May 22 | Doors open at 5:30pm; talk and Q&A from 6-7:30pm
Join Dr. Michael Berenbaum, renowned Holocaust historian and Project Director who oversaw the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in conversation with Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana about the life and legacy of Holocaust survivor Alice Lok Cahana. The two will discuss the lasting impact of Alice’s artwork and experiences, the compelling work of teaching Holocaust history through art, and how memory is shaped and shared across generations.
This program is presented as part of Survival and Intimations of Immortality: The Art of Alice Lok Cahana, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana, and Kitra Cahana.
Dr. Michael Berenbaum is the Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust and a Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at the American Jewish University. The author and editor of 24 books, he was also the Executive Editor of the Second Edition of the Encyclopedia Judaica. He was Project Director overseeing the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the first Director of its Research Institute. He later served as President and CEO of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which took the testimony of 52,000 Holocaust survivors in 32 languages and 57 countries. His work in film has won Emmy Awards and Academy Awards, including for consulting on the Oscar-winning documentary The Last Days. He has developed and curated Museums in the United States, Mexico, North Macedonia, and Poland and his award winning exhibition Auschwitz: Not Long Ago, Not Far Away has been in Madrid, Malmö, New York, Kansas City, most recently at the Ronald Reagan Library in California, and will soon open in Boston.
Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana joined Congregation Beth Israel in July 2006, becoming the 18th Senior Rabbi to serve the congregation. He is the son of Holocaust survivor Alice Lok Cahana and along with his family, was featured Prior to moving to Portland, Rabbi Cahana led synagogues in the Midwest and the East Coast, and strived to create vibrant and inclusive Jewish communities. Born in Houston, Texas, Rabbi Cahana comes from multiple generations of rabbis including his late father, Rabbi Moshe Cahana, and his older brother, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana. Rabbi Cahana began with a career in theater, including acting, directing, and theatrical design. He later earned an MFA in Architectural Lighting from Parson’s School of Design. Soon, however, family tradition of the rabbinic life called him, leading to his ordination in 1994, becoming the first Reform rabbi in his family’s long rabbinic history.