Holocaust Museum Marks 25 Years Virtually — with $1.1 million Till!

Holocaust Museum Marks 25 Years Virtually — with $1.1 million Till!

Mandy and Ronnie Caress, Donald and Robin Wayne

HOUSTON'S HOLOCAUST MUSEUM, the nation's fourth-largest, celebrated its 25th anniversary in grand style — with a blockbuster fundraising gala that raised $1.1 million.


The virtual affair, dubbed the Silver Jubilee, streamed live earlier this month, with a VIP watch party at the Hilton Americas in Downtown. "The program reflected on the museum's history and celebrated its many accomplishments from its inspiration in 1981 to its opening in 1996 to its expansion in 2019," according to a statement from event organizers.

Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony-winning actor and singer Ben Platt headlined the event, as his performance was live-streamed to guests. Watch party guests were able to talk with the Dear Evan Hansen star remotely.

"We are so proud of everything the museum has accomplished over the last 25 years," said Kelly J. Zúñiga, CEO of Holocaust Museum Houston, in a statement. "Looking back at our incredible past has energized us and inspired us to reach new goals for the future of Holocaust and human rights education."

Chairs for the evening were Rhona and Bruce Caress, Kisha and Jason Itkin, and Nicole and Evan H. Katz, with Ellen and Dan Trachtenberg serving as host committee chairs. The long list of honorary chairs for the momentous affair included Joan and Stanford Alexander, Judy and David Bell, Laurie and Milton Boniuk, Kelli Cohen Fein and Martin Fein, Sandra and Steve Finkelman, Shirley Rotbein Flaum, Frank Goldberg, Shelly and Brian Hendry, Rosellen Brown Hoffman and Marvin Hoffman, Velva G. and H. Fred Levine, Edith and Josef, z"l Mincberg, Marci and Ronnie Morgan, The Morgan Family, Macey and Harry Reasoner, Glen Rosenbaum, Sue Smith, Stuart and Limor Smith, Laurie Morgan Silver, LCSW, Sandra Weiner, Sharon and Mark Wise, and Lorraine and E. D., z"l Wulfe.

Funds raised will benefit the museum's general operating funds with a focus on educational programming.

Carl Josehart and Sam Jacobson

Rhona and Bruce Caress

Kisha and Jason Itkin

Ellen and Dan Trachtenberg

Dr. Kelly Zúñiga, John Hantak, Linda Lorelle

Nicole and Evan H. Katz

Laurie and Dr. Milton Boniuk


Parties
Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

Keep Reading Show less

THE TRUFFLE MASTERS is returning for its 11th year on March 3rd. Now a Houston tradition of sorts, the competition sees top chefs creating a dish using black truffles all benefitting Southern Smoke.

Keep Reading Show less

A new look from the soft landings collection

FROM THE OWNERS of popular Montrose haunts Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart is another jetset-focused business. Owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell launched Foreign Fare in the fall of 2023 with long-haul travelers in mind. The pieces are wrinkle-free and designed to be functional as well as stylish. The line was recently featured in Travel & Leisure as a “first class look.”

Keep Reading Show less