MJH-NYC HOSTS ANNUAL GATHERING OF REMEMBRANCE

By Mabel Pais

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (mjhnyc.org) hosts New York’s Annual Gathering of Remembrance on Sunday, April 16, 2023, at 2:00 PM ET.

Annual Gathering of Remembrance. (Credit : mjhnyc.org.)

The program will be held in person, for the first time since 2019, and the Museum returns to Temple Emanu-El of New York City (emanuelnyc.org), after the hiatus. The annual program is part of the Museum’s Yom HaShoah tribute and serves the organization’s mission to “never forget” and honor the memory of those who were lost during the Holocaust, as well as survivors and their descendants. This memorial serves as a reminder of the dangers of intolerance and envisions a brighter future.

The ‘Annual Gathering of Remembrance’ program will feature music, remarks from Holocaust survivors and public figures, and a moving candle lighting ceremony. The event will take place the day before Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on the evening of Monday, April 17 and concludes at sundown on Tuesday, April 18. The event will also be live streamed online on the Museum’s website at mjhnyc.org/agr, and YouTube channel at youtube.com/MuseumJewishHeritage. “This moment is one of the most important days of the year, when we honor the memory of all the brave souls who perished and show solidarity with those who survived one of the most horrific chapters in our world’s history,” says the Museum’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Bruce Ratner. “We have a responsibility to carry on the legacies of those we lost, and to continue fighting prejudice and hate and make the world a more understanding place.”

“The Annual Gathering of Remembrance is essential to our mission at the Museum. We are proud to gather on this day to remember those who were lost in the Holocaust and those survivors who we’ve lost in the past year,” says Jack Kliger, President and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. “We are also uplifted by the second, third, and fourth generation survivors who will join us in song and candle lighting, as our memories move l’dor va’dor, from generation to generation. This tribute will welcome multiple generations in person here in New York, a city with one of the world’s largest communities of Holocaust survivors, as loved ones and community members from around the world also tune in virtually.”

Speakers will include Museum President and CEO Jack Kliger, Board President Bruce Ratner, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Israeli Consul General Asaf Zamir, Rabbi Amy B. Ehrlich, and others. Musical guests will include Joyce Rosenzweig, Steven Skybell, Valeriya Sholokhova, the HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir, and more.

“It is an honor to come together in person to remember the lives of those who were lost in the Holocaust and to read the names of survivors whom we’ve lost in the past year at Temple Emanu-El,” says Museum Trustee Rita Lerner, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors and the event Co-Chair.

RSVP – In Person & Virtual

Anyone wishing to attend the ‘Annual Gathering of Remembrance’ or view it online should RSVP at mjhnyc.org/agr.

A number of organizations are partnering with the Museum to create the ceremony.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to Never Forget. It is the third-largest Holocaust Museum in the world. For more information, visit: mjhnyc.org.

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BOOSTING BRAIN HEALTH & WELLBEING WITH MINDFUL EATING

By Mabel Pais

Brain Health Kitchen + Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s: Boosting Brain Health with Food is an in-person event, with virtual streaming option, on Monday, April 17 at 6:00 PM. This event takes place at the JCC Manhattan.

The event features a panel of experts on how the foods we eat influence our health and wellbeing in relation to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. The conversation will be followed by a live musical performance and book signing. “The brain is the new frontier. There is great interest in the impact of nutrients and food quality on our health and brain function,” shares Kohles. “For example, we know that ultra-processed foods aren’t good for us but some studies now show that they might impact our cognitive function. If eating whole foods can help reduce the risk of dementia then we need to be talking about it.”

PROGRAM

Panelists

Annie Fenn, M.D., founder of the ‘Brain Health Kitchen,’ the only cooking school focused on cognitive wellness, to learn how maintaining brain health is easy, accessible, and delicious.

Matthew E. Fink, M.D., chairman of the Department of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and neurologist-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, to hear the latest updates in brain research.

Marisa Seifan, a former federal prosecutor turned CEO and co-founder of Honeybrains, to discover why she created the first restaurant dedicated to better brain health.

Suzette Shahmoon, cognitive hypnotherapist, explains on how caregivers can benefit from healthy lifestyle and eating habits.

Moderator

Caroline Kohles, MMJCCM senior director of Health + Wellness.

Book Signing

Annie Fenn, author of her debut book, ‘The Brain Health Kitchen: Preventing Alzheimer’s through Food’ will present insights through her over 100 recipes designed to promote brain health and cognitive decline prevention through mindful eating.

Conclusion

Live musical performance.

Brain Health Kitchen + Broadway’s Best for Parkinson’s: Boosting Brain Health with Food

This hybrid event is part of a groundbreaking JCC program (mmjccm.org/parkinsons) founded 15 years ago to improve the lives of those impacted by Parkinson’s. The initiative helps improve the lives of those impacted by Parkinson’s. Through education, exercise, and other programs, and in collaboration with the medical and local communities, people impacted by Parkinson’s remain active, connected, and empowered.

REGISTRATION

The event is free to people living with PD by using discount code PARKINSON100, but the general public must purchase tickets. Registration is recommended for both the in person (mmjccm.org/programs/person-brain-health-kitchen-and-broadways-best-pd-boosting-brain-health-food) and virtual (mmjccm.org/programs/virtual-brain-health-kitchen-and-broadways-best-pd-boosting-brain-health-food) experience.

The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan

Learn more at mmjccm.org.

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, Health & Wellness, Cuisine, The Arts and Entertainment and Spirituality)