Fall-Spring 2010-2011: Thanks To Scandinavia gives out scholarships to students in recognition of acts of rescue during WWII
TTS will be giving out dozens of scholarships in conjunction with our Scandinavian and Bulgarian partners. Stay posted.
April 14th 2010: Norway and the Holocaust Event
The Museum of Jewish Heritage and Thanks to Scandinavia joined together to create a program about the history of Norway during the Holocaust. In 1942, four-year-old Irene Levin was one of 1,200 Norwegian Jews who escaped to Sweden. Berman recounted her family's story of rescue, was joined by Bruland, who was instrumental in the post-war restitution of Jewish assets. Norway's current tensions with Israel was also discussed. With Irene Levin Berman, author of a new book on her family's history in Norway during the war, We are Going to Pick Potatoes, and Bjarte Bruland, chief curator of the Jewish Museum of Oslo.Co-sponsored by Thanks to Scandinavia and Museum of Jewish Heritage: This program was made possible in part by Ingunn and Michael Bassock, Eva and Richard Hudlow, and Jacquin Fink. To continue, click here:
January 2010: TTS sends Scandinavian student journalist delegation to Israel
January 2010: TTS sent a delegation of 13 Scandinavian students of journalism for an intensive visit to Israel with a focus on Israeli life and challenges, including but not limited to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Participants met with representatives of Israeli political and civil life on all sides of the political spectrum, as well as Palestinian representatives.
November 2009: Trip to US for Scandinavian students of Journalism
TTS hosted a group of 17 Scandinavian journalists in Washington, DC, and NY for an intensive discussion about cultural/historical and political issues relevant to Scandinavian-American relations. The focus of the trip was on multiculturalism and different religious and ethnic communities in the US and how they have integrated and what challenges remain, with special emphasis on the Jewish community.
Richard Netter, TTS visionary and co-founder, passes away
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Richard Netter, the visionary behind Thanks To Scandinavia. Richard co-founded TTS with Victor Borge in 1963. He presided over it with great passion and wisdom until his death. We feel blessed and enriched to have known him and to have worked side-by-side with him. His indomitable spirit will live on through the work of TTS, his cherished creation and our treasured institute. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and daughters and their families, of whom he was so proud.
“Escape from the Holocaust?”
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars conference co-organized by TTS WASHINGTON, DC. June 17, 2008. Thanks To Scandinavia is a co-organizer of a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars conference on “The Fate of Jews in Finland and other Scandinavian Countries,” held on June 17, 2008. The opening remarks are being made by Walter Reich (Senior Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center, Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Professor of International Affairs, Ethics and Human Behavior, George Washington University; former director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) and Leslie D. Simon (member of the Board of Governors of the American Jewish Committee and former Senior Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center). The keynote address is delivered by Ambassador James E. Goodby (The Brookings Institute/Hoover Institution). The topics covered during the conference are divided into two panels: “The Scandinavian Countries and the Holocaust” featuring papers by Prof. Henrik Meiander, University of Helsinki, Prof. Emeritus Sune Persson, University of Gothenburg, and Steven F. Sage, United States Holocaust Museum. The second panel is focused on the complexity of the Finnish Holocaust history. It is chaired by Samuel F. Wells, Associate Director, Woodrow Wilson Center and features papers by Hannu Rautkallio, University of Tampere, who has cooperated personally with Thanks To Scandinavia, and Rony Smolar, Chairman, The Helsinki Jewsih Congregation and Jussi Nuorteva, Director General, National Archives of Finland. The closing address is chaired by Michael Haltzel (Program Coordinator, International Archival Programs Division, Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) and will be delivered by Ambassador Max Jakobson (ret.). The conference is co-sponsored by Thanks To Scandinavia, American-Scandinavian Foundation, National Archives of Finland, University of Tampere, and Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Bill Donat speaking at performance of The Yellow Star
TTS Board member Bill Donat, a child Holocaust survivor, will be speaking at the performance of and original opera about the Danish rescue of Jews: The Yellow Star: a little light dispels great darkness, commemorating the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Tuesday, October 28, 2008; 7:30 pm, Iona College – Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium. For information , contact Dr. Elena Procario-Foley at eprocariofoley@iona.edu
Event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Danish rescue
November 3, 2003, Tel Aviv -- at 6:00 pm. Event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Danish rescue with Bertel Harder, Danish Minister for Immigration and Absorption, Zippi Livni, Israeli Minister for Absorption, and Rabbi Michael Melchior. Diaspora Museum’s Auditorium, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
The Annual Thanks To Scandinavia Commemoration Program
May 24, 2001, New York City -- The Annual Thanks To Scandinavia
Commemoration Program, in Honor of Victor Borge, TTS Co-founder
Feb. 2008: TTS premieres The Yellow Star: Celebrating Extraordinary Acts by Ordinary People
Thanks To Scandinavia event premieres
The Yellow Star: Celebrating Extraordinary Acts by Ordinary People, an original opera by Bradley Detrick
NEW YORK, February 13, 2008… First-time operatic composer/librettist Bradley Detrick brings to life the little-known story of how the Danish people miraculously conspired to save nearly all of the Danish Jews just as the Nazis were coming to take them to concentration camps in 1943. The world premiere performance of The Yellow Star: Celebrating Extraordinary Acts by Ordinary People transports us to Denmark during the height of World War II, and into the lives of ordinary people as they grapple with the world crumbling around them. The libretto, a fictional account based on true events, centers around young Carl Jensen, a bright-eyed fan of the Danish king and his friend Brigitte, a young woman dreaming of the Denmark of fairy tales. They and their friends make difficult decisions to act righteously and these seemingly small actions, combined with those of others, ultimately save so many.
The Yellow Star marks Bradley Detrick’s first foray into the world of opera, though his musical resume is extensive as a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. He is most recognizable as the leader of one of Manhattan’s premier party bands, Tribeca Rhythm and is regularly seen coordinating the music for the top private events in New York City.
The world premiere on Wednesday February 13, 2008 at 6:30pm is being presented in concert form at the Museum of Jewish Heritage -- A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place in NYC.
The event will celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the rescue of the Danish Jews and the 45th Anniversary of Thanks To Scandinavia, a scholarship fund honoring the memory and humanity of those who rescued the Jews during WWII. Ambassador Torben Gettermann, Consul General of Denmark, Holocaust survivor William Donat, and Laurie Netter Sprayregen will be giving opening remarks. The production will feature performers from the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera companies.
For more information on the opera, visit the opera’s official website www.yellowstartheopera.com
For further information about Thanks To Scandinavia call Executive Director Rebecca Neuwirth at (212) 891-1403 or visit www.ThanksToScandinavia.org
