News from the 19th Floor – Alfred Lerner Fellows – July 2019
News from the 19th Floor
2019 JFR SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS A GREAT SUCCESS
Our 2019 Alfred Lerner Fellows are terrific! Twenty-seven Alfred Lerner Fellows and eleven scholars came together last week for the JFR’s Summer Institute for Teachers. The program is held in Alfred Lerner Hall at Columbia University in New York City. The five days we spent together was academically stimulating, exciting, and challenging. We were proud to welcome a group of gifted, talented, and committed educators to the Columbia campus.
Our scholars this year were, in order of their lecture, were – Doris Bergen, Volker Berghahn, Alexandra Zapruder, Lawrence Douglas, Steven Field, Daniel Greene, Robert Jan van Pelt, Edward Westermann, Jeffrey Burds, Paul Salmons, and Michael Marrus.
As in previous years, Holocaust survivor and JFR Board President, Roman Kent, spoke during the program. Everyone was moved by his story. Stanlee Stahl, JFR Executive Vice President, presented on rescue.
We welcomed four foreign teachers – two from Poland and two from Croatia. Each of our foreign teachers gave outstanding presentations on their Holocaust unit of study.
Click here to see the photo gallery!
EDUARD SONDER AWARD PRESENTED TO PAUL DEARDS
The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) awarded the 2019 Eduard Sonder Scholarship to Paul Deards, Deputy Head of School and 8th Grade Humanities Teacher at The Speyer Legacy School in New York City, a private school in Manhattan.
The Nazis killed Eduard Sonder, a Jewish German wine business owner, during the Holocaust. In his memory, Kate Tarnofsky and Johanna Stark, his two surviving grandchildren, established a fund to subsidize the participant fee for the JFR’s Summer Institute for Teachers.
Paul is also participating in the JFR’s 2019 European Study Program to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria.
VISIT TO AUSCHWITZ EXHIBITION
The Summer Institute for Teachers was extended to permit our 2019 Alfred Lerner Fellows and members of the JFR Board of Trustees to visit the Auschwitz Exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Robert Jan van Pelt, the curator of the Exhibition, and Paul Salmons, who developed the educational component of the Exhibition, guided our group. It was a very special afternoon. If you have the opportunity to visit the Exhibition, I urge you to do so.
A special thank you to Elizabeth Edelstein, Vice President for Education, Museum of Jewish Heritage, for making the arrangements for our group.
ALFRED LERNER FELLOWSHIP
Alfred Lerner, the founding chairman and chief executive officer of MBNA Corporation, passed away in October 2002. He was a valued advisor and supporter of the JFR from its early years, and it is to Alfred Lerner that we owe much of our success in achieving our mission.
In tribute to Al Lerner’s commitment to the work of the Foundation and in particular to his special interest in Holocaust education, The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous established the Alfred Lerner Fellowship program in 2002. All of the teachers who attend the Summer Institute for Teachers are known as Alfred Lerner Fellows. It is both a pleasure and an honor for the Foundation to confer on each of these men and women the privilege of bearing the name of this remarkable and beloved friend of the JFR. Today there are more than 650 Alfred Lerner Fellows.
2020 EUROPEAN STUDY PROGRAM
We are working on the 2020 European Study Program. We are exploring a Study Program to Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, and Greece. The Study Program will be held in early July 2020. If you are interested in participating in this Study Program, please email Stanlee at [email protected].
STAY IN TOUCH
Please let us know how you are doing and consider writing a piece for the Alfred Lerner Fellows eNewsletter.
IF YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION CHANGES – PLEASE LET US KNOW!
If you change schools, please let us know. Email changes to [email protected] or call the office at 212-727-9955 or 212.727.2383.
SHOP ON AMAZONSMILE AND SUPPORT THE JFR
Amazon’s Prime Day is coming July 15 – 16, 2019. You can make a difference while you shop Amazon Prime Day deals or any other day. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/13-3807016 and AmazonSmile donates to The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous.
