The Eastern Office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center furthers its mission through outreach, education, social action and media projects. Based in New York City, it has a constituency of over 100,000 member families in the Tri-State area. In 2004, the Center opened the New York Tolerance Center in New York City.
Upcoming Events:
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•December 2, 2008
Generations Against Genocide screening of
"Gentleman’s Agreement"
New York Tolerance Center
226 East 42nd Street
7:00 PM
•January 13, 2009
New York Premiere of the new film from Moriah Films
"Against the Tide"
Skirball Center for Performing Arts at
New York University
566 LaGuardia Place
7:30 PM
•February 2, 2009
Annual “State of Antisemitism” Lecture,
given by Anna Deveare Smith
92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue
7:30 PM
More information forthcoming
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Recent Events:
•September 22, 2008
| Reception and presentation by Mark Weitzman (Director, Task Force Against Hate) at the home of Sarah and Bob Goodman in Teaneck, NJ on the topic of "Hate, Terrorism and Antisemitism: A Global Threat." |
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| Selma and Leon Sloane with Mark Weitzman |
Hosts Robert and Sarah Goodman with Mark Weitzman |
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•September 19, 2008
| Rabbi Abraham Cooper (SWC Associate Dean) briefed a group of SWC supporters about recent relations with Kurdish leaders and the flow of energy dollars to our enemies. The event was hosted by Jerry Cohen at the offices of Ackman-Ziff Real Estate. |
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| Early arrivals Phyllis Solomon and Karen Kaplan enjoy breakfast. |
Host Gerald Cohen and Rabbi Abraham Cooper |
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•September 18, 2008
| Generations Against Genocide (GvG) held its Fall Cocktail Party at the newly renovated Edison Ballroom. The event was attended by more than 170 people and raised money for both the New York Tolerance Center’s Tools for Teens program and Jewish World Watch’s Solar Cooker program. The Solar Cooker program provides refugees from the genocide in Darfur with solar cookers to prevent the need for venturing out of the safety of refugee camps. GvG Co-Chairs Gerald Barad and Lisa Weitzman spoke, explaining the two programs that the event benefited and thanking everyone for coming. |
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| Lisa Weitzman (GvG Co-Chair) and Jacqueline Murekatete (Human rights activist and Rwandan genocide survivor) |
L to R: Gerald Barad (Generations Against Genocide Co-Chair), Julie Henderson (Sports Illustrated swimsuit model), Nicole Fiscella (Gossip Girl) and friend |
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•September 17, 2008
| Mindy Dauber hosted Chai Riders, a Jewish motorcycle club, for dinner and a tour of the New York Tolerance Center. Mindy is shown right, welcoming the group. |
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| Mindy Dauber and Lauren Secular |
Chai Riders in the Point of View Diner |
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•June 18, 2008
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The Simon Wiesenthal Center in New York presented award winning actress, comedian, and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg with their highest honor, The Humanitarian Laureate Award, in recognition of her commitment to children and the principles of tolerance as espoused by Simon Wiesenthal. The award was presented at the Annual Tribute Dinner held on June 18th at The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.
(L to R): Nelson Peltz (SWC Co-Chairman), Larry Mizel (SWC Chairman), Whoopi Goldberg, Marvin Hier (SWC Founder and Dean), Marc Utay (SWC Trustee), Michael Fuchs (SWC Trustee)
Photo: Ron Glassman
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David Weprin and
Rory O'Connor
Photo: Ron Glassman |
The New York Tolerance Center hosted the launch of Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio, a new book by media critic, filmmaker and blogger Rory O'Connor with Aaron Cutler. The book examines the highly politicized, overly partisan and often factually challenged world of talk radio and its use of hate speech under the guise of free speech. Rhonda Barad (SWC Eastern Director) welcomed the attendees and introduced Bridget Regan (Director, New York Tolerance Center) who discussed the aims of the Tolerance Center and how the book ties into those aims. Don Hazen (Executive Director, Independent Media Institute, Executive Editor of AlterNet.org, publisher of Shock Jocks) and O'Connor followed, each discussing the book's importance to today's discussion of free speech and tolerance.
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Marissa Glauberman and Alex Utay (Teens for Darfur co-chairs) welcome the attendees.
Photo: Ron Glassman |
Teens for Darfur, the student division of Generations Against Genocide, hosted a Friends and Family night at the New York Tolerance Center. Following an introduction by Rhonda Barad (SWC Eastern Director) and a welcome by Alex Utay and Marissa Glauberman (Teens for Darfur's co-chairs), the attendees watched the short film "In Our Time," which details the history of modern-day genocide, and a film on partner organization Jewish World Watch's Solar Cooker Program, which provides much-needed solar cookers to refugees in Darfur and received all the money raised from the night's event. Bridget Regan, director of the New York Tolerance Center, facilitated a video and discussion in the Point of View diner, which was followed by a reception. |
(L to R) Michael Miller, Rhonda Barad and Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz
Photo: Michael Ian |
On behalf of the state of New York, Governor David Patterson, and the New York State Assembly, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz presented Assembly Resolution No. 1607, proclaiming May 1, 2008 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in the State of New York, to Rhonda Barad, Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Michael Miller, Executive Vice President of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
2008 marks the 75th Anniversary of Holocaust Remembrance Day, known in Hebrew as Yom Hashoah. Assemblyman Cymbrowitz, a child of Holocaust survivors, sponsored the resolution. |
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April 15, 2008
To pay tribute to Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Simon Wiesenthal Center co-sponsored a screening of I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal with the New York University Bronfman Center and ICHEIC Service Corps. The screening, organized by students Elianne Friend, Adam Lerer and Nicole Pines, also raised awareness of the "Millions to Remember Campaign", started by Jenna Steinbrink, who plans to raise 6 million pennies before her Bat Mitzvah.
Pictured: Event organizers Elianne Friend, Nicole Pines and Adam Lerer hold their contribution to the "Millions to Remember Campaign".
Photo: Ronald L Glassman |
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On April 10, 2008, Generations Against Genocide welcomed Jill Savitt, Director of the organization Dream for Darfur, to speak at the New York Tolerance Center. Ms. Savitt, just back from protests of the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco, discussed China's role in Darfur, including the situation on the ground in the refugee camps, and what we can do to pressure China as the Olympics approach. The lecture was followed by a Q & A session and a wine and cheese reception.
Photo: Ronald Glassman |
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April 2, 2008
The first lecture of the 2008 Forum Series, "Iran, Iraq, Europe: Challenges for the Next U.S. President and What It Means for Israel," was delivered by journalist Tom Gross at the New York Tolerance Center. Mr. Gross discussed the threat Iran poses to Israel and the United States and what actions the U.S. and Israel should take to mitigate that threat. The lecture was followed by a cocktail reception.
Photo: Ronald Glassman |
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On February 28, 2008, Generations Against Genocide (GvG) its third event at World Bar to raise awareness of the group's programs. GvG, a division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, was founded by the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, co-chairs Gerald Barad and Lisa Weitzman.
Rhonda Barad, Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, welcomed the guests to the event and briefly explained some of GvG’s current endeavors, which include underwriting the Tools for Teens program at the New York Tolerance Center, and fundraising to help Darfuri refugees currently being sheltered in Israel. (l-r) GvG Chair Gerald Barad, SWC Eastern Director Rhonda Barad, and World Bar manager Mark Grossich.
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Photo: Ronald Glassman
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A group of New York Park Rangers completed a day of training at the New York Tolerance Center Thursday, January 30th. "Parks are one of the few places in New York City where everyone gathers together despite any differences," said New York Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "As our communal backyards, parks are the epicenter of the diversity that makes our city so strong. We are grateful to the New York Tolerance Center for offering training that teaches understanding and tolerance. Their program is a vital element of the Urban Park Service Training Academy, which teaches the skills that will help future Rangers and Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers protect our parks and educate the public about our city's natural wonders." |
L to R: Noah Feldman, Frances Beatty Adler, Rhonda Barad and Allen Adler
Photo: Ronald L. Glassman |
On February 6, 2008, in cooperation with the 92nd Street Y, the Eastern Office presented the annual Dorothy Gardner Adler Lecture (The State of Antisemitism), this year delivered by constitutional expert and Harvard University law professor Noah Feldman. The lecture was titled “The U.S. and The Middle East: Where Do We Go From Here?” and examined the current relationship between the United States and the Middle East and its future. Noah Feldman is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the author of Divided by God: America’s Church-State Problem and What We Should Do About It; What We Owe Iraq; War and the Ethics of Nation Building; and After Jihad: America and the Struggle for Islamic Democracy.
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Generations Against Genocide screened the film “I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal” to a packed house at the New York Tolerance Center on January 30, 2008.
The event, preceded by a cocktail reception, was chaired by Bari Cohen and Harrie Bakst and was attended by over one hundred people. GvG co-chair Lisa Weitzman gave remarks, and Martin Rosen, personal attorney and friend of Simon Wiesenthal, at podium, introduced the film.
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In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's New York Tolerance Center hosted over 70 students from the Urban Assembly Media High School, Tottenville High School in Staten Island, and the Abraham Heschel High School for a special Civil Rights program on Monday, January 14, 2008. During the program, students embarked on a customized Civil Rights tour of the Tolerance Center which included the Power of Words exhibit, which depicts how the use of language can instill hope or incite hatred, and viewed a thought-provoking film on Civil Rights. The program continued with the students conducting a question and answer discussion with New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., (pictured at podium).
Photo: Ron Glassman |
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To mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the 1947 United Nations Resolution Creating the State of Israel, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Consulate General of Israel Asaf Shariv held a celebration and reception at the New York Tolerance Center, joined by His Excellency Dan Gillerman (Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations) and The Honorable Irwin Cotler (Canadian Member of Parliament, Former Justice Minister), who both delivered addresses commemorating the occasion.
(L to R): His Excellency Dan Gillerman (Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations), The Honorable Irwin Cotler (Canadian Member of Parliament, Former Justice Minister), Rhonda Barad (Eastern Director, Simon Wiesenthal Center), and His Excellency Asaf Shariv (Consul General of Israel)
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On November 15th, the Simon Wiesenthal Center celebrated the launch of  its newest division, Generations Against Genocide (GvG). Marked with a cocktail reception at the New York Tolerance Center, the launch was attended by over 100 people. Founded by children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, GvG will draw upon the lessons of the Holocaust to bring attention to the plight of victims of genocide worldwide. It will further the Wiesenthal Center’s goals by empowering a new group of advocates to educate and alert the community about the threats of anti-Semitism and modern day genocide, in part by underwriting the Tools for Teens® program at the New York Tolerance Center.
(L to R) Rhonda Barad (Eastern Director, SWC) and GvG co-chairs Gerald Barad and Lisa Weitzman
Photo: Ron Glassman
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On Sunday, November 18th, the youth division of GvG, Teens for Darfur, held a fundraising park cleanup in Riverside Park to buy solar cookers for Darfuri refugees. Solar cookers meet a simple but increasingly important need for Darfuri refugees who have fled the genocide destroying their lives and homeland: Women no longer have to gather firewood to cook meals for their families, which has become one of the most pressing dangers of living in refugee camps, as women run the risk of being raped or killed when they leave the camps. Through sponsorships and donations, the teens’ efforts raised over $1700, which will go to help the victims of genocide feed their families.
Photos: Ron Glassman |
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In conjunction with the New York Board of Rabbis, the Simon Wiesenthal Center hosted a screening of “Unsettled,” a documentary by filmmaker Adam Hootnick on October 24, 2007 at the New York Tolerance Center. Rhonda Barad (SWC Eastern Director) introduced the film, which examines the lives of six young men and women during the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The screening was attended by one hundred people, and following the film, the attendees were treated to a Q&A with Hootnick. |
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| Speaker Hon. Christine Quinn addressing the crowd. |
Council Member Hon. Daniel Garodnick, Howard Teich, and SWC NY Executive Board Member Norman Brodsky.
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New York City Council Speaker Hon. Christine C. Quinn and Council Member Hon. Daniel Garodnick hosted a reception and private tour of the New York Tolerance Center on October 17, 2007 for the City Council and guests, including SWC New York Executive Board Members Benita Lebow, Kevin Worth and Norman Brodsky. Speaker Quinn and Council Member Garodnick addressed the group, as did SWC Eastern Director Rhonda Barad and NY Tolerance Center Director Bridget Regan and along with the tour of the facility the entire group was treated to a screening of the film In Our Time, which analyzes the problem of modern day genocide. For many of the Council Members this was a first visit to the Tolerance Center. Among the City Council Members in attendance were Chairman of the Education Committee Hon. Robert Jackson of Manhattan, Hon. Gail Brewer of Manhattan, Hon. David Weprin of Manhattan, and Hon. Helen Sears of Queens.
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Council Members Hon. David Weprin,
Hon. Robert Jackson, SWC Eastern
Director Rhonda Barad. |
Photos: Ron Glassman |
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L-R: Martin Rosen, Board of Trustees, SWC, Shimon Samuels, Director for International Relations, SWC, Kristen Silverberg, Assistant Secretary of State, Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General, UNESCO, Graciela Samuels, French Charge de Mission, UNESCO and Mark Weitzman, Director, Taskforce Against Hate, SWC.
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L-R: Former NY Governor George Pataki, Mark Weitzman, Director, Taskforce Against Hate, SWC, Martin Rosen, Board of Trustees, SWC and Rhonda Barad, Eastern Director, SWC.
Photos: Ron Glassman |
| September 24th marked the US launch of Antisemitism: The Generic Hatred, Essays in Memory of Simon Wiesenthal, edited by Michael Fineberg, Shimon Samuels, Director of International Relations, SWC and Mark Weitzman, Director, Taskforce Against Hate, SWC. The launch, which took place at the New York Tolerance Center, featured speeches by Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General, UNESCO, Martin Rosen, personal attorney and close friend of Simon Wiesenthal, as well as Samuels and Weitzman. Those who attended included the German Consul General Dr. Hans-Jeurgen Heimsoeth, the Austrian Consul General Dr. Brigitta Blaha, Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg and Former New York Governor George Pataki. The book examines some of the reasons that antisemitism has prospered over the ages and persists in our time, seeking to understand and learn from this particular paradigm of hatred and to suggest ways of countering it, in the name of the core values of a common humanity. |
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The Eastern Office's annual Dorothy Gardner Adler State of Antisemitism lecture featured Pulitzer Prize winner Leslie H. Gelb who shared his views on Israel, Jews and United States foreign policy on February 1 at the 92nd Street Y. Leslie H. Gelb is President Emeritus and Board Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Pictured L-R: Frances Beatty Adler and Allen Adler with Leslie H. and Judy Gelb.
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| Over 900 people attended the New York Premiere of Moriah's newest film "I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal" November 1 at the Ziegfeld Theater. Co-Chairs Norman & Kim Kurlan with Premiere Chairs Joan & Martin Rosen |
| On November 30, over 160 people packed the New York Tolerance Center's Theater and Hall of Memory to hear Richard Sonnenfeldt, the Chief Interpreter for the American Prosecution Team at the 1945 Nuremberg Trials, tell his insightful story of dealing directly with the top-ranking Nazis of Hitler’s inner circle. His lecture was followed by a reception and book signing. |
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The Simon Wiesenthal Center New Leadership Society in New York hosted a "Soccer for Tolerance" day at the New York Tolerance Center on October 29. Teams from Harlem Youth Soccer, Bayard Rustin and the Manhattan Soccer Club did a short tour of the NYTC and then participated in a round robin tournament in Chelsea. The day was hosted by Ethan Zohn, winner of Survivor: Africa and founder of Grassroot Soccer, a nonprofit which provides African youth with theskills and support to live HIV free. The day concluded with the awarding of the first-ever Tolerance Cup by New York City Sports Commissioner Ken Podziba.
Winning team with (back row from left) Lisa Weitzman - Leadership Society Chair, Jon Adamsky - Event Organizer, Coach Josh Levy, Ethan Zohn, and Ken Podziba. |
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L: Fred Margulies, Richard L. Williams, Eugenie Mukeshimana, Manuel Chea, and Yahya Osman
R: Fred Margulies, Richard L. Williams, Eugenie Mukeshimana, Manuel Chea, and Yahya Osman with moderator Morry Alter
The Simon Wiesenthal Center and the World Trade Center Survivors' Network hosted a groundbreaking panel discussion at the New York Tolerance Center, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the World Trade Center disaster. Panelists included Fred M. Margulies who emigrated to the United States in 1947 as the only survivor of his family - his parents and sister were murdered during the Holocaust, Richard E. Williams who survived the Oklahoma City bombing trapped and buried beneath the rubble, Eugenie Mukeshimana, a survivor of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda that claimed a million lives in a hundred days, Manuel Chea, a survivor of the attack on the World Trade Center September 11, 2001, and Yahya Osman, a native of Darfur.
February 8, 2006:
Annual Dorothy Gardner Adler State of Antisemtitism Lecture
at the 92nd Street Y
"Antisemitism & Power: Hating America & Hating the Jews"
featuring: New York Times columnist David Brooks
New York Times Columnist David Brooks delivered the Dorothy Gardner Adler Lecture, the 15th "State of Antisemitism Address."
Pictured L-R, Simon Wiesenthal Center Trustee Allen Adler, who endowed the "State of Antisemitism Address" in honor of his mother Dorothy Gardner Adler, SWC Eastern Director Rhonda Barad, New York Times Columnist David Brooks, Francis Adler, SWC Trustee Marc Utay.
Click here to read transcript of David Brooks' Lecture...
Programs of the Eastern Office Include:
- The New York Tolerance Center
- New York Annual Dinner – Each year the Eastern Office honors an individual for their exceptional efforts on behalf of tolerance and diversity. Past recipients of the Humanitarian Laureate award include Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons; Bono; the late King Hussein of Jordan; and Senator George Mitchell, and Rupert Murdoch..
- The Dorothy Gardner Adler Lecture - In honor of his mother, Center Trustee Allen Adler has generously endowed the State of Antisemitism in perpetuity, now known as the Dorothy Gardner Adler Lecture. Presented in conjunction with the 92nd Street Y.
- Generations Against Genocide - Founded by children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, GvG draws upon the lessons of the Holocaust to bring attention to the plight of victims of genocide worldwide. It furthers the Wiesenthal Center’s goals by empowering a new group of advocates to educate and alert the community about the threats of anti-Semitism and modern day genocide through its teens program.
- The Task Force Against Hate - Under the direction of Mark Weitzman, the Task Force coordinates the Center's research and activities on extremism, intergroup relations, the Internet, and hate crimes. Working closely with law enforcement, government, military, academia and the media, the seminars, lectures, publications and reports of the Task Force have had international impact.
- Outreach - The Speaker's Bureau consists of Holocaust survivors who volunteer their time to visit area schools to share their personal stories with students.
- The Sandra Brand Memorial Book Award – Endowed in perpetuity by the late Sandra Brand, the award is presented for a non-fiction work on the subject of tolerance and is part of the Center's efforts to recognize achievements by individuals whose work promotes tolerance.
- Our forum series presents an ongoing lecture series featuring leading politicians and journalists among others who share their insights on today’s issues.
- The Eastern Office hosts benefit screenings of Moriah Films’ latest productions throughout the metropolitan area.
Contact Information
Simon Wiesenthal Center
50 East 42nd Street, Suite 1600
New York, NY 10017
Tel: 212.370.0320
Fax: 212.883.0895
Staff:
Rhonda Barad, Eastern Director
Mark Weitzman, Director, Task Force Against Hate
taskforce@swcny.com
Carly Sorscher
Community Relations Coordinator
csorscher@swcny.com
Fran Ginsburg
Senior Development Executive
fginsburg@swcny.com
Adam Jacobson
Communications Assistant
ajacobson@swcny.com
Kandice Lavalas
Assistant to the Eastern Director
klavalas@swcny.com
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