One Hand, One Heart: An Intergenerational Celebration of Broadway & Yiddish Songs at Wagner College

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Jan. 14, 2021 - PRLog -- Wagner College students will perform an act of intergenerational joy and interfaith unity at an event celebrating hope for the future. On January 20th, 2021, 7pm, the evening of the Presidential Inauguration, a multi-ethnic singing organization, Shir Levav (Sing from the Heart) joins Holocaust Survivor Arthur Spielman to perform music by Jewish composers of Broadway and a few favorite Yiddish songs. To mark Martin Luther King's birthday, renowned vocalist and professor of Music at Wagner College, Anthony Turner, will do an unforgettable rendition of "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. This uplifting event is co-sponsored by the Wagner College Chai Society and Holocaust Center and the Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island's Esther Grushkin Seminars for Adult Jewish Education (SAJE). There is no charge for this unifying event taking place on zoom.

This event will feature a surprising array of Broadway show tunes by Jewish composers, fostering an intergenerational connection through music that everyone loves.While the focus is on Broadway songs, we are honored to present Holocaust survivor Arthur Spielman, born in Krakow, Poland, who will recall and sing two songs of the folk composer of Krakow Mordechai Gebertig, including "Rejoice, Rejoice Kinderlech." Arthur says: "I heard my aunts sing these songs in Yiddish around the house, when there was no radio and no television. I am so grateful that the next generation is interested to learn this music." Beth Nivin and Fern Zagor, a 2nd generation survivor, will also sing familiar Yiddish songs. Bethany Friedman, founder of Shir Levav and a pre-law student, states: "I've learned so much from meeting these courageous survivors, it has changed my life. They have inspired me to give back to others. Leonard Bernstein's song in West Side Story "One Hand, One Heart" spotlights a moment of peace, mutual respect and love that represents our hope for the future."

The mission of the WCHC is to promote empathy, courage and ethical decision-making in order to prevent antisemitism, racism and prejudice in all its forms. Please register in advance for this event at no charge: https://wagner.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvcO2qqD4qH90tnvM4DN6pJbCb8bbLpxddOr register by sending an email to: holocaust.center@wagner.edu