CONTACT:
Shelley Hébert shebert@taubephilanthropies.org
Before April 12: 650-814-5611
From April 15-20: (+48) 507 547 208
MEDIA ADVISORY: APRIL 4, 2013
MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF POLISH JEWS TO BE UNVEILED ON 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING
BAY AREA FOUNDATIONS SPONSOR LIVE BROADCAST AND WEBCAST: PRESS KIT AVAILABLE ONLINE AT TAUBEPHILANTHROPIES.ORG
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—April 19, 2013, marks the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a historic event that will be commemorated worldwide. This year, history will again be made on the actual site where the Warsaw Ghetto once stood when the Museum of the History of Polish Jews opens it doors for the first time.
A live broadcast and webcast from Warsaw sponsored by Taube Philanthropies and the Koret Foundation on Jewish Life Television (JLTV) will make it possible for worldwide cable audiences to watch the events. The broadcast will also be streamed online at http://www.jltv.tv/live. In addition, JLTV will re-broadcast the two-hour program on its cable channel on Monday, April 22, 3-5 p.m. EDT; Thursday, April 25, 3-5 p.m. EDT; and Saturday, April 27, 8-10 p.m. EDT and PDT.
The San Francisco-based Taube Philanthropies and Koret Foundation together are the largest private donors to the Museum to date. Led by Tad Taube, Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland in the Bay Area, the foundations are co-hosting a 50-person VIP delegation that will travel to Warsaw for the events. Since 2007, Taube and Koret have committed a combined total of $16 million to the Museum, the largest private donation. In recognition of this contribution, Taube and Koret will jointly name the Core Exhibition and the Education Center at the Museum.
Hon. Tad Taube and others from the Bay Area are available for advance interviews, including Warsaw Ghetto survivor Ben Stern; daughter of Warsaw Ghetto survivors Dr. Anita Friedman, Executive Director of Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties; and San Francisco-based real estate developer Stuart Shiff, whose family comes from Poland.
The live broadcast will begin on April 19 at 10:00 a.m. Central European Time with an official commemoration of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to be held at the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes directly across from the Museum. Thousands are expected, including the President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski, representatives of the Polish government and Parliament, religious leaders, the Mayor of Warsaw, mayors of European capitals, former Polish Presidents, Ambassadors, representatives of the German Bundestag and Israeli Knesset, as well as surviving Warsaw Ghetto fighters and Jewish community members from Poland, the U.S. and elsewhere.
Following the commemoration, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews will open its doors for the first time. The Museum showcases 1,000 years of Jewish life in Eastern Europe and Jewish contributions to Western civilization. In contrast to major Holocaust museums, it focuses on the broad historical sweep of a Jewish life that once spanned the Baltic to the Danube and the Vistula to the Dnieper, and is undergoing a remarkable revival today. The Museum’s grand opening is anticipated in early 2014.
ABOUT TAUBE PHILANTHROPIES
Taube Philanthropies was established in 1981 by its founder and chairman, Hon. Tad Taube. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and with an office in Warsaw, the Foundation makes philanthropic investments primarily in the Bay Area and Poland, in scholarship, heritage preservation, arts and culture, education, and institution-building. Taube Philanthropies is committed to collaborative giving for greatest charitable impact and actively partners with individual donors and other foundations. For additional information, contact Shelley Hébert shebert@taubephilanthropies.org or visit www.taubephilanthropies.org.
ABOUT THE KORET FOUNDATION
Since 1979, the San Francisco-based Koret Foundation, a private philanthropic organization, has invested over $500 million to strengthen the Bay Area region, Israel, and most recently, Poland. Koret invests in strategic, collaborative solutions to leverage its grant-making dollars. By funding market-based solutions to impact social policy issues, Koret is committed to supporting Bay Area anchor institutions, the Jewish community, and educational opportunities. For additional information, contact Cathie Bennett Warner cathie@cbwgroup.net or visit www.koret.org.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF POLISH JEWS
The Museum of the History of Polish Jews is a multimedia narrative museum and vibrant cultural center in Poland, the epicenter of world Jewry for centuries prior to the Holocaust and the ancestral home of the majority of Jews today. Its distinctive glass and copper geometric structure, designed by Finnish architect Rainer Mahlamäki, faces the memorial to the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Museum is the first public-private partnership of its kind in Poland: the Ministry of Culture financed the entire capital project; the City of Warsaw donated the land; and the non-profit Association of the Jewish Historical Institute financed the Core Exhibition and educational programs. For additional information, contact Nitzan Reisner nreisner@jewishmuseum.org.pl or visit www.jewishmuseum.org.pl.
ABOUT JLTV
Jewish Life Television (“JLTV”) is America’s 24-7 Jewish-themed television network, dedicated to the development and distribution of high quality content that communicates the history, tradition and values of the Jewish people to diverse audiences across America and around the world. Launched in December 2006, America’s Chosen Network is available in 40 million homes on digital basic cable programming packages, nationwide on DirecTV and on cable through Comcast, Time Warner and other multi-system operators. For additional information, visit www.jltv.tv.