The 14th Street Y's 2018 Annual Purim Gala Honors Harvey Schulweis

On Thursday, March 1, 2018 beginning at 6pm, the 14th Street Y will host its 2018 PURIM Gala. The 14th Street Y will honor founding Board Member and philanthropist Harvey Schulweis. The 14th Street Y is a vibrant community center grounded in the belief that contemporary Jewish sensibilities can be a source of inspiration, connection, and learning for the individuals and families we serve throughout New York City's East Village and beyond. The Gala will be held at Cipriani, 25 Broadway, NYC, with Cocktails at 6pm and Dinner & Entertainment at 7pm. Festive attire and masks are encouraged. To learn more about the night's events, get tickets, or to make a donation, please visit https://www.14streety.org/gala/.

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. Celebrated with feasts, drink and revelry, it celebrates standing up for what you believe in and calls us to honor others through giving gifts and charity. In keeping with the time-honored Purim tradition of masquerade, guests are invited to indulge in wearing Purim-inspired masks and accessories. Try on a bit of whimsy, drama or intrigue and be transformed instantly... go on, we dare you!

The 14th Street Y 2018 PURIM Gala will feature one-of-a kind live art and performances: Featured Performance: The Story of Purim, as told by Cirque-tacular In this breathtaking circus-arts interpretation of a key piece of the Purim Megillah (scroll), Esther, the Jewish queen, builds up the courage to approach her easily-offended and power hungry husband, the Persian King Achashverosh, in order to protect the Jewish people from the genocidal plans of the King's most trusted advisor, the evil Haman.Watch in awe as an acrobatic Esther takes the fate of the Jewish People into her hands.

The night's performance of The Story of Purim is produced by Cirque-tacular Entertainment, the East Coast's premiere specialty and acrobatic Production Company. Through thousands of performances in the past ten years, their work has been enjoyed in more than 70 countries, by millions live, in conjunction with the most recognized brands, venues, and arts organizations of our age. Their touring shows, including Art of Circus and Snowkus Pocus, which played at the 14th Street Y's theater last season, are available on-demand year round from one-night at roadhouses to runs at PACs. The Acrobats of Cirque-tacular are thrilled to join the 14th Street Y once again for the Gala. SHA'AR will kick off the evening with sounds to inspire and intrigue. SHA'AR explores the various Jewish musical traditions of its members, and uses these traditions to inform the compositions played by the group in an attempt to create a musical language that is coherent and unique to the group, informed by jazz and global music, and DJ Rabbi Darkside will return this year to turn up the volume and create an experience full of revelry.

Harvey Schulweis is President of Schulweis Realty, Inc., a real estate investment and asset management company in New York City. Before founding Schulweis Realty, Mr. Schulweis was Chairman and Chief Executive of The Town and Country Trust, a publicly traded real estate investment trust from 1991-2006. From 1978 through 1990, he was a General Partner of Lazard Frères & Co. and President of Lazard Realty, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary. Mr. Schulweis is active in a number of philanthropic and professional organizations. In addition to serving as the Chairman of The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous for the past thirty years, he is currently a board member of the Baruch College Fund and serves as chairman of its real estate committee, Chairman Emeritus of the 14th Street Y and is a Vice-President, member of the Board and of the Executive Committee of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

DINNER CO-CHAIRS Renée and Tom Brodie, Susan Etess and Howard Zimmerman, Cristian Goodhart, Joseph Persky

2018 GALA HOST COMMITTEE Darcy Bradbury and Dolores Seiler, Laura and Mark Doman, Dr. Carola Garson and Ryan Garson, Sara Gubins and Michael Bijaoui, Ronit Muszkatblit and Yonatan Israel, Linda and Eric Perlmutter, Anne F. Pollack, Ludmilla and Jacques Raphael, Alissa Dicker Schrieber, Caroline and Jason Schulweis, Scott and Keri Schundler, Janna and Michael Stern, Pauline and Alan Weinstein, Elana and Andrew Zimmerman, Harron Zimmerman

THE 14TH STREET Y BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joseph Persky, Chair; Harvey Schulweis, Chair Emeritus Peter Bernstein, Renée Brodie, Ryan Garson*, Ilana Goldman, Cristian Goodhart, Sara Gubins Rafael Hines, Yonatan Israel, Brooke Carleton Paduano, Jacques Raphael, Janna Fishman Stern, Jeffrey A. Tischler, Sally Wasserman, Pauline Weinstein, Howard Zimmerman *Observer

EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE Erica Tishman, Chairman, Board of Trustees Alan van Capelle, President & CEO

14TH STREET Y EXECUTIVE STAFF Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein, Executive Director Jordan Brackett, Associate Executive Director for Planning and Advancement Alan Scher, Associate Executive Director for Programs Lauren Savage, Associate Executive Director for External Engagement DJ Rabbi Darkside (DJ)

Rabbi Darkside is a Hip Hop Emcee/DJ/Beatboxer/Educator working to incite empathy and empowerment through social justice education and creative freedom with musical recordings, live shows and teaching. In the last 12 months, he commenced lecturing at The New School (NYC), traveled to Kampala, Uganda as a U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassador and headlined the Blue Note Jazz Festival. Based in Brooklyn while touring internationally, he has been featured on MTV's MADE, Okayplayer, The New York Times, the TODAY Show, CBS Early Show, HipHopDX, and The Village Voice.

Iván Barenboim is a composer and clarinetist, born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who studied with Marcelo Moguilevsky, Marcelo Katz, and Adriana de los Santos. He has performed in notable venues such as Teatro Colon, Centro de Experimentacion del Teatro Colon, Teatro General San Martin, Teatro Coliseo, Palais de Glace in Buenos Aires, Siemens Art Festival (Stuttgart, Germany), Fronteras Latin American Festival (London, England), and Belfast International Festival (Ulster, Ireland). Doug Drewes is a freelance bassist, composer, and educator based in New York City and Philadelphia. In addition to having over twenty album credits, his playing can be heard on NBC, MTV, IFC, and USA networks. Doug continues to perform throughout the US and Canada in venues including Carnegie Hall, CMJ, and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

David K. Freeman is a percussionist, composer, educator, and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. He has traveled extensively to study music, including the Dominican Republic and India, and his work is infused with a passion for jazz, world, and folk music traditions. David is an active member of the Outer Bridge Ensemble, The Biryani Boys, and Sha'ar and is currently working on his latest album Overview Effect scheduled for release in spring 2018.

Oren Neiman isa composer/guitarist whose compositions explore a combination of Jazz sensibility with Middle Eastern rhythms and melody. Oren's original music appears on recordings featuring his quartet and "Isra-Alien," a high-energy acoustic guitar duo. Oren's latest compositions for theatre can be heard in Suddenly, a Knock at the Door (Theater for the New City in 2016).

The 14th Street Y is a vibrant community center grounded in the belief that contemporary Jewish sensibilities can be a source of inspiration, connection, and learning for the individuals and families we serve throughout New York City's East Village and beyond. With a health and wellness center, childhood, parenting and adult education and enrichment programs, and an innovative arts and culture department, the 14Y is committed to the development of the whole person and bettering people's lives by strengthening family connections and building inclusive and sustainable communities.

Proceeds from the Gala help us advance our mission as a hub of creativity, community programming, and Jewish culture in downtown Manhattan. They enable us to provide scholarships, develop enrichment programs, and enhance the lives of more than 26,000 people who walk through our doors each year. The 14th Street Y is proud to be a part of Educational Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a 128-year history of serving New Yorkers downtown.

For individual tickets, visit 14StreetY.org/Gala. To discuss table sales or sponsorship packages, please contact Ashley Thaxton at AThaxton@14streety.org, 646-395-4456.