In Commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
—Notable readers and speakers include Elisha Wiesel, Julianna Margulies, Carol Kane, Jackie Hoffman, Joshua Malina, Ann Curry, and more;
in coordination with National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene —
New York, N.Y. – The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a community reading of Elie Wiesel’s influential memoir, Night, on Sunday, January 28, 2024 beginning at 1 p.m. Well-known figures will take turns reading the book throughout the afternoon; and the reading will be interspersed with music and reflections.
Scheduled readers and speakers include: CNN senior political analyst and anchor John Avlon; author of Fleishman is in Trouble Taffy Brodesser-Akner; Emmy-award winning CNN anchor John Berman; host of leading Jewish podcast Unorthodox and deputy editor of Tablet Stephanie Butnick; world renowned journalist Ann Curry; Academy Award-winning filmmaker Marshall Curry (The Neighbors’ Window, A Night at the Garden); actress, singer, and comedian Jackie Hoffman (Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, Only Murders in the Building); Emmy Award-winning actress and comedian Carol Kane (Hunters, The Princess Bride); founder of Lab/Shul Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavie; actress and singer Caissie Levy (Leopoldstadt, Wicked); writer and illustrator Maira Kalman; actor Neal Lerner (American Fiction); actor and Unorthodox co-host Joshua Malina (Leopoldstadt, The West Wing); journalist and host of the Making Gay History podcast Eric Marcus; actress and artist Sarah Podemski (Reservation Dogs); director, actress, and playwright Eleanor Reissa (Indecent, The Plot Against America); actor Peter Riegert (Crossing Delancy, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt); journalist and the host of The Pop Culture Spotlight Jessica Shaw; singer, songwriter, and pianist Regina Spektor; Tony-award winning actor Ari’el Stachel (The Band’s Visit); Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife, The Morning Show); and Elisha Wiesel, Chairman of the Board of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and son of Elie Wiesel. Additional participants to be announced.
“For many Americans, Night was their first encounter with the Holocaust as a historical event. Published before survivors were speaking out, before memorials and commemorations, this memoir, this testimony of a 16-year-old Elie Wiesel, forced us to confront the worst of what humanity can do. Since then, Wiesel’s memoir has been an inspiration and a defense against indifference and intolerance. On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, at a time when antisemitism is at a terrifying level and fewer survivors are with us to share their stories, the Museum’s mission to educate about the Holocaust is crucial and urgent. We return to this seminal work and read it in community for what it still has to teach us,” said Jack Kliger, President and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage is presenting this event in collaboration with its partner, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, whose artistic director, Zalmen Mlotek, is leading the musical components of the program. Rabbi Marc Margolius, senior program director at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, will lead guided meditations throughout the afternoon.