News from the 19th Floor – Alfred Lerner Fellows – January 2023
News from the 19th Floor
JFR 2023 ADVANCED SEMINAR
We are looking forward to welcoming 23 Alfred Lerner Fellows to the 2023 Advanced Seminar to be held January 14-16, 2023. The scholars presenting are: Dr. Nicholas Coddington, Professor Peter Hayes, Professor Paul Hanebrink; and Professor Jeffrey Veidlinger. It will be good to be back in person!
This month’s recommended book from the JFR Library is Professor Veidlinger’s book, In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918-1921. It is one of the required readings for the Advanced Seminar and an important book.
2023 EUROPEAN STUDY PROGRAM
We hope to offer the JFR 2023 European Study Program to Germany and Poland this July. The itinerary and travel arrangements are being firmed up. This will probably be our last study program as it is currently structured. While the dates are not set, we anticipate leaving the U.S. around July 2 and return around July 17, 2023. Information on the program will be sent out later this month.
The Study Program starts in Munich and ends in Auschwitz where we spend five nights. Professor Robert Jan van Pelt is our scholar for the program. Please let Stanlee know if you are interested in participating in the 2023 European Study Program.
Charity Navigator
The JFR has a Four-Star rating at Charity Navigator. Many people have told us that they are unable to find us on Charity Navigator’s website. In order to search for the JFR, you must search “Jewish Foundation for the Righteous” (without the word “The” in the beginning). Here is a link to our page on Charity Navigator.
CHRISTMAS AWARDS SENT TO RESCUERS
At the end of 2022, the JFR sent $360,000 to rescuers in 12 countries. This amount included a special Christmas gift of $3,000 for the purchase of food, for home heating fuel, and for medications. This was our largest Christmas award to date. Here is a link to thank you notes from rescuers. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are able to make a difference in the day-to-day lives of the rescuers.
WHY I TEACH THE HOLOCAUST
We reached out to several of our Lerner Fellows and asked them to write a short piece on “Why I Teach the Holocaust.” I would like to share their thoughts, please click here.
WE MOURN THE PASSING OF VOLODIMIR CHORNOVOL
Volodimir Chornovol a Righteous Gentile from Ukraine, died on December 28, 2022, at the age of 101. Stanlee met Volodimir in 1998 and they remained email friends since. May Volodimir’s memory be a blessing. Here is a link to his rescue story.
RESCUER SUPPORT PROGRAM
The JFR Board of Trustees voted to increase monthly award levels for JFR-supported rescuers. Each rescuer will receive an additional $50 USD each month. Monthly awards will now be $300 for each rescuer. We estimate that we will expend almost $800,000 on direct support of Righteous Gentiles during 2023, this figure includes a special grant at Christmas and emergency grants. As the rescuers age, their needs become more acute. The JFR is working hard to meet these needs. (Click here for more information.)
As we welcome a new year, we thought it appropriate to take some time to provide information on how our rescuer support program works. Many of our donors have asked when and how we send our funds to rescuers.
Sending Rescuer Awards
- Rescuers living outside the United States receive their awards every four months – March, July, and November/December.
- Rescuers living in the United States receive their awards quarterly – January, April, July, and October.
How are Funds Sent
- Rescuers living in the United States receive a bank check.
- Rescuers living in Poland receive a wire transfer into their bank account.
- Rescuers living in all other countries receive their funds via Western Union.
How do we know rescuers are alive?
- Annually, every rescuer must provide a notarized document stating that they are alive.
- Annually, every rescuer must provide a copy of their pension statement for May or June.
- Rescuers living in Poland, the country with the largest number of supported rescuers, must provide a copy of their pension statement for January.
Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent bank sanctions, we are unable to send funds to rescuers in Russia.
If you would like more information on the rescuer support program, please email us at [email protected].
KEEPING YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION CURRENT
If you change names, home address, place of employment, telephone numbers, emails – please do let us know so we can keep your record current.
As we start a new year, I wish everyone only good things! Please do stay in touch and please take care.
