Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the ADL, to speak at the Mandell JCC Jewish Book Festival

Mandell JCC Jewish Book Festival Presents Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), award-wining author, and one of today’s leading opponents of hatred and discrimination across the world, will be the grand finale keynote speaker at the Mandell JCC’s Jewish Book Festival, Wednesday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m., announced Mel Simon and Eric Zachs, co-chairs. Mr. Foxman will speak at the Mandell JCC about his new book, Jews & Money: The Story of a Stereotype, which has received wide praise, along with his two other books, The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) and Never Again? The Threat of the New Anti-Semitism (HarperSanFrancisco, 2003).

Born in Poland in 1940, Mr. Foxman survived the Holocaust with the help of his Polish Catholic nursemaid who baptized and raised him as a Catholic. He and his parents arrived in America in 1950. Mr. Foxman was a member of the President’s United States Holocaust Memorial Council, appointed by Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. He has also been a participant of official Presidential delegations to special events in Europe and Israel, as well as having had six audiences with Pope John Paul II. Mr. Foxman is a passionate supporter of the State of Israel and a voice for peace in the Middle East. He appears often on national news programs, and is frequently quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time and Newsweek, among other media. His blog, “A Point of View,” is on The Jerusalem Post website.

Mr. Foxman’s new book, Jews  & Money: The Story of a Stereotype (Palgrave Macmillan, November 2010), highlights America’s current struggle to recover from financial crisis and the search for blame as it intensifies. Mr. Foxman warns that this is an especially dangerous time for certain anti-Semitic sentiments to rise – namely, false and slanderous beliefs about the Jewish people and money. “Abe Foxman looks at some long-standing stereotypes about Jewish people that have no place in the business world, or any world for that matter. He provides important information that will educate others, combat bigotry, and promote religious and economic freedom,” commented Rupert Murdoch, Chairman & CEO, News Corporation.

The 2011-2012 series will celebrate the 18th Anniversary of the Mandell JCC Jewish Book Festival and the Abraham H. Foxman event will include the premiere of "Off The Page" 18 Years of Memories - Mandell JCC Jewish Book Festival: A Documentary. The film is being produced and directed by Pat Kazakoff and Eliane Freund, with cinematography by Melanie Rosenberg.

The Abraham H. Foxman Jewish Book Festival event, on May 4, 2011, is made possible by these Mandell JCC Partners as of 03/23/2011: Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Webster Bank, The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford, BNY Mellon Wealth Management Group, LAZ Parking, Xerox, Residence Inn of Downtown Hartford by Marriott, Headline Hair Designers, The Jewish Book Council, and the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

Tickets to this Mandell JCC Jewish Book Festival signature event are $30 per person and are on sale via mail, in person, fax, or online at the Mandell JCC Box Office, Zachs Campus 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford CT, 860-231-6316, 860-233-0802 (fax), tickets@mandelljcc.org and at www.mandelljcc.org. For updates, follow Mandell JCC on Facebook and Twitter.