UJA-Federation Honors Local Port Washington Families

On Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 8:00pm UJA-Federation will recognize members of Temple Beth Israel and The Community Synagogue for their participation in Witness Theater and Project Witness with the L’dor V’dor award. The event will be held at The Community Synagogue, 160 Middle Neck Road, Port Washington, and is chaired by Dorette & Peter Forman and Stacey & Jonathan Satovsky.

Guest Speaker Felice Friedson, Founder, President and CEO of The Media Line, will speak about seeking and reporting on the truth in Israel and the Middle East.

UJA-Federation is proud to honor these eight local families for their participation in UJA-Federation’s Witness Theater and Project Witness programs, both of which have been brought to Long Island for the first time this year.

Witness Theater , a collaboration between 13 high school students and five survivors under the guidance of a social worker and a drama therapist, culminates in a performance at Adelphi University Performing Arts Center in Garden City on April 16th and 17th when the students reenact moments from the survivor’s lives and the survivor’s narrate. Both performances are sold-out, but can be watched at Temple Beth Israel and The Community Synagogue on April 17th at 7:00pm via live stream.

The companion program Project Witness, is comprised of 24 students and eight survivors and meets every other week at UJA-Federation’s nonprofit partner Sid Jacobson JCC, will exhibit collages, photos, poetry and journals by the high school students based on the stories of survivors at Adelphi University in conjunction with the performance.

The goal of both programs is to involve Holocaust survivors in a therapeutic process designed to help them come to terms with their past and instill the memory of the Holocaust in the next generation. It’s a profound emotional experience for both generations as they discuss stories of survival, and explore issue of war, loss and trauma.

The Temple Beth Israel participants are Molly Abramowitz, daughter of Leslie Stern & Andrew Abramowitz; Micah Golan, daughter of Betsy & Howard Golan, Julia Satovsky, daughter of Stacey & Jonathan Satovsky; and Dylan Schor, son of Alex Trinkoff & Jeff Schor.

The Community Synagogue participants are Michael Friedland, son of JD & Deborah Friedland;

Isabelle Jackson, daughter of Kim Gazda & Jeff Jackson; Sarah Rubin, daughter of Meryl & Ken Rubin; and Lili Silverstein, daughter of Mara & Baron Silverstein.

To RSVP for the April 26th event at The Community Synagogue or make a donation to UJA-Federation in honor of the Temple Beth Israel and The Community Synagogue participants, please contact Shari Abel-Saunders at abel-saunderss@ujafedny.org or 516.762.5802.