HAMEC 2022 | Gala Dinner and Silent Auction

Join us for our Annual Dinner and Silent Auction on November 12th, and please extend this invitation to friends, relatives, and colleagues all over the world. Our auction will have both online and in person opportunities. Your continued support of our mission to educate young people about the Holocaust and the consequences of unbridled hate and intolerance has enabled our heroic Survivors accompanied by trained volunteer facilitators and educators to reach over 300,000 students during the past decade with their important message. For the past 2 years, our programming has been exclusively virtual. This has enabled us to extend our reach across the United States and the entire world. In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, we were still able to provide programming for over 20,000 students worldwide during this past school year. Have we been effective? You bet! The U.S. Millennial Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey, sponsored by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, testing the level of specific knowledge of the Holocaust held by millennials ranked Pennsylvania 5th in the nation where over 200,000 young people have had the opportunity to hear first-hand Holocaust Survivor testimony through a HAMEC sponsored program. The rise in Anti-Semitism and hate around the world makes our mission even more compelling. Thank you on behalf of our intrepid Survivors and volunteers for your contributions to our efforts. Chuck Feldman President, Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center HAMEC Honoree 1. Jacqueline Cherepinsky-Schmidt Jacqueline Cherepinsky was born and raised in Philadelphia to parents from the former Soviet Union. She graduated in the 262nd class from Central High School and went on to graduate with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in History from Pennsylvania State University. After being inspired by a college professor, Jacqueline went on to receive her Master of the Arts degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from West Chester University. Her area of focus is primarily on the Soviet theatre of the Holocaust, but more specifically the Babi Yar massacre and its aftermath in post-World War II USSR. She has presented her research at the 31st Annual Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide at Millersville University. Jacqueline’s presentation was then published by Cambridge Scholars in the anthology, The Holocaust: Memories and History. Jacqueline served as a teacher and peer leader advisor for Jewish Family and Children’s Services in Mercer County for nearly a decade. For several years, she worked as the Program Associate for the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center. Jacqueline continues to serve as an educational consultant as well as a member of the Special Events Committee. During her time at the Museum, Jacqueline worked on helping raise funds through event planning; as well as helping coordinate and raise finances for the Legacy Library. She also partnered with KleinLife in orchestrating a Russian outreach program; where teens were paired with survivors from the former Soviet Union and wrote their legacies down in the form of essays. Jacqueline edited the compilation in a published anthology, Generation to Generation: Witnesses to History. Alongside the Vice President of the museum, Don Wittenberg, Jacqueline presented research at the Remembrance and Legacy of Babi Yar event. She also organized the virtual event for the 80th anniversary of Babi Yar. Currently, Jacqueline is also serving on the Upper Moreland Historical Commission. She plans to transform her research into a documentary and expand the research into her own book. A slight turn from her life’s work, Jacqueline also began acting and starred as one of the leads in a short film; which was submitted to the Indie Shorts Film Festival. 2. Adam Denish Adam Denish was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia and always desired to be a veterinarian. Adam completed his undergraduate degree at Beaver College, (now Arcadia University) and went on to veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania. He has been the owner and lead doctor of Rhawnhurst Animal Hospital and Elkins Park Veterinary Hospital and Boarding Kennel for over 22 years. Previously, Adam served as the director of veterinary medicine for the Elmwood Park Zoo and the selected veterinarian for the City of Philadelphia K-9 Department. Outside of his veterinary hospital work, Adam heads the board of the Belize Zoo Neotropical Conservancy and travels to Belize once a year to work on animals like jaguars, toucans, and howler monkeys while raising money for conservation projects. Adam also sits on the board for the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, working to make a difference in the lives of future veterinarians. Recently, Adam became a board member for the Jewish Genealogical and Archival Society of Greater Philadelphia. He is honored to work with this wonderful organization and collaborate with HAMEC on mutually beneficial projects. Adam met Chuck Feldman about 11 years ago as an office neighbor who had a mutual interest in Philadelphia sports memorabilia. Their chats quickly shifted to a shared belief in the importance of Holocaust education. Adam’s daughter Melissa, participated in the Witness to History Project - learning and sharing Ronnie Breslow’s amazing story. That experience strengthened Adam’s interest in helping HAMEC grow and ensure that important stories like Ronnie’s are preserved. Adam’s board duties include co-chair of the Special Events Committee of HAMEC for many years, helping with the annual Gala and silent auction. He shares the mission of HAMEC with anyone who will listen and eagerly devotes time to bringing friends and donors to the museum. In the future, Adam plans to continue to support HAMEC’s mission and dedicate time to remembering the survivors and their families. Adam lives in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania with his wife Andrea and their menagerie of pets. They are avid followers of their children, Melissa and Jordan.