Annual Report 2022
2022 Annual Report
BEURS VAN BERLAGE, AMSTERDAM Photo credit: Ben van Duin
– LEONARD SLATKIN, MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE OF THE DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CONDUCTOR LAUREATE OF THE ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
DEFIANT REQUIEM PERFORMANCE AT THE KONZERTHAUS VIENNA Photo credit: Ouriel Morgensztern
CONTENTS
Letter from the Board Chair, President & Artistic Director, and Executive Director
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Origins
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Our Mission and Vision
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20th Anniversary Concert
2022 Programs
Amsterdam and Sonoma State Cincinnati and Prague New York and Washington, DC
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Education Initiatives
In Memoriam
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Fred Terna and Marianka May Zdenka Fantlová Ehrlich and Felix Kolmer
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Donor Profile: Patti Askwith Kenner
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List of Donors
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By the Numbers
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Selected Financial Information
Board of Directors and Staff
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5506 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 24 Washington, DC 20015 202-244-0220 | info@defiantrequiem.org | www.defiantrequiem.org
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Dear Friends and Supporters:
2022 marked the twentieth anniversary of the first performance of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín , and it also marked the year that we returned the hallmark concert drama to the concert hall with two special performances. The first, which fully benefited the Foundation, was held at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, on April 20. The second performance was held in Amsterdam on June 19. We also performed Hours of Freedom: The Story of the Terezín Composer in Prague as part of the Terezín II multi-national conference on Holocaust reparations in November. In addition to these concerts, we held a University Residency Project performance of Hours of Freedom at Sonoma State; a performance of Defiant Requiem in Cincinnati with a young conductor training under Murry; and the Foundation co-hosted a performance of Brundibár and The Emperor of Atlantis with UJA-Federation of New York and Eric Einhorn’s On Site Opera. It was quite a busy season! We topped off the year with a very powerful performance of East West Street: A Song of Good & Evil based on the book East West Street by Board Member Philippe Sands. We were honored to have the Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova attend this performance. Again, more can be read about all of the aforementioned performances in this Report. We are very pleased to note that we surpassed our fundraising goal for 2022 thanks to all of you who supported the Foundation. We are deeply grateful for your generosity. While this is good news, we still look forward to engaging new sources of funding from foundations and individuals with whom we have not yet connected. It is with great regret that we say good-bye to General Manager Mark Rulison who has worked with Murry for over twenty years, since the first performance of Defiant Requiem in 2002. Mark has been an invaluable member of the Foundation staff – managing the artistic and technical aspects of all of our productions with Murry, spearheading new projects, and providing essential services to the management of the office and all of the Foundation’s initiatives. We wish Mark the very best in his next endeavor. The three of us continue to be honored to lead The Defiant Requiem Foundation. As we have noted for the past few years, the unfortunate rise in global antisemitism and violence only increases the urgency to promote the Foundation’s mission to educate the next generation using its artistic performances and original curriculum materials. Engaging students and teachers to use our programs as a catalyst to confront all forms of hate is a critical component of the work we do. At this time, with eyewitnesses passing away, antisemitism on the rise, and sobering statistics confirming the lack of worldwide Holocaust education and knowledge, the Foundation’s mission is more important than ever. We are deeply grateful to all of our donors for their generosity and commitment.
STUART E. EIZENSTAT BOARD CHAIR
MURRY SIDLIN PRESIDENT AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
LOUISA HOLLMAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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– MIKE DUNPHY, TABLET MAGAZINE
ORIGINAL HOURS OF FREEDOM ARTWORK Design by: Gut Instinct Creative | Artwork by: Brad Mancuso
ORIGINS
Terezín, or as the Germans named it, Theresienstadt, is located about 40 miles northwest of Prague and was built as a garrison city in the 1780s. From 1941 to 1945, the Nazis used Terezín as a transit camp, ghetto, and concentration camp for Jewish prisoners. Remarkably, it was a prison where the arts and humanities thrived amidst unspeakable horror. While people continued to die of disease and starvation, the prisoners gave more than 2,400 lectures and presented more than 1,000 concerts — including 16 performances of Verdi’s Requiem Mass — for those who remained. Despite its reputation as a propaganda camp, more than 140,000 people were imprisoned in Terezín and 33,430 were murdered within the ghetto walls. Another 88,000 were sent to the death camps, including 15,000 children, of whom fewer than 150 are believed to have survived. Terezín was liberated on May 8, 1945.
The Verdi performances, led by prisoner Rafael Schächter in 1943 and 1944, inspired conductor Murry Sidlin to create the concert-drama Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín . The success of that concert led to the creation of The Defiant Requiem Foundation, an award-wining documentary film, a second concert-drama, and engaging educational materials.
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MISSION STATEMENT
By honoring the defiance and bravery of the prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp (Terezín) during World War II, performances by The Defiant Requiem Foundation show the role that music and art play in confronting contemporary challenges, including increased Holocaust ignorance, Holocaust denial, and antisemitism. In refusing to forfeit their humanity, the Terezín prisoners taught a universal lesson about the power of music and art to foster hope and inspiration even in the face of monumental suffering, disease, and the constant presence of death. The Foundation’s hallmark concert performance, Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín ; its sister concert, Hours of Freedom: The Story of the Terezín Composer ; its Emmy-nominated documentary film, Defiant Requiem ; along with comprehensive curriculum modules that are designed to frame and enhance Holocaust education all use the courage and cultural resistance of Rafael Schächter and his fellow prisoners to show why the Holocaust must never be forgotten.
BOARD CHAIR STUART E. EIZENSTAT WITH RAPHAEL AND ALEXANDER KRASA, SON AND GRANDSON OF EDGAR KRASA (Z”L), FOLLOWING THE MUSIC CENTER AT STRATHMORE PERFORMANCE. Photo credit: Randy Sager
VISION STATEMENT
The Defiant Requiem Foundation strives to promote awareness and understanding of the dangers of antisemitism, Holocaust ignorance, and Holocaust denial by presenting the singular story, and one with universal application, of Rafael Schächter and prisoners in the Terezín Concentration Camp during the Holocaust who used music and art as an act of defiance to maintain their humanity, dignity, hope, and inspiration. Using original performance art — increasingly on college campuses with student musicians and singers — documentary film, and educational materials geared for middle and high school students, the Foundation offers a unique approach to addressing contemporary issues of bigotry, human rights violations, mass atrocity, and genocide crimes.
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STRATHMORE
On April 20, 2022, The Defiant Requiem Foundation celebrated the 20th anniversary of the world premiere of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín by presenting the moving and acclaimed multi-media concert-drama at The Music Center at Strathmore. In a nod to the performance’s history – which includes two decades of uniformly high praise from music critics and consistent feedback from audience members about its life-changing and life-affirming story – the performance was held on the exact anniversary, to the day, of the Portland, Oregon, premiere. In a nod to the future, the performance featured a chorus of over 180 students drawn from 6 universities, nearly all of whom were performing Verdi’s Requiem and experiencing the Defiant Requiem story for the first time. This milestone performance also served as a benefit to support The Defiant Requiem Foundation’s ongoing and important work; raising funds to expand its creative educational programming and curriculum materials, providing increased outreach and support to teachers and students, and enabling it to have the funding to develop new creative and artistic performances. We are grateful to Jeffrey Schoenfeld, the evening’s Presenting Sponsor, for his belief in the Foundation’s educational mission and his commitment to this special performance. The concert was also supported by a number of prominent officials including the late Secretary Madeleine K. Albright, who agreed to serve as honorary Concert Chair before her unfortunate passing, along with Representative Jamie Raskin; Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen; and Ambassadors Emily Haber (Germany), Michael Herzog (Israel), Hynek Kmoníček (Czech Republic), Stavros Lamrinidis (European Union), and Martin Weiss (Austria). The 20th Anniversary concert was the 51st worldwide performance of Defiant Requiem and, in addition to being a historical milestone, it was also a wonderful artist success. Joining the Orchestra of Terezín Remembrance was the Foundation’s
regular concertmaster, Herbert Greenberg, along with frequent soloists Jennifer Check (soprano), Ann McMahon Quintero (mezzo-soprano), and Nathan Stark (bass-baritone). Rounding out the quartet was newcomer to Defiant Requiem , tenor Cooper Nolan. The combined collegiate chorus was conceived and prepared by Erin Freeman,
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and included the American University Chamber Singers (Daniel Abraham, director), The Catholic University of America Verdi Choir (Murry Sidlin, interim conductor), Longwood University Camerata & Chamber Singers (Pamela McDermott, director), University of Virginia Chamber Singers (Michael Slon, director), Virginia Commonwealth University Commonwealth Singers (Erin Freeman, conductor), and Virginia State University Concert Choir (Patrick McCoy, interim director). The chorus also included a number of guest singers including Raphael and Alexander Krasa, son and grandson of the late Edgar Krasa – who sang all 16 performances of the Verdi Requiem while imprisoned in Terezín – ensuring a direct connection between the 2022 ensemble and Rafael Schächter’s 1944 chorus.
20 TH ANNIVERSARY DEFIANT REQUIEM PERFORMANCE AT THE MUSIC CENTER AT STRATHMORE Photo credit: Randy Sager
AMSTERDAM
SONOMA
The story of the Amsterdam performance of Defiant Requiem began in late June of 2009 when the concert- drama was featured as the closing event of the multi- national Holocaust Era Assets Conference in Prague and Terezín. On the way to the post-concert reception Foundation President & Artistic Director, Murry Sidlin, was stopped by a representative of the Dutch delegation who asked, “How do we bring this performance to Amsterdam?” So began the long road traveled by Julie-Marthe Cohen, Curator at the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam. Julie-Marthe and her colleagues faced a variety of setbacks, including multiple postponements due to COVID, but, 13 years later, on June 19, 2022, Defiant Requiem received its Dutch premiere at the Beurs van Berlage, transformed into a concert hall for a sold-out audience. The brilliant Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and elegant Netherlands Concert Choir were joined by four magnificent soloists and two superb actors (speaking in Dutch) for this long-awaited performance. The concert was recorded by the NOS – part of the Netherlands public broadcasting system – and aired on Thursday, June 23, 2022, on NPO 2. June 23rd was selected as a symbolic date as on that day in 1944, during the infamous visit of the International Red Cross, Rafael Schächter and the prisoner choir performed Verdi’s Requiem for the last time. The concert recording will be available in perpetuity via NOS’s online streaming platform.
2022 included three performances given under the auspices of The Defiant Requiem Foundation’s University Residency Project. On Thursday, September 15, 2022, Hours of Freedom: The Story of the Terezín Composer was presented as part of the 8th Annual Jewish Music Series at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, CA. Featuring local instrumentalists and singers led by Murry Sidlin and joined by guest pianist, Phillip Silver, the performance in Schroeder Hall at the Green Music Center was the culmination of several days of events that included Maestro Sidlin appearing as a guest lecturer for numerous classes including Jewish Studies 255: “Evolution of Antisemitism,” instrumental and choral conducting techniques, music education, and a traditional instrumental master class, in addition to leading and narrating the performance. This residency came about through the Foundation’s ongoing outreach efforts to colleges and universities nationwide and at the invitation of Dr. Brian S. Wilson, professor in the Department of Music, and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at Sonoma State. The University Residency Project was launched in 2014 to facilitate bringing the Foundation’s artistic offerings, and other Terezín related events, to campuses across the country. The program is currently supported by a grant from Jeffrey Schoenfeld.
DEFIANT REQUIEM PERFORMANCE AT THE BEURS VAN BERLAGE Photo credit: Ben van Duin
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CINCINNATI
Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín received its Cincinnati premiere on Sunday, October 23, 2022, in the Rotunda of the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. For the first time since the concert-drama’s inception more than 20 years ago, this performance was led by a conductor other than Murry Sidlin. Given under the auspices of the University Residency Project and presented by Queen City Opera, the performance was led by QCO Founder and Artistic Director, Isaac Selya. Maestro Selya was a participant in The Defiant Requiem Foundation’s first Conducting Associate Workshop in June 2019. Following the workshop, Maestro Sidlin said, “I am delighted to share the Defiant Requiem story with a new generation of conductors. These five talented and enthusiastic musicians will become advocates for the arts and humanities as practiced by the prisoners in Terezín, and ambassadors for Defiant Requiem and its universal message that the human spirit can be elevated even during the most oppressive conditions. I look forward to teaching them what the survivors have taught me, and to having them bring this story to new audiences and new communities.” To that end, Murry Sidlin attended the majority of the Queen City Opera rehearsals and participated in the program as both a mentor and in portraying the role of Rafael Schächter for the sold-out performance. Other performers included soloists Mithra Mastropierro (soprano), Anahita Ahsef (mezzo-soprano), M. Andrew Jones (tenor), Kenneth Shaw (bass), actor Miranda McGee (“The Lecturer”), Northern Kentucky University Chamber Choir (Katie Barton, director), and the Northern Kentucky Community Chorus (Stephanie Mitchell Nash, director).
DEFIANT REQUIEM PERFORMANCE AT CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER Photo credit: Brianna Bragg
PRAGUE
On Thursday, November 3, 2022, The Defiant Requiem Foundation presented Hours of Freedom: The Story of the Terezín Composer in Czernin Palace, Prague, home of the Czech Foreign Ministry. The concert was presented as part of the 2022 Terezín Declaration Conference. This conference was organized as a follow- up to the 2009 Terezín Declaration Conference which featured a performance Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín as part of the closing ceremonies. Hours of Freedom was presented at the invitation of Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský and Special Envoy for Holocaust, Interfaith Dialogue and Freedom of Religion or Belief Ambassador Robert Řehák, and was generously sponsored by the State of Israel. The performance was led by Foundation President & Artistic Director Murry Sidlin. Introductory remarks were given by Foundation Board Chair Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, Israeli Ambassador to the Czech Republic Anna Azari, and host Ambassador Robert Řehák. The concert featured Prague-based musicians who have performed with the Foundation numerous times over the past decade, including members of the Prague Modern Ensemble led by violinist David Danel, and vocal soloists Marie Fajtová (soprano), Veronika Hajnová (mezzo-soprano), Daniel Matousek (tenor), and Roman Vocel (baritone). Hours of Freedom was enthusiastically received by the conference guests and resulted in multiple inquiries about future performances.
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NEW YORK
The Defiant Requiem Foundation joined forces with On Site Opera to present two remarkable and important Terezín-era operas: Brundibár and Der Kaiser von Atlantis to support UJA-Federation of New York’s Community Initiative for Holocaust Survivors on November 21, 2022. Brundibár is a children’s opera composed by Hans Krása and, despite being written before WWII, it became famous as a result of the 55 performances that children, all of whom were prisoners, presented in the Terezín Ghetto/ Concentration Camp. In contrast, Der Kaiser von Atlantis (The Emperor of Atlantis) was actually composed in the camp, but is famous for the exact opposite reason: it was never performed in Terezín as was intended in 1944, instead it was censored by the Jewish Council of Elders prior to the Terezín premiere. The performance in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall featured the Young People’s Chorus of New York City under the direction of Sophia Papoulis, a cast of internationally acclaimed opera singers, an orchestra that included members of the American Modern Ensemble, costumes by Beth Goldenberg, staging by On Site Opera General & Artist Director Eric Einhorn, and was led by Foundation President & Artist Director Murry Sidlin. In additional to raising funds for CIHS – the fourth such time The Defiant Requiem Foundation has worked with UJA-Federation of New York to support this critical initiative – the evening also honored Foundation Board Member and longtime champion of survivors’ needs, Patti Askwith Kenner.
PHILIPPE SANDS AND KATJA RIEMANN IN EAST WEST STREET Photo credit: John Keith
WASHINGTON, DC
On December 15, The Defiant Requiem Foundation hosted a theatrical performance of East West Street: A Song of Good & Evil based on the book East West Street by Foundation board member Philippe Sands. Held at La Maison Française at the French Embassy in Washington, DC, the production consisted of actors, video, and music exploring the conflicts and connections between the men at the heart of the Nuremberg war crimes trial: Cambridge academic Hersch Lauterpacht, Polish prosecutor Raphael Lemkin and Hitler’s notorious lawyer, Hans Frank. The production also interweaves the story of Sands’ grandfather and family from Lvov and the creation of international human rights law. It is a fascinating account of the origins of the concepts of crimes against humanity and genocide. Guests included the Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova who provided remarks at the reception following the presentation. Philippe and the other talented performers, Guillaume de Chassy, Laurent Naouri and Katja Riemann, who all traveled from Europe, graciously mingled with guests at the reception. The revival performance was directed by Julia Mintzer. This was the first time East West Street: A Song of Good & Evil was performed in Washington, DC.
DER KAISER VON ATLANTIS PERFORMANCE AT ZANKEL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL Reproduced with permission from Jewish Appeal-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Inc. Photo credit: Michael Priest
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2022 EDUCATION INITIATIVES
The Defiant Requiem Foundation had an exciting and productive year continuing to engage and support educators in teaching about cultural resistance during the Holocaust. We welcomed twelve of our Teaching Ambassadors from around the United States to the 20th Anniversary performance of Defiant Requiem at Strathmore. The following morning, we convened a special session to trade ideas about our education program and brainstorm future possibilities for expanding our network and developing new materials. In October, we hosted a virtual event titled, “CHRONICLERS AND SMUGGLERS: Documenting History and Preserving Culture as Resistance in the Warsaw and Vilna Ghettos” featuring eminent Holocaust historians Dr. Samuel Kassow, author of Who Will Write Our History: Rediscovering a Hidden Archive from the Warsaw Ghetto , and Dr. David Fishman, author of The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis . This event was moderated by our own Board Member and the American Jewish Committee’s Director of International Jewish Affairs, Rabbi Andrew Baker, who led an inspiring discussion about the meaning of cultural resistance and connections to the story of Defiant Requiem . In November we partnered with The Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to The Holocaust, in New York City, to lead a professional development program for New York educators to learn about Defiant Requiem and how to use our educational materials in their classroom. The program started off with a screening of our documentary film, followed by an online walk- through of our educational modules. The participating educators then broke into groups and, using questions from our education modules, discussed various forms of cultural resistance and how one might approach teaching the story of Defiant Requiem in their classrooms. In person, the event drew over 80 educators, as well as 140 participants over Zoom. One of The Foundation’s Rafael Schächter Teaching Ambassadors, Colleen Tambuscio, led the online session on our behalf.
In December, we attended and ran a booth at the National Council for the Social Studies, where we met and learned from other educators, instructional coaches, school administrators, and curriculum coordinators. Over the span of two days, the education team connected with hundreds of educators who were interested in learning more about the story of Defiant Requiem , using our education materials, and in many cases, partnering with us. All the while, we continued to develop new areas of outreach to increase our teacher corps, and to lay the foundation for partnerships with important cultural and educational institutions such as the Leo Baeck Institute, Centropa, and Echoes and Reflections.
FOUNDATION EDUCATION STAFF MEMBERS ALEXANDRA ZAPRUDER AND EMILY NATBONY MEET WITH VETERAN EDUCATORS COLLEEN TAMBUSCIO AND KATE ENGLISH AT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
IN MEMORIAM
The Defiant Requiem Foundation lost four dear friends and Terezín survivors in 2022. May their memories be a blessing.
ZDENKA FANTLOVÁ EHRLICH Zdenka Fantlová Ehrlich died peacefully at the age of 100 in her home in London on November 14. She was born to a Czech-Jewish family in the town of Blatná on March 28, 1922. Zdenka was deported to Terezín on January 20, 1942. She worked in the kitchens at the camp and also performed in cabarets and plays. She was briefly reunited with her boyfriend Arno, who was deported to Auschwitz in June, 1942. The night before Arno left, he gave Zdenka a tin ring inscribed with the date: 13.6.1942. Zdenka never saw him again, but she held on to the ring through her time in Terezín, Auschwitz, Kurzbach, Gross-Rosen, Mauthausen and Bergen-Belsen. She would later, in 1996, publish a book, The Tin Ring , about her time with Arno and her experiences during the war. The Tin Ring was adapted into a one woman show by Jane Arnfield and Mike Alfreds in 2010. From Bergen Belsen, Zdenka was sent to Sweden to recover from the horrors of the camp. She found work in a biscuit factory, and then worked for the Czech Embassy in Sweden. In 1949, after learning she was the only surviving member of her family, she moved to Melbourne, Australia. A year later she met Charles Ehrlich, and they were married in 1950. Zdenka worked as an actress for the Tana Theatre, started by Terezín survivor Hana Pravda. In 1969, Zdenka, Charles, and their daughter moved to London, where she remained for the rest of her life. Zdenka appears in the Defiant Requiem film, sharing her experiences in Terezín. FELIX KOLMER Felix Kolmer passed away on August 5 at the age of 100. Born in Prague on May 3, 1922, his father died when he was nine years old. In 1941, Felix was on the first transport from Prague to Terezín. A month later, his mother arrived. She died there in 1942. Felix got married at the camp in 1944, however, through technicalities, the marriage was annulled twice. Ultimately, they married a third time and much later, had two sons. In 1944, Felix was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, he was awakened one night and directed to a train headed to the sulfur mines. He had seen hundreds of people transported to the mines, but no one returned. When the searchlight was not on the train car he was in, Felix jumped out and went to the next train. He wound up at Friedland, part of Gross-Rosen. On May 10, Soviet planes bombed the power station, which cut off the electricity to the fence at Friedland. When they saw the lights go out, Felix and two hundred prisoners took the opportunity to escape. After the war he became an acoustics professor at the Czech Technical University and designed sound systems for the country’s biggest concert halls including the world- renowned Rudolfinum. Kolmer was also chairman of the Czech Holocaust Survivors Association, and a former deputy president of the Prague Jewish community. Sadly, Felix’s younger son committed suicide at 17, and his wife died of a heart attack shortly afterwards. He got through these difficult times by concentrating on his work. His testimony of his time in Terezín is featured in the Defiant Requiem film. He is survived by Vera, his companion of 40 years.
Photo credit: Partisan Pictures
Photo credit: Partisan Pictures
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MARIANKA ZADIKOW MAY Marianka Zadikow May, passed away peacefully at home on October 9th, 2022. She was 99 years old. Born on May 26th, 1923, in Munich, Germany, Marianka moved to Prague at the age of ten. There, she worked hard to learn to speak Czech, mainly by singing folk songs. In May 1942, Marianka and her parents were transported to Terezín. On the train, she found her best friend, and they stood by the window singing Czech folk songs together. In the attic of her barracks at Terezín, Marianka met a women who asked her if she liked to sing. She was handed a slip of paper, and told, “Be there tomorrow after work and don’t tell anybody.” When she went, she found a small group of women, a harmonium, and Rafael Schächter. Ultimately, Marianka sang in all 16 performances of Verdi’s Requiem at Terezín. Marianka’s father died in Terezín, but she and her mother were liberated on May 8, 1945. In 1947, Marianka’s uncle sent an affidavit of support for her to travel to America, and in 1950, her mother joined her. Through friends, she met Eric May. Eric was a Czech Jew who came to the US just before the war. They were married on August 30, 1950. In 1952 they bought a farm in New York and had several thousand chickens. Their daughter Lori was born that year, and her sister Liesi was born in 1955. The family spent many happy hours singing together at home in the evenings. Eric passed away in 1986, and Marianka continued to live on the farm for the rest of her life, close to her daughters. FRED TERNA Fred Terna died on December 8. He was the husband of Rebecca Shiffman and father of Daniel Terna. Fred was born in 1923 in Vienna and moved to Prague when he was very young, around the time his brother Tommy was born. Fred’s mother died of pneumonia in 1932, and his father never remarried. When the Nazis arrived, Fred’s father arranged for him to be in hiding, and from 1939 to 1941, he lived, with false papers, on a farm. Ultimately, Fred was sent to his first camp, Lipa. In March of 1943, all of the people at there were sent to Terezín. A music-lover, Fred attended many performances of the Verdi Requiem led by Rafael Schächter. Fred was sent to Auschwitz in 1944, and later that year, to Kaufering, from where he was liberated on April 27, 1945. In 1946, Fred married Stella Horner and they moved to New York in 1951. Eventually the couple separated, and Stella died soon thereafter. In 1982, Fred met Rebecca Shiffman, herself a child of survivors. Several months later they were married, and later, their son Daniel was born. Fred always had an interest in art and while in Terezín, he decided he wanted to be a painter. He became internationally recognized as an artist and a scholar. His art is shown in galleries in solo shows, and he lectured throughout the United States on religion, art history, and the Shoah. He maintained a sunny disposition and positive outlook, at one point saying, “I consider myself a happy person, with a wonderful wife and promising son, a community I am comfortable in and a job I like.”
Photo credit: Michael J. Lutch
Photo credit: Daniel Terna
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BEBE NEUWIRTH, AMERICAN ACTRESS, SINGER AND DANCER
DEFIANT REQUIEM PERFORMANCE AT BOSTON SYMPHONY HALL Photo credit: Michael J. Lutch
DONOR PROFILE: PATTI KENNER
Patti Askwith Kenner strongly believes that the arts have an important role to play in society. That belief, coupled with her longtime dedication to serving Holocaust survivors, makes Patti and The Defiant Requiem Foundation a perfect match. Patti is committed to many social causes. Her advocacy for Holocaust survivors is at the forefront of her philanthropy. In addition to The Defiant Requiem Foundation, she serves on the boards of UJA-Federation of New York, Hold On To Your Music Foundation, Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Selfhelp Community Services, Guild Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, Educational Alliance and the American Heart Association, among others. Patti was introduced to The Defiant Requiem Foundation in 2013, when, in a partnership with UJA, The Defiant Requiem Foundation presented its first of two performances of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín at Lincoln Center to raise funds for UJA’s Community Initiative for Holocaust Survivors. Patti received a call from UJA’s then-CEO, John Ruskay, who knew of Patti’s interests in both the Holocaust and the arts. “John called me and asked me to co-chair this upcoming event with Carol Levin, and it sounded very intriguing. He mentioned that Murry Sidlin was the creator and conductor, and I knew it was meant to be because I had known Murry for thirty-five years from the Aspen Music Festival. That was the moment I signed on to chair the event, and I have been happily involved with the Foundation ever since.” About that first concert she attended, Patti says, “I was absolutely blown away by the performance! It was so moving and so special. When everything looked so bleak for the prisoners in Terezín, they still had their music. The message is so powerful. This important act of resistance kept the prisoners alive and inspired them day after day. They survived by living for the evenings when they could sing together.” Patti’s relationship with the Foundation was cemented through working on the concert at Lincoln Center with Murry, Executive Director Louisa Hollman, Program Director and General Manager Mark Rulison, and Board Chair Stu Eizenstat. She was soon asked to join the Board. In the years since, Patti has been a tireless advocate for The Defiant Requiem Foundation, supporting all of its concerts and programs. She donates large amounts of her time, as well as providing financial support and sponsorships to numerous events. Most recently, she helped sponsor the 20th Anniversary concert of Defiant Requiem at Strathmore in April of 2022, and the Foundation’s presentation of East West Street: A Song of Good and Evil in December of 2022. “The Defiant Requiem Foundation does a wonderful job,” says Patti. “The work is so important – the concerts, the documentary, Holocaust education, all of it. I jumped at the chance to be involved, and we do an incredible job telling these fascinating stories. It is essential to keep sharing these stories for future generations to remember the Holocaust and how music filled the hearts of prisoners, gave them hope, and inspired them to resist.” In addition to her service and philanthropy, Patti serves as president of Campus Coach Lines, the company founded by her father in 1928. She has also helped produce several documentary films, including Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles . Patti lives in New York City and has one daughter and four grandchildren.
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2022 DONOR LIST
$100,000 AND ABOVE Stuart E. Eizenstat Jeffrey Schoenfeld The Estate of Jean S. Stone
$2,500 - $4,999 Morris Antonelli Karla and Randolph Bell James D. Bindenagel Susan and Sanford Greenberg Jane Harman Louisa and Steven Hollman Arlene and Robert Kogod Peter Lefkin David Marchick Zena and Paul Mason Wolfgang Pordzik Philippe Sands Beth Van Schaack Jennifer and Aaron Snyder $1,000 - $2,499 Ari and David Antonelli Sarah and Steven Atkinson Tommy Baer
$500 - $999 Sydney Alberg Anonymous(2) The Benevity Community Impact Fund Betty Breen Debbie and Jeremy Brown Alan Doernberg Hope Eastman Elisa and Robert Ezor Mark Furstenberg Julie Grohovsky and Craig Hoover Martha Gross Bonnie and Alan Hammerschlag Ann and Bruce Lane Frederic Levy Philip Margolius Elizabeth K. Moser Sean Murphy Carol and David Neuberger The Martha A. Newman Trust The James M. and Virginia W. Newmyer Family Fund Paula Parsons and Jonathan Cutler Lyn Rales Della and Bill Robertson Jan Rocek Menachem Rosensaft Luke Rothman Susan H. Shapiro Rita Sloan Margrete Stevens Cathy Sulzberger and Joe Perpich Joyce H. Thornhill William Upton Louise W. Wiener Ellen and Bernard Young
$25,000-$99,999 Brookstone Charitable Trust Nina and Sol Glasner Patti Askwith Kenner The Alfred Landecker Foundation
Lilliane C. Litton Trust Judy and David Marwell David Rubenstein Anita and Herbert Winter
The Winter Family; Adolf and Mary Mil Foundation; Gamaraal Foundation Judith and Leo Zickler
$20,000 - $24,999 Carol Brown Goldberg and Henry Goldberg Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins, The Frank and Marta Jager Foundation, Inc. Brad Krevoy Marion Ein Lewin
Andrew E. Baker Michele Berman
Elaine and Richard Binder Nancy and Edwin Colodny Margaret and John Ford Jody and Ramon Franco The Roderick S., Flossie R., & Helen M. Galloway Foundation The Gottschalk Family Philanthropic Fund Susan and Richard Grilli Orin Kramer Jill and Richard Lane Ruth Medak Virginia Newmyer and Philip Zeidman Powell Family Foundation
$10,000 - $19,999 Allianz of America
Rheda Becker and Robert Meyerhoff Charles R. Bronfman Philanthropic Fund Covington & Burling, LLP Laura Ginns Wendy Fisher, Linda Mirels, The Kirsh Foundation Annette and Ted Lerner Jennifer Loew Mendelson and Daniel Mendelson Alfred Moses $5,000 - $9,999 Ryna Cohen, Marcella and Neil Cohen Ellen Heller and Shale Stiller Vicki Compter Lefkowitz Selfhelp Community Services Foundation, Inc.
Carol P. Heller Division Nancy E. Powell Division
$250 - $499 Naomi and David Balto Marna and Michael Cessnun Susan and David Cooke
June and Marvin Rogul Steven Schwat Riki and Michael Sheehan Joan and Joel Simon
Tina and Albert Small, Jr. Mary and James Speyer Leah and William Steinberg Carl Tretter Shauna and Raymond Wertheim Irene Wurtzel
Lois and Michael Fingerhut Denise and Peter Glassman Lori and Stephen Goodman Jackie Judd and Michael Shulman Mimi and Michael Kress Janet Masetti
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Eileen B. Mason Siobhan C. Murphy Owen Pell Julie Ratner Barton Rubenstein Allyne Schwartz Maria and Michael Sloan Daniel E. Smith SaraKay Smullens Linda S. Stein Robin Stein William and Claudia Stiebel Giving Fund Carol B. and Peter Tannenwald Kym Verhovshek Stacy and David Welch Sylvia and Peter Winik Dr. Annoel Yabes and Greg Lau Marjorie Zapruder $100 - $249 Seth Altman Anonymous Maxine E. Arnsdorf Judith Barker Rose and Norman Bloomberg Catherine Breitenbach Sally Broughton Deborah and James Cleeman Stacy and Dan Cohen Phyliss and George Cohen Nancy and Paul Diamond Debbie and Rob Director Alan Ezagui Susan and Fred Feinberg Steven Fisher
Julie Kaminsky and Alan Minsk Carolyn W. Keene Paul J. M. Klumpes Debra and Raphael Krasa Helayna and Jonathan Lewis Tatjana Meschede and Daniel Krasa Susan and Mickey Miller Eric Osterweil The Pargament Family Charitable Gift Trust Nancy Petschek-Kohn Margaret Pizzo Laura Primakoff and Henry Kahn Linda Rosenzweig and Sandy Bieber Iris and Gene Rotberg Jolene Sanditen Ann Saunders Robert Schaftel Pearl and Larry Schainker Tom and Joan Schaumberg Elizabeth and Adam Schneiberg Rita Segerman Pedro Seidemann Elizabeth and Timothy Shannon Helen and Jonathan Sunshine
Etty Dolin Sarah Ferrario and Andrew Simpson Amy R. Fine Peter Goodman Judith Herr Andrea Hoffman and Arnold Simmel Don Jacobs Michael Jakobson Nancy Karp Theodora Klayman
Thomas Klein David Leavitt
Barbara Leibundguth Ellen and Gary Malasky Hilary Marcus and J. Magaziner Michael Matzkin Helaine Medoff Andrew Nadler Marsha S. Pinson Rita Pollack Teresa and Jeffrey Puretz Susan Rolle Berenice Rosenfeld Evelyn and David Rosenthal Janet Sapio-Mayta Catherine Schwartzstein Cookie Segelstein Rachel and Mark Seliber Susan and Krystof Swiat R.T. Scheidlinger Beth Taylor and Robert Parker Nancy Wasserman Sidney Waxman Sally Wiebe
Lorraine Thall Marcia Tilchin
The Torchio Family Eva K. Unterman Martin Verdrager The Wagner Society of Sante Fe Mark Weinstein Lenore J. Weitzman Joan Wessel
$1-$99 Toni and Joel Adler Anonymous Sonya T. Bertini Stephen Blair Sara Bloom Ian Boardman Carol and Donald Borut
Jane Friedman Andrew Gallant Walter Gans
Michael Gruenbaum Judith Hagopian and Richard Levine Nancy and John Harris Esther and Eugene Herman Joseph Hickerson Patti and Harvey Iglarsh Reba and Mark Immergut
Sally Bourrie Helene Brody Leslie Clesner
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BY THE NUMBERS
$25,000 - $99,999
$100,000 AND ABOVE
$20,000 - $24,999
$10,000 - $19,999
$5,000 - $9,999
$1 - $99
$2,500 - $4,999
NUMBER OF DONORS by Giving Range
$1,000 - $2,499
$100 - $249
$500 - $999
$250 - $499
$100,000 AND ABOVE = $500,000
$25,000 - $99,999 = $152,308
$20,000 - $24,999 = $82,500
$10,000 - $19,999 = $91,000
$5,000 - $9,999 = $42,644
$2,500 - $4,999 = $19,950
$1,000 - $2,499 = $29,880
$500 - $999 = $18,320
$250 - $499 = $5,784
$100 - $249 = $7,978
$1 - $99 = $3,028
$100 - $249
$250 - $499
$1 -$99
$500 - $999
$1,000 - $2,499
$2,500 - $4,999
$5,000 - $9,999
$10,000 - $19,999
$20,000 - $24,999
DONATION TOTALS by Giving Range
$100,000 AND ABOVE
$25,000 - $99,999
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SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
Unaudited Dec 31, 2022
Audited Dec 31, 2021
ASSETS
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
289,498 356,347 101,329 5,103 8,008 1,502 761,786
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
188,085 545,870 0 5,822 6,214 862 746,853
Cash and cash equivalents Marketable securities Accounts receivable Prepaid expenses Property and Equipment, net Security Deposits
Total Assets
LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS LIABILITIES
6,381 25,947 0 32,328
3,189 28,037
Accounts payable and accrued expenses Payroll Liabilities Deferred Income
271,628 302,854
Total Liabilities
NET ASSETS TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
729,458 761,786
443,999 746,853
Consolidated Statements of Activities
Unaudited Dec 31, 2022
Audited Dec 31, 2021
REVENUE
$ $ $ $ $
$ $ $ $ $
973,258 605,742 0 (43,868) 1,535,132
793,493 1,750 33,851 18,769 847,863
Contributions Concert and Film Contributed Services Investment and Other Revenue
Total Revenue
EXPENSES
Program Services
$ $ $ $
$ $ $ $
600,275 49,400 211,728 861,403
159,489 64,322 229,180 452,991
Concerts and Musical Performances Documentary Film Educational
Total Program Services
Supporting Services
$ $ $
$ $ $
210,246 178,025 388,270 1,249,673 285,459
299,545 246,224 545,769
General and Administrative Fundraising
Total Supporting Services
$ $
$ $
998,760 (150,897)
Total Expenses Change in Net Assets
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THE DEFIANT REQUIEM FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND STAFF
ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Rheda Becker* Michael Berenbaum J. Christian Kennedy* Tomáš Kraus* Owen Pell* Michael Sonnenreich Lenore Weitzman *Former Board Member
BOARD OFFICERS Stuart E. Eizenstat, Chairman of the Board
Morris Antonelli, Secretary Randolph M. Bell, Treasurer
BOARD MEMBERS Tommy Baer Rabbi Andrew Baker J.D. Bindenagel Laura Ginns Nina Glasner Ellen M. Heller Patti Askwith Kenner Peter Lefkin
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Murry Sidlin, President and Artistic Director Louisa Hollman, Executive Director Mark B. Rulison, Program Director and General Manager David Welch, Director of Finance Alexandra Zapruder, Education Director Karen Uslin, Director of Research Lusha Caliendo, Development Manager Emily Natbony, Education Program Manager, Office Executive Assistant
Marion Ein Lewin David G. Marwell Jennifer Loew Mendelson Menachem Rosensaft Evelyn Sandground Philippe Sands Pedro Seidemann
Murry Sidlin Anita Winter Judy Zickler
UKRAINE’S AMBASSADOR TO THE US, OKSANA MARKAROVA, WITH MURRY SIDLIN, STUART EIZENSTAT, LOUISA HOLLMAN, AND THE CAST OF EAST WEST STREET Photo credit: John Keith
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The Defiant Requiem Foundation’s board and staff thank all donors for their generous support of the Foundation’s important work. To stay apprised of upcoming events and educational programs, please find us on Facebook, visit our website www.defiantrequiem.org, and sign up for our eNewsletters.
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5506 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 24 Washington, DC 20015 | 202-244-0220 | info@defiantrequiem.org | www.defiantrequiem.org
The Defiant Requiem Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. It was founded by President and Artistic Director Murry Sidlin in 2008, and Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat became the Foundation’s first Board Chair in 2011.
Photo credit: Ouriel Morgensztern
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