Local screenings of film 'Nicky’s Family' commemorate Anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz

To commemorate the 69^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Jan. 27, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and the JCC will screen two showings of the documentary "Nicky’s Family."

The first showing, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, Shoreline Hadassah and The Grove School begins at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at Polson Middle School, 302 Green Hill Road, Madison, according to a release.

The second showing begins at at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at the JCC, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, the release said.

Suggested donation is $5.

"Proceeds of the movie will help fund scholarships for March of the Living, a program that sends Jewish teens from around the world for a two-week experiential journey to Poland and Israel for an educational experience about the Holocaust," the release said. 

 

"'Nicky's Family' tells the nearly forgotten story of Nicholas Winton, an Englishman who organized the rescue of 669 Czech and Slovak children just before the outbreak of World War II. Winton, now 104 years old, did not speak about these events with anyone for more than half a century. His heroic efforts might have been forgotten if his wife had not found a suitcase full of documents and transport plans many years later," the release said,. 

 

Also from the release:

 

The showing of "Nicky’s Family" is part of the Beckerman Lecture series. Sponsored by the Beckerman Family Foundation, the series is designed to promote engaging conversations about topics and themes that have shaped our world and continue to impact tout place in the global community.

 

Following the January 27 screening, Mr. Ivan Backer will discuss his personal experience on the Kindertransport. Mr. Backer’s mother boarded him on a train in Prague bound for London in May 1939 along with 668 other children. Unlike many of them, however, Mr. Backer’s story is atypical of that time period as many of his peers never saw their loved ones again.

 

“Mainly the question that it (the experience) poses is why was I spared when so many perished,” said Backer. “The answer is that I need to lead a life of service to others out of gratitude for being saved.” He said he hopes to “instill in young people the need to live a life beyond their own enjoyment and satisfaction.”

 

His own life journey brought him to New York in 1944 at the age of 15. Mr. Backer went on to graduate from Moravian College in Pennsylvania with a history degree and from Columbia University, where he earned his master’s degree in social ethics. For the past quarter century, Mr. Backer has served as the director of Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance in Hartford, which works to improve the neighborhoods around Trinity College, Hartford Hospital and the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

 

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed. Click one of the buttons below to share it.

Beer Mitzvah to be held at Hamden temple

HAMDEN - Temple Beth Sholom and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven will hold a Beer Mitzvah from 8 p.m. to midnight Dec. 11 from 8 p.m. to midnight at 1809 Whitney Ave.

"Not only will this 21+ event have food and live music — like a traditional Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration — but it will also feature a beer tasting," organizers said in a statement.
Dance to a wide range of music from the energetic Steamroller Band, enjoy a Kosher hot dog buffet and taste local and regional beers, including Shmaltz; Sierra Nevada, and Blue Point Brewing Co,, the statement said.

Non-alcoholic beverages will be available.

Advance tickets are $40 for beer tasting and dance; $30 for dance only. Tickets at the door are $45/$35 (cash only). Kosher hot dog buffet is included in ticket price.

Reserve advance tickets by emailing your name, mailing address and number of tickets to WaysAndMeans@tbshamden.com. Include “Beer Mitzvah Tickets” in the subject line. An advance tickets order form also is available to download at http://www.tbshamden.com/.

Only those 21 or older may participate in the event. A valid photo ID will be required at the door.
"This major fundraiser will enable Temple Beth Sholom to carry on the local, state and national charitable activities in which the synagogue is currently engaged," the statement said. "The event will also benefit the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Family Service’s new Jewish Community Social Work Outreach Support (SOS) Program. The SOS Program is a partnership of Jewish Family Service and the Jewish Federation that has been created to make a positive impact on the lives of families in our community."

Learn more about the SOS program at www.jewishnewhaven.org.

For more information, please contact Brian Lakin at WaysAndMeans@tbshamden.com.

The Summer Institute schedule announced

Classes taught by scholars on a variety of Jewish topics, sponsored by The Center for Jewish Life and Learning of the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon June 23 and 30 and July 7, 14, 21 and 28 and on the evenings of July 14 and 28, at the JCC, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge.
The Center for Jewish Life was formerly the Department of Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. Kosher lunches will be available for purchase.

The schedule for morning classes is:
June 23 – “Which Came First, The Rabbi or the Priest?” Re-reading Talmudic
Texts in Light of Early Christian Sources,” with Yonatan Moss, Yale University

June 30 – “The Wisenheimer: How High School Debate Shaped Me, and How It Shapes America,” with Mark Oppenheimer, columnist, New York Times Magazine

July 7 – “Diane Arbus and Jewish Memory,” with Laura Wexler, professor, Yale University

July 14 – “Judaism: A Way of Being,” with David Gelernter, professor, Yale University

July 21 – “Nazis and Degenerate Art,” with Rachel Perry, professor, Tel Aviv University/Yad Vashem

July 28 – “Erotic Spirituality: Sex and Judaism,” with Sydney A. Perry, CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven

For evening classes:
July 14 - “Tisha B’Av and the Jewish Response to Catastrophe,” with Rabbi Herbert Brockman, Congregation Mishkan Israel

July 28 - “Tu B’Av (the 15th of Av): The Jewish Art of Matchmaking,” with Rabbi Hesch Sommer, Jewish Family Service of Greater New Haven

The registration cost for morning classes is $100 for the series or $18 per session. Evening sessions are free and open to the public. Register for courses on line at jccnh.org. For more information, contact Rich Walter, Director of the CJLL, at 203 387-2424 x300.

Childcare and children’s activities will be available in the Little Seeds babysitting room and at The Painted Pomegranate, the creative learning and play center at the JCC, organizers said. For child care, call Daniela Balzano at 203 387-2522 x227.

The Summer Institute is new program of the Center for Jewish Life and Learning of the JCC of Greater New Haven, a subsidiary of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, organizers said in a statement.


Editor's note: this information was provided by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven