Long Island Reads: One Island-One Book Programming Guide 2012

The Lost Wife By Alyson Richman

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Author Event Alyson Richman will be speaking on Sunday, April 22, 2012 2:00 pm at the PLAINVIEW-OLD BETHPAGE PUBLIC LIBRARY 999 Old Country Road, Plainview, New York 11803 (516) 938-0077

TRANSPORATION IS AVAILABLE: Do any of your patrons need a lift to the Alyson Richman author talk and book signing? No problem! They can reserve a space on our comfortable coach bus to the Plainview-Old Bethpage Library on Sunday, April 22nd. Stops will be made at Riverhead Free Library, Middle Country Public Library, and Christopher Morley Park, Searingtown Road, Roslyn. $7.50 per person for round-trip coach bus, snack included. And as an added attraction, you can participate in an onboard book discussion and presentation by a knowledgeable and friendly librarian. Remember, space is limited, so first come, first served. Information regarding pick up times will be provided when you register.

To make reservations, patrons should contact the library from which they wish to leave.

Riverhead Free Library, 330 Court Street, Riverhead: In-person registration only. Call 631-727- 3228 for directions.

Middle Country Public Library: Online registration via links on website, www.mcpl.lib.ny.us or call 631-585-9393, ext. 288. Ask for Loretta Piscatella.

For Christopher Morley Park, 500 Searingtown Road, Roslyn, NY: In person registration at the Port Washington Library, One Library, Drive, Port Washington. For more information, call 516-883- 4400. Ask for Lee Fertitta.

Registration period runs from January 23 to March 10. Payment by check or money order only, made out to Prime Time Travel. 2

PROGRAM RESOURCES FOR “THE LOST WIFE”

BOOK DISCUSSION LEADERS

Wendy Marx [email protected] (Put LONG ISLAND READS in the subject heading) $150

Sarah Siegel 516-670-7202 (cell phone) $175

Pam Lieber 516-287-5330 [email protected] $300

Donna Diamond 631-266-1718 (phone) [email protected] $250 (2 hours with in-depth, fully researched “reading group guides,” author bios and more) NOTE: Daytime: Nassau and Western Suffolk; Evenings: Huntington area only.

Jean Cohen (Not to be confused with “Gene Cohen”) 516-698-0660 (phone) [email protected] $200 (daytime program), $225 (evening program)

South Shore/SW Nassau County:

Linda Judenberg 516-295-2654 [email protected] Please call to discuss fee

Edna Ritzenberg 516-374-5933 [email protected] Please call to discuss fee.

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MUSIC AND THEATER

Motyl Chamber Ensemble 172 W. 79th Street, #4G New York, NY 10024 Phone: 917-921-3710 Fax: 212-769-9276 Call for fee The MOTÝL Chamber Ensemble, formed in 2003, performs music by composers whose lives were cut short or radically transformed by the Holocaust. Some of the composers were fortunate enough to only be forced into exile while the majority lost their lives in the Holocaust. The ensemble's name, Czech for 'butterfly,' is derived from the poem "The Butterfly" written by Pavel Friedman at the Terezín concentration camp.

The Workmen’s Circle Yiddish Chorus

Performs at area events including festivals and concerts. They are the only Yiddish chorus on Long Island. http://www.longislandtraditions.org/artistprofiles/ethnic/workmen.html

Golden Land Concerts and Connections www.goldenland.com Representing Ashkenazi (European), Sephardi, African, and Middle Eastern musical groups and performers. Fee varies, depending upon the performers.

Folksbeine Theater

The National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene is a Drama Desk Award winning, based performing arts company that produces work in Yiddish, with English and Russian supertitles, as well as bilingual programming in Yiddish and English. Founded in 1915, The Folksbiene is the world’s longest continuously running Yiddish theater. In addition to presenting critically acclaimed off-Broadway plays and musicals, The Folksbiene has touring productions of musical comedies, family shows, concerts, literary readings, workshops and lectures which have been seen across the and internationally. For current productions and other information, please visit www.nationalyiddishtheatre.org. For information about bringing a touring production to your community, contact Motl Didner, Artistic Director/National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbeine, 135 W. 29th Street, #504, New York, New York 10001. (212) 213-2120 x202 or [email protected]

For information about group sales, contact Itzy Firestone (212) 213-2120 x204 or [email protected]

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SPEAKERS

1) The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County The mission of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County is to teach the history of the Holocaust and its lessons through education and community outreach. 100 Crescent Beach Road Glen Cove, NY 11542

The Center can offer any or all of the following: ▪An introduction to the history of the era, especially in Czechoslovakia ▪The various ways in which people reacted to the strictures and fear ▪Information on the Ghetto Terezin, the Nazis’ intention regarding this camp; who where the people incarcerated there; the variety of activities; and why they were tolerated. ▪Comments on the verisimilitude of the choices made by prisoners, particularly those made by the prisoners depicted in the book.

The resources of the Louis Posner Memorial Library can be made available to you. Center librarian Marcia Posner, along with two colleagues, can enhance your book discussion with dramatic readings and a discussion of the time period of the book. She is willing to work with you to create an enlightening and entertaining program. Tours of the Center can also be arranged.

Programs are free, but a donation to the Center and travel fare is recommended.

For Speakers (survivors of the Holocaust) and Tours Contact: Silvana Rivera, 516-571-8040, ext. 103

For Book Discussion program Contact Marcia Posner, [email protected], 516-571-8040 (Center library) or 516-437-0383 (home). NOTE: Daytime program only.

2) New York Humanities Council

Lecturer: Miriam Intrator, Doctoral Candidate in Modern European and Jewish History, CUNY

Contact via the New York Humanities Council http://www.nyhumanities.org/speakers/adult_audiences/email_speaker.php?speaker_id=354 (Personal Email not available) Or via CUNY Graduate Center History Department, Room 5111 365 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10016 NOTE: No phone calls. Must contact speaker via the link above.

“Intellectual Resistance During the Holocaust: Escape Through Books, Reading, and Storytelling” During the Second World War, a prisoner-run library was established in the ghetto concentration camp Theresienstadt. The "Ghettozentralbucherei" (Ghetto Central Library) opened in November of 1942 and 5

remained in operation, offering prisoners vital means of escape and solace, until liberation in May of 1945.

Its staff worked creatively and diligently to provide access to the available reading materials. They invented a bookmobile system, created branch libraries throughout the camp, oversaw the cataloging of Hebrew and Judaica volumes, worked to ensure the preservation and survival of rare and valuable works, and encouraged reading aloud so that each book could reach as many people as possible.

Through its very normalcy as an institution of leisure and learning, the library existed as an instrument of resistance, representing an organized system of life, all the more inspirational and strengthening as it thrived within the much larger system of death. This lecture is available from December 1, 2006 to January 1, 2013*

Fee – See New York Council for the Humanities website on how to apply for a lecturer http://www.nyhumanities.org/speakers/adult_audiences/

3) City College of CUNY

Lecturer: Emily Greble, Assistant Professor, Department of History

Professor Greble teaches about inter-war and wartime Czechoslovakia. She has lived in Prague while studying arts and cultural history. She can discuss her trips to Terezin, highlighted by personal photos, including those of her mother’s house. According to Professor Greble, Terezin is one of the best preserved one can visit.

She recently completed her first book on the multicultural city Sarajevo during the Second World War. Currently, she is working on a book on Islam in the Balkans from the late Habsburg to early Communist periods. Prior to coming to City College, Professor Greble held fellowships at the Remarque Institute at and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, part of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. She also has received numerous grants, including from Fulbright- Hays, ACLS, Mellon Foundation, IREX, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Contact her via email at [email protected] or call 914-260-0103. Fee is $250, negotiable.

4) Czech Arts, Crafts and Architecture

Lecturer: Jessica Ley PRAGUE: Arts & Architecture

Although the city of Prague dates back to the 11th century, this program will focus on the periods between 1895 and now. Beginning at the end of the Gilded Age, the borders of the ancient center city, Stare Mesto, began to expand. Architecture in the new areas reflected the art of the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha and were exuberantly Art Nouveau in style. As the city expanded further, Secessionist and Art

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Deco styles were added. Glass, jewelry, furniture, ceramics began to be produced by small businesses who were learning new technologies to adorn the modern spaces and the people dwelling in them.

In the early 20th century, WW I not only disrupted, but nearly collapsed these industries. After the war, the new state of Czechoslovakia was the largest glass bead exporter in the world. Another disruption came after World War II, and still another after the Communist regime fell in 1991. But business is booming and this PowerPoint-illustrated lecture includes some of what you can expect to see - and buy - when you visit this phenomenally beautiful city. Some samples of Czech jewelry will be on display as well.

Ten Vale Drive, Huntington, NY 11743 63-424-7445 [email protected] $160

5) Lost Loves

Lecturer: Donna Hanover, author of “My Boyfriend’s Back.”

Donna Hanover is a broadcast journalist, currently at CUNY TV as a correspondent on the show, SCIENCE & U. Recent episodes can also be viewed on WWW.CUNY.TV. Donna was previously a film critic for WOR Radio, where she also co-hosted morning drive time from 2006-2008. As a journalist, Donna has had long stints anchoring news on WPIX-TV in New York, reporting for WNYW-TV’s GOOD DAY NEW YORK, and hosting FAMOUS HOMES & HIDEAWAYS and shows on the FOOD NETWORK. Earlier positions took her to stations in Danbury, CT, Utica, NY, Columbus, OH, , PA and , FL.

As an actress, Donna portrayed Ruth Carter Stapleton in THE PEOPLE vs.LARRY FLYNT, directed by Milos Forman. Other films include: KEEPING THE FAITH, JUST THE TICKET, RANSOM, SUPERSTAR, and SOMEONE LIKE YOU. On TV she has appeared on LOUIE, RESCUE ME, , THE PRACTICE, ALLY MCBEAL, FAMILY LAW, and in a recurring role on LAW & ORDER.

After premiering THE PEOPLE vs.LARRY FLYNT at the New York Film Festival, Milos Forman took his cast, including Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, and Donna Hanover, to Prague to show the film to his old schoolmate, Czech President Vaclav Havel. They were joined for part of the festivities by Mikhail Baryshnikov, who was back to dance in the Czech Republic for the first time in many years. Donna also had a chance during that trip to visit the hometown of her dad’s father just outside Prague.

Donna is married to attorney Edwin Oster, a partner with Barger & Wolen, and their reunion after more than 30 years apart is one of the stories recounted in her best-selling book, MY BOYFRIEND’S BACK. For the book, she interviewed more than 50 couples about their stories of reunited love, as well as scientists and psychologists about why this love can be so powerful and long-lasting. Donna is the proud mom of Andrew, 25, and Caroline, 22. Known for the service work she did as First Lady of the City of New York from 1994-2002, Donna continues to volunteer with Project A.L.S., Komen’s Race for the

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Cure, and United Cerebral Palsy. Donna’s B.A. is from and her M.S. from the GRADUATE SCHOOL OF at .

Contact information: Phone - 646-215-8062 Email- [email protected] Fee: $300 plus car fare (estimated at $50)

6) Family History/Personal Stories

Lecturer: Paul Glasser, Associate Dean, Max Weinreich Center, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Paul (Hershl) Glasser heard Yiddish in his childhood from his grandparents.

The saga of Paul (Hershl) Glasser’s mother's family represents a different part of Holocaust history from the more familiar German and Polish stories. His grandmother came here in 1921 from Munkacs (formerly Hungary; then Mukacevo, Sub-Carpathian region, Czechoslovakia; now Mukacheve, Zakarpattya Region, Ukraine) with her mother and younger sister, following two older brothers (her father was dead). Her oldest brother stayed behind, married a Jewish woman from Moravia, had two children, and lived in Chust/Khust. When Czechoslovakia was dismembered following the Munich Pact and then the German occupation, Sub-Carpathia was annexed by Hungary. His great-uncle, a Communist, and his son, who was approaching draft age, fled through Romania and Turkey to Palestine. His great- aunt and their daughter stayed behind. They were deported to the area of Kamenets-Podolskii, U.S.S.R. (now Kamianets'-Podil's'kyi, Ukraine) in 1941, survived to return to Khust, then fled in 1943 to Palestine as life under Hungary became more dangerous. The family stayed in Palestine until 1946, when his great- uncle, who was vehemently anti-Zionist, prevailed on them to return to Czechoslovakia. The family moved to Prague, where they live to this day.

Paul Glasser’s career as a Yiddish scholar began at a Workmen's Circle school. He received his doctorate in Yiddish Linguistics in 1990. Dr. Glasser began his affiliation with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research as a doctoral student. He was editor of the English translation of Max Weinreich's 4-volume masterpiece History of the Yiddish Language, published in 2008. His research interests include Yiddish dialects, morphology, and historical and comparative linguistics. Dr. Glasser is a contributor to numerous Yiddish publications.

Contact info:

Dr. Paul (Hershl) Glasser Associate Dean, Max Weinreich Center Senior Research Associate, Yiddish Language [email protected] 212-294-6139 Fee: negotiable

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7) Survivors and Camp Liberators

Lecturer: Theresienstadt Survivor Werner Reich, Oyster Bay

Mr. Reich was shipped to Theresienstadt from Zagreb Yugoslavia in July 1943. Later he was sent to Auschwitz and then to Mauthausen. Mr. Reich will discuss his experiences in the Holocaust as well as the implications of the Holocaust today, making connections from the past to the present.

Contact Info: Phone: (516) 571-8040, c/o Beth Lilach, Senior Director of Education, The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County. (Fee negotiable.)

Lecturer: Herman “Hy” Horowitz, East Meadow, Liberator of both Ohrdruf and Bergen-Belsen Concentration and Forced Labor Camps

Mr. Horowitz speaks frequently as a docent at The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County. (He is speaking at East Meadow Library on April 16, 2012.) He may also be reached independently via email. Mr. Horowitz is 92, and was knighted by the President of France in 2010. A tank driver in General Patton’s Army, Mr. Horowitz’s presentation covers the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of the US military from the landing on Normandy on D Day through the end of World War II. He is available to speak during the day and with transportation (from East Meadow) provided. Fee: Negotiable.

Contact via email: [email protected]

Lecturer: Liberator Morris Sunshine, Bellmore

Mr. Sunshine, a talented speaker and musician, will share his first-hand look at the Holocaust gained while serving as as a Jewish American soldier in World War II Europe. His story is featured in the book "The Liberators: America's Witnesses to the Holocaust" by Michael Hirsch. Mr. Sunshine was part of the 294th Combat Engineer Battalion attached to the 104th Infantry Division which liberated Nordhausen.

Contact Information: Phone: 826-4890 No fee. (Mr. Sunshine prefers not to book too far in advance.)

8) “Four Perfect Pebbles”

Lecturer: Marion Blumenthal Lazan, East Rockaway NOTE: Available Speaking Dates: April 23, April 24

Marion Blumenthal Lazan is a Holocaust survivor and co-author of Four Perfect Pebbles, an award- winning, ALA notable book about her childhood under Hitler's rule.

Her book is a message of perseverance, determination, faith, and hope. It is a moving, first-hand account of the Blumenthal family's life in Germany from the events preceding Kristallnacht to imprisonment in concentration camps to liberation in April of 1945. Mrs. Lazan was 11 years old when the family finally gained its freedom. She relates to her audience, describing her ordeal in such a manner that listeners are quickly drawn into the drama. The listeners are eyewitnesses to history. Mrs. Lazan's mission is to speak to as many people as possible, students and adults, so they can hear the story from a Holocaust survivor. Her presentation goes beyond the facts; she applies the lessons learned to society today. She asks her audience to be tolerant of others and not stereotype individuals based on religious belief, race, color or national origin. She stresses the importance of positive thinking as well as creativity and inner strength

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when working to overcome adversity. She warns her listeners to be true to themselves and not blindly follow-the-leader.

Mrs. Lazan speaks for about 45 minutes and then answers questions for 15-30 minutes. The most successful format is speaking to an audience in an auditorium setting. Ideally, many in the audience have read Four Perfect Pebbles. She is available to inscribe copies of her book.

Contact Info: [email protected] or call 516-374-5958 to find out how a presentation can be arranged. Speaking fee: negotiable

9) “I Am a Star” and “Beyond the Yellow Star to America” Inge Auerbacher

Inge is available to speak at schools and adult groups. Inge was born in Germany and spent three years between 7-10 years of age in the Terezin (Theresienstadt) concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, where out of 15,000 children, about 1 percent survived.

She tells her life story in two books: I am a Star- Child of the Holocaust and Beyond the Yellow Star to America. She has just written a fourth book Finding Dr. Schatz - The Discovery of Streptomycin and A Life It Saved. Inge recently received a honorary "Doctorate of Humane Letters" from Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus.

Contact Info: [email protected] or (718) 526-5903. Or click here to visit her website for more information. Contact for fee.

10) Yiddish Language Program (a lighter program)

Lecturer: Jonathan Geffner YIDDISH FOR DUMMIES!

This is a unique, enchanting, 90- minute introduction to the Yiddish language, presented by renowned ventriloquist - and Yiddish scholar - Jonathan Geffner. Assisted by his puppet partners Shmendrik and Aunt Sarah, Jonathan will give a fascinating and funny overview of the rich vocabulary and idiomatic expressions of mameh-loshn (mother tongue) - as Yiddish has been affectionately called by its native speakers for centuries. The deeply expressive language of East European Jews, Yiddish was, for several centuries, spoken by more Jews throughout the world than any other language - including Hebrew. So, "kumt un hot hanoe! (Come and enjoy!) "S'vet zayn a groyser fargenign!" (It'll be loads of fun!)

Contact Info: cell phone: 1-516-282-5999 fax: 1-516-829-7733 email: [email protected] Call to discuss fee.

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MOVIES

Killing Kasztner (Unrated, 120 min., 2008)

This documentary tells the story of Israel Kasztner, a Hungarian Jew who negotiated with Adolf Eichmann for the lives of thousands during the Holocaust, and the trial and verdict that stamped him as the "man who sold his soul to the devil." Terezin is featured.

Gaylen Ross, the writer/director, may be available for programs. Contact her via the movie’s website, www.killingkasztner.com.

The Last Butterfly (PG-13, 106 min., 1991)

Tom Courtenay plays stage mime Antoine Moreau who is forced by the Gestapo to perform for the children of Terezin. He soon comes to realize that the concentration camp is a sham, meant to fool the Red Cross, and the purpose of the frequent “transports” is sinister. He is then determined to give the performance of a lifetime.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Museum of Jewish Heritage 36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10004 646-437-4202 (Terezin/Theresienstadt is part of their permanent exhibit.)

Speakers Bureau Tracy Bradshaw 646.437.4305 [email protected]

Traveling Exhibitions Erica Blumenfeld 646.437.4351 [email protected]

Group Reservations Christopher Lopez 646.437.4304 [email protected]

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The Jewish Museum 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street New York, NY 10128 Adult Group Tours information – 212-423-3225 http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/ [email protected]

Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity & Human Understanding Suffolk Community College, Huntington Library 533 College Road, Selden, NY 11784 Phone: 631-451-4700 http://www.chdhu.org/research.asp

BUS TOURS

Corning Glass Museum One Museum Way, Corning, NY 800-732-6845 http://www.cmog.org/

The world’s best collection of art and historical glass has more than 45,000 objects that trace 3,500 years of glassmaking history. The museum features hands-on exhibits, live glassblowing demonstrations, a “Make Your Own Glass” program, the Rakow Research Library, and an 18,000 square-foot GlassMarket where you can purchase glass treasures from around the world.

 The world's best collection of art and historical glass. More than 45,000 objects trace 3,500 years of glassmaking history. Read our collections policy.  Hands-on exhibits that tell the story of the science and technology behind innovations in glass.  Live, narrated glassblowing demonstrations all day, every day.  Make Your Own Glass, the Museum's unique try-it-yourself glassmaking program.  A fully equipped glassworking Studio offering year-round courses in all levels of glassmaking.  The Rakow Research Library, the world's library of record and the finest collection of research materials related to the art, history, craft and technology of glass.  An 18,000 square-foot GlassMarket, where you can purchase glass treasures from around the world.

For information regarding Group Tours: http://www.cmog.org/dynamic.aspx?id=122

Program Guide Compiled By:

Tracey Simon, Floral Park Library Janet Schneider, Great Neck Library

Additional Information provided by Loretta Piscatella, Middle Country Library, and Lauren Gilbert, Sachem Public Library.

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