Benderson Family Building May 6 - June 28, 2019.

The JCC Holland Family Building will host Buffalo author Sandra Block and her newest novel, What Happened That Night, presented with Crisis Services. Included in the line-up is guest speaker Judge Rachel "Ruchie" Freier, dubbed by the New York Times as the 'Chassidic Superwoman'. Featured on Megyn Kelley and the documentary 93 Queen, Judge Rachel Freier is the first Chassidic woman elected to public office and later to become a judge. The JCC is proud to feature another female powerhouse, Cantor Barbara Ostfeld, the first ordained woman cantor in Jewish history, who has made a lasting impact on the Cantorate and WNY Community.

Making it's theatrical debut screening, is the film Risking Everything: Stories of Niagara's Freedom Seekers and the Making of a Monument, a compelling documentary on Niagara's "Freedom Seekers" by the award-winning CBS ("On the Road") cameraman, Isadore "Izzy" Bleckman and his wife, Mary G. Roseberry who will be part of a multi-media event. The film also documents every stage of the creation of Lewiston's evocative "Freedom Crossing" monument by renowned bronze sculptor Susan Geissler of Youngstown, NY, and focuses on some individuals who settled along the Canadian shore after they found freedom, as remembered by their descendants.

During the month of June, books will be collected for preschool - grade 4 students attending Highgate Heights Elementary School in Buffalo, in collaboration with Buffalo Jewish Coalition for Literacy, a program of Buffalo Jewish Federation. For the past 15 years, Buffalo Jewish Coalition volunteers have been bringing donated books to students, as well as reading to and tutoring children. Collection boxes will be at or near membership services desks at both JCC buildings.

The JCC Book and Arts Fair is open to everyone. Most events conclude with dessert receptions as well as book sales and signings. Tickets for events requiring admission may be purchased at the door based on availability, or prior to events at either JCC member services desk as well as www.jccbuffalo.org.

The following events will be included during this year's Book and Arts Fair:

Photography Exhibit

Ghosts: French Holocaust Children by Robert Hirsch

May 6 - June 28

Bunis Family Art Gallery, JCC Benderson Family Building

Free and open to the Public

The exhibit, Ghosts: French Holocaust Children, by artist, curator, educator and historian Robert Hirsch, tells how during World War II, more than 11,000 Jewish children were deported from France to Auschwitz and other Nazis death camps in convoys that continued until Paris was liberated. The exhibit is a three-dimensional photo-based installation that documents these childrens' abbreviated lives, and addresses societal conditions that lead to anti-Semitism and racism. Details at: www.LightResearch.net

Art Gallery Opening Night Reception

Ghosts: French Holocaust Children

Monday, May 6, 7:00-9:00pm

Lippman Lounge, JCC Benderson Family Building

Free event open to the public

Join us for the opening night of the photography exhibit Ghosts: French Holocaust Children, by artist, curator, educator and historian Robert Hirsch. Enjoy a light reception, tour the gallery and speak with the photographer.

Film Screening and Discussion

Sarah's Key

Tuesday, May 7, 6:00-9:00pm

Second Floor Board Room, JCC Benderson Family Building

Free event; Reservations Required

An account of research by a journalist into a shameful incident in French history intertwines with a story of a 10-year-old Jewish girl, Sarah Strazynski, from that time period. Guest speaker Regine Marton, will share a written account of her mother's experience in France, a child survivor who was hidden by friends during the war and conduct a Q&A with the audience. Presented with the American Association of Teachers of French Western New York.

Lecture Presentation

"Ghosts: An Artistic Meditation on the Holocaust and Anti-Semitism"

Wednesday, May 22, 7:00-9:00pm

Lippman Lounge, JCC Benderson Family Building

Tickets: $10.00/general $5.00/student

Robert Hirsch will examine the artistic, cultural, political, and personal principals of Ghosts: French Holocaust Children. He will discuss how he created the installation, the history that informs the project, and Israel's place on the world stage.

Concert

Musicians: Chris Vasquez, Moshe Shulman and Ivan Docenko

Sunday, June 2, 7:00-9:30pm

Lobby, JCC Holland Family Building

Tickets: $12.00/general $5.00/student

Enjoy a wonderful night of music as Chris Vasquez, winner of last year's Buffalo Philharmonic's "Buffalo Sings" competition, Moshe Shulman (violin) and Ivan Docenko (piano) present you with tangos, boleros, American and Yiddish songs. An evening filled with love, good memories and beautiful music! Reception to follow.

Author and Book Event

What Happened That Night

Author: Sandra Block

Tuesday, June 4, 7:00-9:00pm

Lower Level Conference Room, JCC Holland Family Building

Tickets: $10.00/general $5.00/student

Sandra Block graduated from Harvard, then returned to her native land of Buffalo, NY for medical training as a practicing neurologist and never left. Sandra will speak on her novel What Happened That Night, a prescient story of sexual abuse in an elite institution - an issue brought to the forefront in recent Supreme Court appointments that divided the country not only across political lines, but gender lines as well. How far have we come, and where do we go from here? Presented with Crisis Services. Book sale/signing and reception to follow. Sponsored by Hodgson Russ LLP.

Film Screening

Bashert

Wednesday, June 12, 7:00-9:00pm

Maxine and Robert Seller Theatre, JCC Benderson Family Building

Tickets: $10.00/general $5.00/student

Rick Kollins, a retired educator and journalist from Toronto, presents this 25-minute documentary on the startling discovery of his family roots during a visit to the shtetl of his paternal ancestors in the Ukraine. The film will be followed by a discussion about genealogical research and online resources for tracing ancestry and building family trees. Reception to follow. Sponsored by Congregation Havurah.

Author and Book Event

Catbird: The Ballad of Barbi Prim

Author: Cantor Barbara Ostfeld

Thursday, June 13, 7:00-9:00pm

Congregation Shir Shalom

Tickets: $10.00/general $5.00/student

Barbara Ostfeld is the first ordained woman cantor in Judaism. She served congregations in NYS from 1975-2002 and spent ten years working for the American Conference of Cantors.

In Catbird: The Ballad of Barbi Prim, the world meets an insightful, quirky 8-year-old who has already taken a few steps towards becoming a pioneer. Her love of singing helps her overcome self-doubts and propels her on to become the first ordained woman cantor in 3,000 years of Jewish history. Book sale/signing and reception to follow. Sponsored by Temple Beth Zion and Congregation Shir Shalom.

Speaker

Judge Rachel Freier

Sunday, June 16, 2:30-4:00pm

Maxine and Robert Seller Theatre, JCC Benderson Family Building

Tickets: $18.00

Dubbed by the New York Times as the 'Chassidic Superwoman', featured on Megyn Kelley and the documentary 93 Queen, Judge Rachel Freier is the first Chassidic woman elected to public office. Judge Freier, a mother of six, will share her inspirational story of how she began as a legal secretary to support her family, founded the grassroots all-volunteer womens' EMT emergency services organization "Ezras Nashim" and worked her way up to become a paralegal, a legal intern for then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, a lawyer and, eventually, a judge. Reception to follow. Sponsored by The TELLL Fund and Cheryl Stein Law Firm.

Staged Reading

Are You Jewish? Five One-Act Comedy Plays about Jewish Identity

By Bruce J. Bloom

Monday, June 17, 7:00-9:00pm

Maxine and Robert Seller Theatre, JCC Benderson Family Building

Tickets: $10.00/general $5.00/student

The Jewish Repertory Theatre presents a staged reading of Are You Jewish? FIVE SHORT PLAYS THAT MAKE AUDIENCES LAUGH AND BELIEVE. Directed by Adam Yellen. Visit www.jewishrepertorytheatre.com for details. Reception to follow.

Book Event

Of Mad Dog ,Shepherds and Sheep

Author: Mordecai Hauer

Edited by: David Hauer MD

Wednesday, June 19, 7:00-9:00pm

Maxine and Robert Seller Theatre, JCC Benderson Family Building

Tickets: $10.00/general $5.00/student

It was March 19, 1944 and Miklos was in Budapest studying for university entrance exams when the Nazis invaded. The son of a well-to-do Jewish merchant, he was caught up in events that challenged his faith in man and God, and shattered his world.

Originally written as a promise to a fellow prisoner, Miklos' manuscript was never published during his lifetime. It became his eldest son's mission, David Hauer MD, the presenter at this event, to share this remarkable story of self-discovery. Book sale/signing and reception to follow. Sponsored by Concierge Dental.

Multi Media Event

Izzy Bleckman: On The Road, Behind the Lens

Sunday, June 23, 2:00-4:00pm

Maxine and Robert Seller Theatre, JCC Benderson Family Building

Tickets: $10.00/general $5.00/student

Film screening Risking Everything: Stories of Niagara's Freedom Seekers and the Making of a Monument

Written and Produced by Mary Roseberry and Izzy Bleckman

Multimedia event with legendary CBS ("On the Road") cameraman, Isadore "Izzy" Bleckman featuring archival news-story footage and the theatrical debut screening of the film, which documents the dangerous journey from slave states to freedom in Canada before the American Civil War. Moderator: Rich Kellman

Reception to follow. Sponsored by Congregation Havurah

Author and Book Event

Unreasonable Doubts

Author: Reyna Gentin

Monday, June 24, 7:00-9:00pm

Maxine and Robert Seller Theatre, JCC Benderson Family Building

Tickets: $10.00/general $5.00/student

After graduating from Yale College and Yale Law School, Reyna Gentin practiced as a juvenile rights attorney with the Legal Aid Society, and then as a criminal appellate attorney with a nonprofit public defender's office for nearly 18 years. That job, and a number of the clients she represented, inspired Unreasonable Doubts. More than a legal thriller, it's the story of Liana Cohen, a young woman who grapples with her idealism in an often harsh world, and learns how to find friendship, faith, and love. Book sale/signing and reception to follow. Sponsored by Samuel and Sophie Weinstein Book Fair Endowment Fund at the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies

Tickets may be purchased at the door based on availability or in advance at either JCC member services desk or at www.jccbuffalo.org.

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