‘Remembrance & Creativity’ celebrates SBHEC Double Chai anniversary

In Terezin, a Nazi camp where 33,000 people perished, imprisoned musicians and artists created a remarkable cultural community that persevered against all odds. Renowned violist Mark Ludwig, Boston Symphony Orchestra member emeritus, established the Terezin Music Foundation to honor and share the works of a generation of promising composers who were silenced too soon.

The Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center’s Double Chai 36th anniversary celebration and concert will be held on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Temple Beth-El in Providence. The concert, “Remembrance and Creativity,” by the Terezin Music Foundation, will take the listener on a journey of music, memory, and endurance. The Terezin Music Foundation Ensemble will feature the music of the accomplished musician, scholar, and Terezin prisoner Viktor Ullmann, among others. On paper smuggled into the camp, artists like Ullmann did what they loved most – compose music.

A highlight of the evening will be the collaboration of the ensemble with Berkshires’ artist Jim Shantz, who will paint in real-time while the ensemble performs. Shantz’s work has been featured in exhibitions across the country, including several solo exhibitions at Pucker Gallery on Newbury Street in Boston.

This spectacular event will pay tribute to Sandra Bornstein and the late Richard Bornstein, of blessed memory, for their generosity and dedication to the organization. Their continued commitment enables the enter to expand programming and offer a vital resource for schools across the state offering education about the Holocaust, antisemitism and all forms of hate and bigotry. It is a cause that the Bornsteins have been passionate about for years.

In light of the highly documented rise in antisemitic and hate-driven incidents in the United States over the past decade, particularly since Oct. 7, this event is both important and significant.  Honorary Chairs Bonnie and Donald Dwares, and Chairs Amanda and Jeremy Isenberg, are committed to the success of this evening and they hope that it will promote greater understanding and compassion.

Thirty-six years ago, a small group of Rhode Island Holocaust survivors and their families worked tirelessly to create a living educational resource that would preserve their stories and the history of the Holocaust for generations to come. Almost four decades later, their legacy lives on in the work of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center.

There is a Supporting Donor reception at 6:30 p.m. and the concert, “Remembrance & Creativity” begins at 7:30 p.m.

For ticket and sponsorship information, please contact the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center at 401-453-7860 or visit our website: bornsteinholocaustcenter.org/

GIOVANNA WISEMAN is director of programs and community outreach at the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center.