Invitation to a Memorial Service for Ariel Sharon

This document is an invitation and program for the 2009 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal ceremony, hosted by President and Mrs. Obama at The White House on Thursday, February 25, 2010. The document lists the recipients of the National Medal of Arts, including notable figures such as Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood, Maya Lin, Rita Moreno, Jessye Norman, Frank Stella, Michael Tilson Thomas, John Williams, and organizations like The Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The School of American Ballet, along with a brief description of their achievements. It also lists the recipients of the National Humanities Medal, such as Robert A. Caro, Annette Gordon-Reed, David Levering Lewis, William H. McNeill, Philippe de Montebello, Albert H. Small, Theodore C. Sorensen, and Elie Wiesel, detailing their significant contributions to the humanities. The program serves to recognize and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding impact on American culture, arts, and intellectual life.

This document is a program booklet titled "Moving History Forward: Perspectives on the Holocaust," outlining the schedule of events for the 2013-2014 academic year, organized by Chapman University's Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education, Stern Chair, and Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library. The program features a series of lectures, film screenings, and services focusing on various aspects of the Holocaust. Key events include a screening of "Schindler's List," discussions on figures like Oskar Schindler, Raphael Lemkin, and Amon Goeth, the persecution of the Roma, and the significance of interviewing Holocaust survivors. It also highlights events commemorating the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, including an interfaith service and a panel featuring Holocaust survivors and witnesses. The booklet lists prominent academics and survivors as speakers and acknowledges various sponsoring organizations for their support.

Sidney H. Willig was born in New York City on July 2, 1919 into an Orthodox Jewish family. He attended public school and trained as a soccer player and boxer. He refers to antisemitism in America in the 1920s and 1930s: employment, his rejection from the Navy, and incidents in the Air Force.

As a navigator in the Air Force during World War II, he was shot down over the Netherlands. He describes in detail aid provided to him as an American officer by Dutch families and the Dutch underground. He also shares details about a Dutch Jew who was being hidden by a Dutch family whom he met, from November 1944 to April 1945. He reflects on his decision to continue to wear his dog tags, which displayed the Ten Commandments, until his liberation. He ponders the vast network of Nazi influence, because on his return to New York, the Vichy consular officer in Washington, D.C. requested from him the names of those who had helped him in Holland. Upon his return to New York he continued his college studies at St. John’s and then studied law on the advice of his valued teacher John Dandro. He reflects on the reasons Jews have survived over the centuries.

This document is a program for a "Remembrance" event held on Wednesday, February 26, 2014, at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in New York City, honoring the late Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The program outlines a series of tributes, musical performances, and prayers. It includes segments such as a performance of "Kaddish," words of tribute from notable figures like Ambassador Ido Aharoni and Malcolm Hoenlein, and a rendition of Natan Alterman's poem "The Silver Platter." Personal reflections are offered by Professor Elie Wiesel, Gilad Sharon (Ariel Sharon's son), and Ira Rennert. The program also features memorial prayers, including the Mourner's Kaddish, Prayer for the State of Israel, and Hatikvah. Several prominent Jewish American organizations, alongside the Consulate General of Israel in New York, are listed as participating organizations. The document concludes with an invitation to a reception sponsored by Ingeborg and Ira Rennert, celebrating Sharon's life and legacy. Full texts of "The Silver Platter" and the Hebrew prayers are provided in both English and Hebrew.