On Sunday, November 13th, the American Society for Yad Vashem hosted its Annual Tribute Dinner at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. This year’s event, chaired by our distinguished supporters Rose & Philip Friedman and Mark Moskowitz, recognized heroes of the Holocaust, Righteous Among the Nations and the Jews they saved. In a room filled with 500 of Yad Vashem’s most dedicated partners, young leaders, and distinguished guests, the program opened with remarks from our Chairman, Leonard Wilf, and was masterfully guided by our emcee, actor in Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof, Michael Bernardi.
We were proud to present our Leadership Award to American Society Founder and Yad Vashem Benefactor Sima Katz of Roslyn, New York. Rebecca Levy, granddaughter of Sima Katz, shared Sima’s harrowing journey of survival during the Holocaust with the help of a Lithuanian Christian family. She explained how her grandparents, Sima and Nathan z”l returned to Lithuania after the war to find the family who rescued them and sent testimony to Yad Vashem advocating that the Žilevičius family be awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations. The recognition ceremony was held at Rebecca’s bat mitzvah celebration some 17-years ago, also at The Pierre Hotel.
That evening, we had the pleasure of honoring Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds and Lois Gunden, the 4th and 5th Americans ever to be recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. Mary Jean Gunden spoke of the bravery and compassion of her aunt, Lois Gunden, who saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish children in France. She convinced, sometimes pleaded with parents to entrust her with their children to increase their chances for survival. Pastor Chris Edmonds told the story of his father’s awe-inspiring service during World War II. It was not until after his father’s death that the family learned of his immense heroism while imprisoned in the German Stalag IXA POW Camp, where he boldly stood in the line of fire and saved the lives of hundreds of American Jewish soldiers.
The evening’s featured speaker provided another testament to Yad Vashem’s worldwide influence. Sara Pechanec was the daughter of the first Muslim couple to ever be recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. During Word War II, her family had risked their lives to shelter four Jewish neighbors, the Kabilio family, from Nazi persecution in Sarajavo. Fifty years after the Holocaust, when Sarajevo was under the attack of Serbian forces, Pechanec, her husband, daughter, and mother, Zejneba, found themselves in great distress. With the help of the Joint Distribution Committee, Yad Vashem successfully appealed to the President of Bosnia to permit the family to come to Israel. Since coming to Israel, Pachenec and her family have since converted to Judaism and she now works at Yad Vashem.
We are grateful to all our patrons and friends who were able to join us. We look forward to a new year of opportunities ahead to unite in support of Holocaust education and remembrance, and the mission of Yad Vashem.
