53rd JCC Book And Arts Fair Set for May - June, 2019
By: Julie Musbach Apr. 09, 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 Reform 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
JCC Book and Arts Fair Tickets
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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