Holocaust Memorial Center To Honor Henrietta & Alvin Weisberg at 28th Anniversary Dinner, Nov. 11

Oct. 29, 2012 - PRLog -- The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus is hosting its 28th Anniversary Dinner, Sunday, Nov. 11 at Congregation Shaarey Zedek (27375 Bell Rd.) in Southfield.  

The annual fundraising event, which begins at 5:00 p.m., will honor Henrietta and Alvin Weisberg for their dedication and commitment to the center.  Father Patrick Desbois, a Catholic Priest who has devoted his life to confronting antisemitism and furthering Catholic-Jewish understanding, as well as taking on the monumental task of uncovering mass gravesites in Eastern Europe where Jews were killed during the Holocaust, will deliver the keynote address.

Henrietta and Alvin Weisberg are longtime benefactors to the Holocaust Memorial Center, as well as Congregation Shaarey Zedek, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and Beaumont Hospital, among many other organizations throughout the community.  Recently, the Weisbergs made a generous gift to the Holocaust Memorial Center, funding construction of a permanent exhibit/gallery to house an authentic World War II-era boxcar, used to transport Jews and other victims of the Holocaust to concentration camps.  

Henrietta Weisberg and her family were transported on boxcars, very much like the one on display in the gallery, taking them to various concentration camps where most of her family perished. Only Henrietta and her sister Rachel survived. Having survived three concentration camps, Henrietta is passionate about educating today’s children about tolerance, the need to stand up for others, as well as the importance of never forgetting those who perished and survived the Holocaust.  

Father Patrick Desbois and his organization Yahad-in Unum have received international acclaim for locating mass gravesites in Eastern Europe so that countless Jews killed during the Holocaust will no longer be forgotten.  To date, Yahad-In Unum has identified more than 800 mass killing sites with more than 2,000 mass graves.  

Father Desbois also is the author of the award-winning book The Holocaust by Bullets,
which chronicles the discovery of these mass killing sites.  

The Chairpersons for the 28th Anniversary Dinner are Karen and Joel Kahn.

Dinner tickets can be purchased for $200.00 each, Double Chai tickets are $360.00 each and $136.00 for ages 35 and under.  Table prices begin at $2,000.00.  

The event will begin with hors d’oeuvres at 5:00 p.m. At this time, there will be a preview of Light from the Ashes, a unique and important exhibit of pre-war photos opening in November at the Holocaust Memorial Center.  

Reservations for the dinner are required and complimentary valet parking will be provided.  For tickets or more information, contact Jackie Schwartz at 248-553-2400 (ext. 29), or jackie.schwartz@holocaustcenter.org.  

The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus opened in 1984. We were founded by local Holocaust survivors with community support, to teach about the senseless murder of millions, and why each of us must respect and stand up for the rights of others if we are to prevent future discrimination, hate crime and genocide. As Michigan’s only Holocaust museum, we touch the lives of more than 85,000 individuals each year who leave here profoundly affected with a newly acquired sense of history, social responsibility and morality. Our exhibits create a call to action, teaching visitors through the examples of those who risked their lives to save others, and asking our guests to react to contemporary challenges such as racism, intolerance, bullying and prejudice.

The facility is wheelchair accessible and free parking is available at both the North and South entrances.

For more information on the Holocaust Memorial Center, visit www.holocaustcenter.org, or call 248-553-2400.