Julie Kohner (Founder of Voices of the Generations) and Aviva Weintraub (Director of the Jewish Film Festival) held a Q&A session after the showing of “This Is Your Life, Hanna Bloch Kohner”, at the Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center, on Sunday, July 14, 2011.

Book signing following the presentation of “This Is Your Life, Hanna Bloch Kohner”.

Julie at the UCLA Festival of Preservation event held at Lincoln Center, New York.

Julie Kohner, founder of Voices of the Generations, will be speaking on Sunday, July 17, at the Walter Read Theater at Lincoln Center, New York City.  Julie is traveling with the UCLA Festival of Preservation, which showcases classic and rare film and TV titles restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Hailed by The Los Angeles Times as “the city’s most surprising, most stimulating, most invigorating film event,” the festival now heads east for its premiere New York engagement.

Julie will be speaking and participating in Q&A at the 12:30 presentation of three episodes of “This Is Your Life”  featuring three exceptional women—all survivors of the Holocaust. The Q&A will be moderated by Aviva Weintraub, Associate Curator of The Jewish Museum and Director of the New York Jewish Film Festival.

For more information, please click on the link below

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/series/ucla-festival-of-preservation

I have recently returned from an exciting VOG trip to Florida, visiting synagogues and schools.  The trip began on Thursday, April 28, with a teacher training session hosted by the Commission for Jewish Education (CJE) in West Palm Beach in which the VOG curriculum was introduced.  In addition, CJE helped to organize speaking engagements at Temple Shaarei Shalom in Boynton Beach, Temple Israel in West Palm Beach, Temple Beth Torah in Wellington, Arthur I. Meyer Jewish Academy in West Palm Beach, Congregation L’Dor Va Dor in Lake Worth.  In addition, I was also a guest speaker at Congregation Kol Tikvah in Parkland.
Below are some photos and testimonials from my recent visit.  A heartfelt thank you for inviting Voices of the Generations to your congregations. – Julie

“Julie’s presentation of her parents’ life before, during and after the Holocaust shines a bright light in everyone’s eyes.  Remembering the days of strife and ending in a love story that lives beyond the test of time is truly both remarkable and heartwarming.” Beth Pennamacoor, Cantorial Soloist/Director of Education, Temple Beit HaYam,  Stuart, Florida.   

“Ms. Kohner presented an extraordinarily moving personal story that touched our members deeply. Hearing the experiences of her family helped us place the events of the Holocaust and the lives of the survivors after the War into a more understandable framework for both the adults and the youngsters who were privileged to share her presentation.” Rabbi Pinsky Temple Beth Torah, Wellington, Florida 

”Julie’s unique presentation offered a fresh way to remember the Holocaust. Our teens were especially captivated by viewing the footage from “This is Your Life.”  It was powerful to see how pop culture in America attempted to address the issues of the Holocaust less than 10 years after the end of WWII.  I recommend that every Jewish organization invite Julie to visit and share her mother’s story.”  Debbie Hafetz -Ed. Dir., Congregation Kol Tikvah Parkland Florida

“Julie’s presentation was beyond our expectation! She had everyone in the room crying! She touched the souls of our teachers, students, parents and congregations,  Our entire community benefited from learning about her mother’s devastating experiences during the Holocaust and the courage and inspiration of her survival.”  Robyn Hurvitz, Director of Professional Development, Friedman Commission for Jewish Education

Nearly 200 people made their way to the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum in Westwood last Sunday, March 13, to see three separate and truly emotional episodes of Ralph Edwards “This Is Your Life”. These most memorable episodes each featured Holocaust survivors, with different and compelling stories. These three individuals, Ilse Stanley, Sara Veffer, and Hanna Bloch Kohner, were surprised by host Ralph Edwards during his introductory remarks as he walked down the aisles of his studio audience.  My mother, Hanna Bloch Kohner, was the first Holocaust survivor, in 1953, to have her story told on national television.  I would like to thank the UCLA Film and Television Archive for the opportunity to speak to a truly receptive audience about my mother’s experience, growing up as a child of a Holocaust survivor, and our non-profit charity, “Voices of the Generations”, founded  to inform people across the country, utilizing “This Is Your Life, Hanna Bloch Kohner”,  as a personal and unique approach to Holocaust education.  – Julie.

In case you missed this great review by Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times on March 3.

Here is the link: LA Times review of UCLA Festival of Preservation.

The UCLA Festival of Preservation, Sunday night March 13 showing of “This Is Your Life” event has been posted to the UCLA Hillel site.  See it at http://www.facebook.com/HillelatUCLA

Appearing in the Jewish Journal.com “Picks and Clicks” for the week of March 8 – 18, 2011, is a pick for Sunday, March 13, 7pm – UCLA Festival of Preservation.  Three restored episodes from the 1950’s television show, “This Is Your Life” with three different Holocaust survivor stories will be presented.  Julie Kohner will also speak about her mother, Hanna Kohner, the first Holocaust survivor to share her story on national television.

On the web at JewishJournal.com

Public Radio International’s “This American Life” March 4-6 will feature an episode from Allison Silverman discussing stories about the perils of giving and receiving gifts including what happens when – surprise! – your whole life past gets laid out for a live TV audience. This story will include excerpts of  “This Is Your Life”.

In a 1953 episode, Ralph Edwards surprises the lovely Hanna Bloch Kohner and discusses her heartbreaking and terrifying journey from being a young girl in the Sudetenland, through four concentration camps, and finally to the arms of her husband Walter in the United States. His description is vivid.”

Julie Kohner and Allison Silverman spoke at length regarding the feelings Hanna Kohner had about being a surprise guest on “This Is Your Life”.

To listen to the archived audio of this broadcast from March 4, 2011, click here.

We are very excited to announce that Julie Kohner, Founder and CEO of Voices of the Generations, will be appearing at the UCLA Film & Television Archive Festival of Preservation at 7:00 pm on March 13, 2011 in conjunction with the presentation of three episodes of “This Is Your Life.”  One of American television’s most popular programs, This is Your Life presented tributes to hundreds of notable people on NBC from 1952 until 1961, hosted by the effervescent Ralph Edwards. Among the many famous personalities that the show honored were also many ordinary people who had overcome tremendous obstacles. Among these “regular” people were three exceptional women—Hanna Bloch Kohner, Ilse Stanley and Sara Veffer—all survivors of the Holocaust. Their harrowing yet inspiring stories are vividly related in these three This is Your Life episodes which marked the first time the Holocaust was addressed in any context on American television.  Julie will be at this evening’s program to discuss and answer questions about “This Is Your Life, Hanna Bloch Kohner.” The event will be held on Sunday, March 13, 2011, at the Billy Wilder Theater, Courtyard Level, Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Boulevard (intersection of Wilshire and Westwood Boulevards), Los Angeles, CA 90024.  Phone 310.206.8013.  For more information, please link to http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/calendar/calendar.aspx

Voices of the Generations would like to thank all who have contributed through our end of the year fundraising efforts. Voices of the Generations is a non-profit public charity that develops and sponsors Holocaust education by providing unique and personal accounts for first, second, and third generations of survivors. Donations are always welcome at any time of the year and your contribution, which is tax deductible, continues to provide an easy to grasp, yet powerful and meaningful introduction to the Holocaust.