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Today’s the day to get your tickets for our 2019 Presidents Dinner with Dr. Ruth Westheimer! General admission tickets are $100, with a special admission price for young adults age 35 and under of $50. Tickets include a delicious kosher dinner catered by Bernstein’s, including an open bar. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Presidents Dinner will no longer be held at the Schuster Center, and will in fact be held at the Boonshoft CJCE in Centerville. You can purchase tickets online at jewishdayton.org. For more information about Presidents Dinner, please call (937) 610-1555 or email jsweeny@jfgd.net. To purchase a table, contact Alisa Thomas at athomas@jfgd.net or (937) 610-1796.

Known simply as “Dr. Ruth,” her name resonates with people of all ages and backgrounds. Dr. Ruth may be best known due to her highly successful radio show in the 1980’s, Sexually Speaking. Her brand of humor and frankness helped her to become an icon.

While she may be famous for her psychology career, her personal story is a deeply Jewish one. One of the last children to take the Kindertransport to safety, Dr. Ruth lost her family to the Holocaust and went on to fight with the Haganah to win Israel’s independence.

I have to stand up and be counted for people who say, ‘Holocaust fatigue, stop talking about it already, it’s so long ago, it’s already in enough literature.’ I’m saying we can’t afford not to talk about it, I need the next generation, my grandchildren, to know-they don’t have to know all of those horrible details at their tender age, but they do have to know that terrible things happened.

~ Dr. Ruth Westheimer
2019 Presidents Dinner Keynote Speaker

I have to stand up and be counted for people who say, ‘Holocaust fatigue, stop talking about it already, it’s so long ago, it’s already in enough literature.’ I’m saying we can’t afford not to talk about it, I need the next generation, my grandchildren, to know-they don’t have to know all of those horrible details at their tender age, but they do have to know that terrible things happened.

~ Dr. Ruth Westheimer
2019 Presidents Dinner Keynote Speaker

I have to stand up and be counted for people who say, ‘Holocaust fatigue, stop talking about it already, it’s so long ago, it’s already in enough literature.’ I’m saying we can’t afford not to talk about it, I need the next generation, my grandchildren, to know-they don’t have to know all of those horrible details at their tender age, but they do have to know that terrible things happened.

~ Dr. Ruth Westheimer
2019 Presidents Dinner Keynote Speaker

Dr. Ruth has hosted and appeared in countless television and radio programs. In addition, the documentary Ask Dr. Ruth recently debuted to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. She is also the author of over 40 books. They range in topic from sexuality, music, and caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease to grandparenting. Dr. Ruth even has a book focusing on the story of the Ethiopian Jews and their journey to Israel.

Her most recent book is a graphic novel aimed at pre-teens and tells the story of her life. When speaking about her reasons for writing the book, entitled Rollercoaster Grandma, Dr. Ruth says “I have to stand up and be counted for people who say, ‘Holocaust fatigue, stop talking about it already, it’s so long ago, it’s already in enough literature.’ I’m saying we can’t afford not to talk about it, I need the next generation, my grandchildren, to know; they don’t have to know all of those horrible details at their tender age, but they do have to know that terrible things happened.”

What: 2019 Presidents Dinner featuring Dr. Ruth Westheimer
Date: Monday, June 17, 2019
Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Where: Boonshoft CJCE

The Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton’s Presidents Dinner will celebrate its fifth anniversary this June. The event combines world-class speakers with a one-of-a-kind celebration of the philanthropic spirit of the Dayton Jewish community. We seek out speakers who have unique and intriguing stories to share – stories that will entertain and inspire our community while enriching the cultural landscape of Jewish Dayton.

Beginning in 2015, the inaugural Presidents Dinner kicked off with television journalist, author, and former host of “Meet the Press”, David Gregory. Gregory spoke at the Presidents Dinner about his pursuit of a spiritual life within Judaism, a journey that led him to write his first book: How’s Your Faith: An Unlikely Spiritual Journey. Gregory delved into his faith in earnest after he was let go from his hosting duties at Meet the Press due to falling ratings. The book was published in September of 2015. If you enjoyed hearing Gregory’s story at Presidents Dinner, or if you missed the opportunity to see him, his book will give you more insight into his captivating journey.

Randi Zuckerberg was the keynote speaker at the 2016 Presidents Dinner. True to the energetic spirit Zuckerberg brings, the evening was lively and colorful. Zuckerberg is an entrepreneur, investor, bestselling author, and founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media. Her passion focuses on the intersection of technology and media, and to that end she hosts a weekly tech business show called Dot Complicated on SiriusXM. She is also the creator of DOT on NBC Universal Kids (winner of Kidscreen’s Best New Preschool Series) about a spunky little girl who uses tech to enhance her everyday adventures. Zuckerberg also has a love for theater and starred in Rock of Ages on Broadway, and gave Dayton a taste of her talent with a song at the end of her remarks. The author of four books, her latest book; Pick Three: You Can Have It All (Just Not Every Day) was published last year and is a must read for anyone trying to figure out how to “have it all.”

The 2017 Presidents Dinner brought Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, professor, author and subject of the 2016 film, Denial to Dayton. Dr. Lipstadt’s story is one of facing the most extreme form of antisemitism face to face, by confronting a Holocaust denier in court and winning a landmark victory for the Jewish people. Denial was screened at the CJCE, as a teaser for her keynote address. Since her poignant remarks during her keynote address, Dr. Lipstadt has written another book, Antisemitism: Here and Now published in January 2019. This book discusses the ever growing concern of modern antisemitism, where it comes from, and what can be done about it.

Rick Carne and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley at Presidents Dinner 2018 [left] and Ben Mazer and Jonas and Sue Gruenberg at Presidents Dinner 2017 [right]

Our 2018 Presidents Dinner quite literally starred Israeli film and television actor, Lior Raz. Raz is the leading actor and co-creator of the hit series Fauda. Based on his and co-creator Avi Issacharoff’s real life experiences as soldiers in an undercover Israeli Special Ops units, Fauda is a gripping drama that has received worldwide acclaim. Raz shared with our community his lifelong dream to become an actor, how he and Issacharoff came to create Fauda together, and how the process of writing and producing the show has served as a sort of catharsis for him. Raz’s story opened eyes to the very real toll that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict takes on human lives. Raz appeared in the 2018 film, Operation Finale based on the true story of the Israeli operatives who set out to capture Adolf Eichmann. In 2019, Raz will star beside Ryan Reynolds, Ben Hardy and Dave Franco in the new Michael Bay action film, 6 Underground. The film is set to be released on Netflix later in 2019.

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