The Museum Of Jewish Heritage Announces Special Spring Programming

This spring, the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising with a season full of live theatrical performances, gatherings, virtual tours, and lectures.

"As we come up on the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, one of the most important moments of Jewish collective resistance during the Holocaust, it is important to host programming commemorating this historic event, which took place from April 19 to May 16, 1943," says Museum President & CEO Jack Kliger. "The Museum is proud to once again provide visitors from New York and around the world with opportunities to learn about and embrace Jewish culture, history, and heritage."

Among the Museum's spring offerings are: Annual Gathering of Remembrance (April 16); Virtual Walking Tour: The Year of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Part 2 (April 19); The 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: Resistance and Survival in the Holocaust (April 19); Spring Theater with The Braid: Remembrance of Things Present (April 20); Witness Theater: The Sound of Silence (April 23); and To Paint the Earth in Concert (May 4).

The Museum will host New York's Annual Gathering of Remembrance on Sunday, April 16, 2023, at Temple Emanu-El. The annual program is the Museum's offering to New York City and the world in observance of Yom HaShoah and the organization's mission to "never forget," to remember the dangers of intolerance, honor those who were lost during the Holocaust and those who survived, and together envision a brighter future. One of the Holocaust survivor speakers at this event, Ilana Yaari, is a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto.

The Museum also continues its partnership with Our Travel Circle this spring to offer live-streamed virtual travel events that give viewers special on-the-ground experiences in locations worldwide with local guides. On April 19, travelers will explore the Warsaw ghetto in the second virtual walking tour focused on the history and location of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

To celebrate the anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Museum will host The 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: Resistance and Survival in the Holocaust, a talk with Dr. Zachary Mazur where he will reflect on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as a powerful example of Jewish resistance and action in the face of Nazi oppression during the Holocaust. Mazur's presentation draws upon never-before-seen sources and images that were discovered in the process of preparing the POLIN Museum's temporary exhibition, Around Us a Sea of Fire, which addresses the civilian experience in bunkers and hideouts during the Uprising.

The Museum also continues its partnership with The Braid, formerly Jewish Women's Theatre, which curates, produces and preserves stories grounded in Jewish culture and experience. On April 20, they will present the performance Remembrance of Things Present, which features empowering stories from the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. The production includes a story of a French resistance fighter's daughter who is inspired to commit her own life to activism. The son and grandson of Tuvia Bielsky, the leader of the largest armed rescue of Jews by Jews during the Holocaust, knows what it means to inherit a hero's legacy. Another story dramatizes the heartbreaking moment where a daughter realizes the impact of encouraging her father to give testimony. These and other memorable stories will leave you feeling empowered and inspired.

On April 23, the Museum will host Witness Theater, the culmination of seven months of heartfelt collaboration between five Holocaust survivors who have shared their stories with 16 high school students. On the stage, the survivors are narrators, while students re-enact their wartime experiences. This collective performance honors, shares, and celebrates the survivors and their stories and highlights the life-changing lessons they have imparted to the students. The performance will be followed by a talkback and Q&A with members of the performance and creative team.

On May 4, the Museum will host a performance of To Paint the Earth in Concert, the Richard Rodgers' Award-winning musical that tells the story of the Jewish Underground in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943 and its stunning decision to fight back. This performance commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and is the first-ever orchestrated concert version of the full musical.

Visitors are also encouraged to visit the Museum's recently opened main exhibition, The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do, which features more than 1,250 original objects and survivor testimonies from the Museum's collection. Together, these objects tell a global story through a local lens, rooted in objects donated by survivors and their families, many of whom settled in New York and nearby places. Tours are also available to experience the exhibition.

For more information and a full calendar of events, please visit the events page, which is continually updated with new program offerings. Select in-person events also are available online via livestream.