Idina Menzel to Perform at Gala Honoring Joe Biden

The National Museum of American Jewish History is pleased to announce that Vice President Joe Biden will be honored at the Museum's annual Only in America Gala on April 24, 2018, to be held at The Bellevue Philadelphia. The gala will pay tribute to this son of Pennsylvania's work to support and embrace the American Jewish community and the freedoms to which Americans of all backgrounds aspire. Every day, the Museum is dedicated to exploring the American Jewish experience-how an immigrant community and religious minority shapes and is shaped by America. Echoing the Museum's mission, Biden has said "...this generation of Americans has the opportunity so rarely granted to others by fate and history. We literally have the chance to shape the future-to put our own stamp on the face and character of America."

Tony-Award winner Idina Menzel, best known for voicing Elsa in Disney's Frozen and for her portrayal of Elphaba in the 2003 Broadway production of Wicked, will perform in honor of Vice President Biden.

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on November 20, 1942, former Vice President Joe Biden briefly worked as an attorney before turning to politics. He became the fifth-youngest U.S. senator in history as well as Delaware's longest-serving senator. When former President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, Biden became the 47th Vice President of the United States. Biden served a second term as vice president from 2012 - 2016. In 2017, Biden received the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction for his service to the United States.

A longtime friend of the Museum, Biden has close ties with local, national, and international Jewish groups. In November 2010, Biden dedicated the Museum's building on Historic Independence Mall in Philadelphia. More recently, in 2016, Biden received the World Jewish Congress's annual Theodor Herzl Award, which recognizes outstanding individuals who work to promote Herzl's ideals for a safer, more tolerant world for the Jewish people.

Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel's diverse career traverses stage, film, television and music. Menzel voiced Elsa in Disney's global box office smash Frozen, which featured her performance of the Oscar-winning song "Let It Go" and made her the first artist with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting. Previously, Menzel reached superstardom on Broadway with her Tony Award-winning performance as Elphaba, the misunderstood green girl in the blockbusterWicked, and in her Tony-nominated role as Maureen in the Pulitzer Prize-winningRent. Menzel's most recent Broadway role as 'Elizabeth' in the original productionIf/Then earned her a third Tony nomination. Other notable projects include Glee, Disney's Enchanted, and co-founding the A BroaderWay Foundation-an organization that provides arts-centered programs to girls from underserved communities an outlet for self-expression and creativity.

The Only in America Gala will take place on Tuesday, April 24 at The Bellevue Philadelphia at 6 pm.

If you are a member of the press and are interested in covering the event please contact Emily August at mediarelations@nmajh.org.

For more information, visit NMAJH.org/gala.

Previous galas have celebrated Museum milestones and special exhibitions, including Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American and the Museum's five-year anniversary on Historic Independence Mall. At the 2016 gala, the Museum welcomed legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli in celebration of our longtime Board Chair Ron Rubin.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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