Werner Reich was a 16-year-old imprisoned at Auschwitz, when he learned a card trick from Herbert Levin, a fellow inmate who sought to distract the young man from the horrors of the camp. That act of kindness and the instructions for the magic trick helped young Werner survive. He survived Auschwitz, a death march, and a final few months of imprisonment at Mauthausen before U.S. Army troops liberated the camp on May 5, 1945. He [...]
Bruce Katz, who with his father started the Rockport Shoe Company in 1971 and established walking shoes as a vibrant footwear category, died on June 26 in Greenbrae, CA. He was 75. In the late 1970s, Mr. Katz developed a comfortable, casual shoe that became the foundation of Rockport’s business. The company was a pioneer in the use of features like cushioned, removable orthotics (foot beds) to provide internal comfort and structure. In 1986, Reebok [...]
Bob Rafelson, an iconoclastic director and producer, was a central figure in the New Hollywood movement that jump-started American cinema in the 1960s. He died on July 23 at his home in Aspen, CO. He was 89. Mr. Rafelson was best known for “Five Easy Pieces,” his 1970 movie about a classical pianist, played by Jack Nicholson, who spurns the bourgeois life to drift through California working as an oil rigger. Nominated for four Academy [...]
Shul president Judith K. Weiner is one of 20 artists named in an international competition sponsored by Long Island’s Heckscher Museum of Art for its innovative Instagram Takeover Series. Each artist selected is invited to take over the museum’s Instagram account for an entire day, raising the artist’s visibility, sharing her work with thousands of the museum’s followers, and generating traffic to the artist’s Instagram account and website, @judithkaufmanweiner/. A selection of the artist’s current [...]
Peter Stein, son of shul members Ken and Nancy Stein was featured in the July-August issue of Avenue Magazine. Peter, who started his own oyster farm, Peeko Oysters, in New Suffolk, six years ago, supplies many of the best restaurants in New York City. Peter told Avenue that when he was a teenager, his father would take him to the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station as a special treat. Little did he know back [...]
The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City has announced that Elyse Buxbaum will become chief operating officer. Previously, Ms. Buxbaum served as executive vice president for strategy and development. In her new position, she will participate in organizational planning and design, oversee major capital projects, lead fundraising efforts, and shepherd short- and long-term strategic financial planning. Since joining the museum, Ms. Buxbaum has developed and executed programs to enhance the status of the [...]
Elie Horn, the founding partner and chairman of Cyrela Brazil Realty, recognized as one of the largest building and real estate companies in Brazil, has donated $120 million to the University of Haifa. The award will establish the Ahavat Olam Scholarship Program, which aims “to strengthen Israeli society and ensure that young adults are given equal opportunities to succeed.” The Elie Horn pledge is the largest donation ever made in Israel for student scholarships, the [...]
U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor of New York, was assaulted at a campaign event on June 28. David G. Jakubonis, 43, has been charged with assaulting Zeldin with a sharp object and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Authorities said that Jakubonis climbed onto the stage outside a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Baldwin, NY, near Rochester, and approached Zeldin with a pointed object. Videos of [...]
Dozens of stolen ancient artifacts that belonged to U.S. billionaire Michael Steinhardt were recently returned to Italy, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said. Steinhardt, a former hedge fund manager, was once among the world’s most prominent collectors of ancient art. Steinhardt had bought the looted items, including statues and ceremonial vessels, without seeing evidence of their provenance, investigators said. The announcement follows a years-long investigation into Steinhardt, who avoided charges after he surrendered 180 artifacts, [...]
Naftali Bennett, left, and Yair Lapid embraced after the Knesset voted 92-0 on June 30 to dissolve Israel’s government and schedule national elections — the fifth in three years — for Nov. 1. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will be interim Prime Minister. Bennett announced that he will not seek reelection, handing the reins of his Yamina party to Ayelet Shaked, currently Minister of the Interior. Getty Images
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