News from the 19th Floor – At the JFR – April 2021
News from the 19th Floor
AWARDS SENT TO RESCUERS
In March, awards were sent to all JFR supported Righteous living in 16 countries. The awards were sent before Easter, so the rescuers would have funds for food for the holiday. Many of the rescuers live in countries where quarantines remain in place for senior citizens. Several of our rescuers in Poland and Lithuania have been vaccinated. Three rescuers in Poland have died of COVID-19.
The rescuers are so appreciative that we have remembered them and are taking care of them during this time. They are sending emails, through their children and grandchildren, thanking the JFR and each of you for the funds that they receive. They send their good wishes!
On behalf of the rescuers, we at the JFR thank you as well for making their lives so much better and brighter. Please click here to read the notes from the rescuers.
JFR MOURNS THE PASSING OF ANNA KOZMINSKA
The JFR mourns the passing of Anna Kozminska, a Righteous Gentile from Warsaw, Poland.
Anna would have been 102 on May 12, 2021. She was the oldest JFR- supported rescuer in Poland.
Anna and her step-mother, Maria, agreed to hide eight-year-old Abraham Jablonski who had escaped from the Czestochowa ghetto as it was being liquidated by the Germans. It was September 1942, when Abraham’s uncle, who was already in hiding on the Aryan side of the city, approached Maria and asked if she would hide Abraham. Anna and Maria took care of Abraham until January 1945 when the city was liberated. Anna and Maria also gave shelter to several other Jews. Anna and Maria were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Authority in February 1991. The JFR began providing financial support to Anna in May 1991. Maria died in 1963.
May Anna’s memory be a blessing.
CELEBRATING JFR’S BOARD PRESIDENT ROMAN KENT
On April 18, Roman Kent will be 96! In April 1945, Roman was on a death march when he was liberated by the American army. Consider viewing JFR’s award-winning documentary on Roman’s story by clicking here.
YOM HASHOAH – NEW YORK CITY’S ANNUAL GATHERING OF REMEMBRANCE
On Sunday, April 11, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, please join the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust for its Yom HaShoah program. The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous is one of the partners for this annual commemoration. Featured speakers include Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff; U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer; Elisha Wiesel, son of the late Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel; Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, Museum Trustee and Holocaust survivor; and more. Click here to register for the program which will be virtual.
FELLOWS IN FOCUS
Several months ago, the JFR began featuring Alfred Lerner Fellows in a new series called Fellows in Focus. Each Wednesday we highlight an outstanding educator! Please check out the JFR’s Facebook page each Wednesday to learn about a terrific teacher.
Teachers who attend the JFR’s Summer Institute for Teachers are known as Alfred Lerner Fellows.
In April we are featuring the following Alfred Lerner Fellows:
Maureen Carter from FL – April 7
Doug Cervi from NJ – April 14
Joslyn Corbett from FL – April 21
Kari Zilian from PA – April 28
STAY CONNECTED
Stay connected with the JFR through our Facebook page at The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, follow us on Twitter @JFRDirector, and frequent our blog at www.jfr.org/blog.
