Support Projects

Please click on the blue box to donate with any credit or debit card in the amount of your choice. Please add a note, if you wish, specifying to which project your donation should be directed. Your donation can be tax-deductible in the USA (please write for details). Thank you!

Active Projects (2025):

DefendingHistory.com and the associated Yiddish studies projects (LYVA, YCD, etc) survived in the years 2019-2022 primarily thanks to the generosity of Rebecca Cook. Her support enabled the LYVA project to be launched online, gratis, on youtube, thereby preserving hundreds of hours of priceless Yiddish tapes from the last prewar speakers in northern Eastern Europe. It was followed up in 2022 by the generosity of the David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation, thanks to the good offices of Remembering Litvaks Inc and its founder and president, Philip Shapiro. A further tranche of tapes was digitized in 2022-2023 thanks to Remembering Litvaks Inc, and another in 2024 thanks to support from ​Richard A. Rosen and Joyce Silberstang. A collection of tapes on the town Mikháleshik was digitized in 2023, for our Yizkor Book project, thanks to the generosity of an American group founded to commemorate the late Urke Blacher (Jorek Blocher). Hundreds of hours of precious audio and video remain to be rescued by digitization and posting gratis online. Thank you, all!

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THANK YOU IN 2025:

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FIRST QUARTER:

Daniel Childers

Gila and Jerry Fortinsky

Susan Pardew

Prof. Robert Shapiro

Prof. Michael Strmiska

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THANK YOU IN 2024:

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FOURTH QUARTER:

Stanley H. Barkan (for the Menke Katz digitization project)

Mitchell Black

Daniel Childers

Rebecca Cook (for DefendingHistory.com, in memory of my late grandparents Dovid and Chanah Cook (nee Hoff) and their late children Moshe, Shmuel (my father), Rivka Bella and Nossun (all born Kúpishok and Shádeve)

Vivian Felsen (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary)

Philip Ginsburg (for DefendingHistory.com)

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 13 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Martin Klein (in memory of Ada and Grisha Klein, survivors of the Holocaust, who went on to create lives of meaning and joy)

Andreas Kuck

In memory of: Estee Leiser (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary)

Susan Pardew (in memory of the Kuritz Brothers Five)

Risa Pulver (in memory of my grandparents, Fannie and Y’Rachmiel Levine)

Prof. Robert Shapiro

Prof. Michael Strmiska

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THIRD QUARTER:

Pamela Chasen (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Daniel Childers

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 13 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Roberto Lehmann

Dan Opatoshu(for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Susan Pardew (for the Yiddish in Ukraine Video Archive (YUVA) and ongoing digitization of LYVA tapes)

Professor Robert Moses Shapiro

Joyce Silberstang and Richard A. Rosen (for digitization of endangered Litvak Yiddish tapes for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive [LYVA])

Professor Michael Strmiska

Remembering Litvaks, Inc. (for digitization of endangered Litvak Yiddish tapes for the Lithuanian Yiddish video Archive [LYVA])

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SECOND QUARTER:

Urke Blacher (Jorek Blocher) Commemoration (U.S. friends of the late Urke Blacher [±1910-1996], for progress of the Mikháleshik Yizkor Book, and LYVA)

Chaim Berger (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Daniel Childers

Loren Greenberg

Susan Pardew (in memory of Woodrow Pardew)

Risa Pulver

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 13 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Professor Robert Moses Shapiro

Professor Michael Strmiska

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FIRST QUARTER:

Rabbi Stuart Altshuler

Jacob Belcher

Chaim Berger (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Daniel Childers

Vivian Felsen

Gila and Jerry Fortinsky

Brian Herman

Andreas Kuck

Reina Lightdale

Dr. Benny Monheit

Jane Muller

Shelley Murphy

Nessa Olshansky-Ashtar

Susan Pardew (for the Yiddish in Ukraine Video Archive (YUVA) and ongoing digitization of LYVA tapes). ON THE YÓRTSAYT OF MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER HENRI KURITZ

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 13 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Professor James Redfield

Nancy Q. Schon (for the Mikháleshik Yizkor Book)

Professor Robert Moses Shapiro

Professor Michael Strmiska

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THANK YOU IN 2023:

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FOURTH QUARTER:

Urke Blacher (Jorek Blocher) Commemoration (U.S. friends of the late Urke Blacher [±1910-1996], for progress of the Mikháleshik Yizkor Book)

Daniel Childers

Steven Heller

Maryagnes Mikalauskas

Benny Monheit

Susan Pardew (for saving Jewish cemeteries; for the online mini museum of Old Jewish Vilna; the the Yiddish in Ukraine Video Archive (YUVA)

Risa Pulver

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 12 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Professor Robert Moses Shapiro

Professor Michael Strmiska

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THIRD QUARTER:

Preserving Yiddish and Defending History (United States tax-exempt charitable group founded & chaired by Rebecca Cook)

Chaim Berger (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Samuel Bernstein (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary [YCD])

Mary Brennan

Pamela Chasen (for projects in Litvak Studies)

Daniel Childers

Allan Goldstein (in support of the campaign for Saulius Beržinis and rapid international release of his film on Sheduva)

Cathy Granholm

Susan Isaacs (in support of the campaign for Saulius Beržinis and rapid international release of his film on Sheduva)

Professor Stanley F. Levine  (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary [YCD])

Susan Pardew (for defending East European Jewish cemeteries in town centers)

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 12 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Professor Robert Moses Shapiro

Professor Michael Strmiska

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SECOND QUARTER:

American Legacy Media

Urke Blacher (Jorek Blocher) Commemoration (group of U.S. friends of the late Urke Blacher [±1910-1996], enabling, in his beloved memory, the restoration and digitization of all available audiotapes for eventual inclusion in the Mikháleshik Yizkor Book)

Howard Brown (to honor the new film Petrified Time and its brave director Saulius Beržinis)

Daniel Childers

Jonas Kulikauskas (for the Ashkenazic Hebrew Manual and Dictionary projects)

Paideia (for Yiddish Cultural Dictionary)

Char Rapoport Nance & Michael Nance (digitizing tapes for inclusion in LYVA)

Preserving Yiddish and Defending History (United States tax-exempt charitable group founded & chaired by Rebecca Cook)

Peter Høllund (“Passover-Easter partner support for Defending History, with prayers for miracles and good news; plus May double-up” — Peter & Fany Høllund)

Professor Robert Moses Shapiro

Professor Michael Strmiska

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FIRST QUARTER:

Chaim Berger (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Daniel Childers

Vivian Felsen

Gila and Jerome Fortinsky

Shelley Ava Handler Murphy

Remembering Litvaks, Inc. (for digitization of endangered Litvak Yiddish tapes for the Lithuanian Yiddish video Archive [LYVA])

Peter Høllund (partner support to the Work of Defending History to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 Jan. 2023; most consistent DH supporter for 12 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Professor Roy Rosenstein

Professor Robert Moses Shapiro

Professor Michael Strmiska

Eliezer Trepman in memory of Babey Vidučinski Trepman 

Dr. Jerrold A. Zoloto / Litvak World

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THANK YOU IN 2022:

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FOURTH QUARTER:

Daniel Childers

Shulem Deen

Philip Ginsburg

Bertrand Jacob

Julia Koifman

Andreas Kuck

Ellen Perecman

Martina Podsklanova

Risa Pulver

Remembering Litvaks, Inc. (for digitization of endangered Litvak Yiddish tapes for the Lithuanian Yiddish video Archive [LYVA])

Prof. Robert Moses Shapiro

Brian Simblist (in honor of Johanna Kovitz for her Jewish Gen work on the Solomon family and the Godashevich family)

Prof. Michael Strmiska

Dr. Jerrold A. Zoloto / Litvak World

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THIRD QUARTER:

PYDH (Preserving Yiddish & Defending History); president: Rebecca Cook

Chaim Berger (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Daniel Childers

Vivian Felsen (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Steven Heller

Anndal Narayanan

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 11 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Remembering Litvaks, Inc. (for digitization of endangered Litvak Yiddish tapes for the Lithuanian Yiddish video Archive [LYVA])

Prof. Robert Moses Shapiro

Prof. Michael Strmiska

Prof. Karen Sutton

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SECOND QUARTER:

PYDH (Preserving Yiddish & Defending History), president: Rebecca Cook

David H. and Joan B. Alexander Philanthropic Fund

Chaim Berger (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Daniel Childers

The David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation via the good offices of Remembering Litvaks Inc(for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive [LYVA])

Prof. Robert D. King

Andreas Kuck

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 11 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Remembering Litvaks, Inc.

Prof. Robert Moses Shapiro

Prof. Michael Strmiska

Dr. Jerrold A. Zoloto / Litvak World

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FIRST QUARTER:

PYDH (Preserving Yiddish & Defending History), president: Rebecca Cook

Chaim Berger(for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project [YCD])

Daniel Childers

Norman Danzig and Gail Drum (in honor of 1,125 people annihilated in Krakes (Krok) on September 2, 1941)

The David and Barbara B. Hirschhorn Foundation via the good offices of Remembering Litvaks Inc(for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive [LYVA])

Prof. Robert D. King

MaryAgnes Mikalauskas

Nessa Olshansky-Ashtar

Andrew Orkin

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for 11 years! Thank you, Peter!)

Prof. Roy Rosenstein

Rabbi Mayer Schiller(for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive [LYVA])

Prof. Robert Moses Shapiro

Prof. Michael Strmiska

Eliezer Trepman(In memory of Dora Vidučinski Heller)

Dr. Jerrold A. Zoloto / Litvak World

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THANK YOU IN 2021:

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FOURTH QUARTER:

PYDH (Preserving Yiddish & Defending History)

Pamela Chasen (for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive)

Daniel Childers

Rebecca Cook

Peter Danos

Vivian Felsen (for the Yiddish Cultural Dictionary and the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive)

David Forman

Phil Ginsburg

Gerald Greenberg

Steven Heller

Steven Kessel

Robert D. King

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for ten years! Thank you, Peter!)

Marguerite Schanzer (for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive [LYVA])

Rabbi Mayer Schiller (for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive [LYVA])

Philip and Aldona Shapiro (for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive [LYVA])

Remembering Litvaks Inc. (for the Lithuanian Yiddish Video Archive [LYVA])

Prof. Robert Moses Shapiro

Michael Strmiska

Celia Weber

Jonathon Wolfson

Stephanie K. Wolfson

S. Chic Wolk

Jerrold A. Zoloto

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THIRD QUARTER:

PYDH (Preserving Yiddish & Defending History)

John T. Bottomly

Daniel Childers

Rebecca Cook

Robert D. King

Anna Kramer

Rebecca Krause

Risa Pulver

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for ten years! Thank you, Peter!)

Robert Shapiro

Michael Strmiska

S. Chic Wolk

Jerrold A. Zoloto

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SECOND QUARTER:

PYDH (Preserving Yiddish & Defending History)

Daniel Childers

Betty Codell

Rebecca Cook

Sarah Hirsen

Robert D. King

Anna Kramer

Rebecca Krause

Linda Judith Lipsky

Litvak World

Maryagnes Mikalauskas

Nessa Olshansky-Ashtar 

Peter Høllund (most consistent DH supporter for ten years! Thank you, Peter!)

Robert Shapiro

Michael Strmiska

Jerrold A. Zoloto

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FIRST QUARTER:

PYDH (Preserving Yiddish & Defending History)

Daniel Childers

Rebecca Cook

Chaya and Dov-Ber Fried

Pearl Herzog

Robert D. King

Sara Klompus

Rebecca Krause

Risa Pulver

Peter Høllund

Sara Russell (“In memory of my father, Rabbi A. Leon Rosenblum z”l)

Robert Shapiro

Alan and Rifke Steinfeld

Michael Strmiska

Stephanie K. Wolfson

Oleg Yunakov

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THANK YOU IN 2020:

FOURTH QUARTER

Daniel Childers

Shoshanna Ehrlich

Vivian Felsen

Chaya & Dov-Ber Fried (Vilna cemetery campaign)

Phil Ginsburg

Marvin Hershenson

Robert D. King

Rebecca Krause

Risa Pulver

Peter Høllund

Kenneth Sachar

Robert Shapiro

Sheri Smith

Michael Strmiska

Mark Weissman

Shulamis Weissman (Vilna cemetery campaign)

Jerrold A. Zoloto

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THIRD QUARTER

Pearl Barr

Daniel Childers

Rebecca Cook

Olaf Dreyer

D. Fainman

Chaya & Dov-Ber Fried (Vilna cemetery campaign)

Louis Gerber

Ben Gotz

Robert D. King

Rebecca Krause

Maryagnes Mikalauskas

Peter Høllund

Roy Rosenstein

Robert Shapiro

Brian Simblist (on the yórtsayt of his great grandfather Zalman-Dovid Godashevich; to honor the Felendler family’s newest addition)

Michael Strmiska

Neal and Leah Stulberg

Hodl (Odile) Suganas

S. Chic Wolk

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SECOND QUARTER:

Stanley H. Barkan

Rebecca Cook

Dov-Ber and Chaya Fried (Vilna cemetery campaign)

David Jeremias

Robert King

Rebecca Krause

Lukas Mikelionis

Teuma and Shvanke Pan

Peter Høllund

Brian Simblist 

Barbara Stamp (Vilna cemetery campaign)

Michael Strmiska

Jerrold A. Zoloto

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FIRST QUARTER:

Zane Buzby & Conan Berkeley

Jan Carp

Rebecca Cook

Brian Herman

Levi Keller

Robert King

Sara Silverman Klompus

Rebecca Krause (Yiddish Cultural Dictionary)

Georgy Malygin 

Peter Høllund

Brian Simblist (in memory of the Godashevich family)

Michael Strmiska

Aharon Subar (Vilna Cemetery Campaign)

Dr. Jerrold A. Zoloto (Litvak World)

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THANK YOU IN 2019:

Joan Alexander

Antonio Chiaese

Rebecca Cook

Eagle Chair Inc. in memory of Mendel Kac-Kacas

Leann Ferguson

Victor Gilinsky

Philip Ginsburg

Jennifer Anne Gollop 

Leslie Green

Peter Høllund

Susannah Juni

Sara Silverman Klompus

Benjamin Krinsky

Bernardo Mario Kuczer (Vilna Cemetery Campaign)

Judith Lerner (in memory of Rivke Feldman Katz)

Maryagnes Mikalauskas

Myrna Oppenheim

Yaël Pachet

Jeremy Rauch

Joseph Reich

Prof. Earl Jeffrey Richards (Yiddish Dictionary project)

Prof. Sidney Rosenfeld

Prof. Roy Rosenstein

Leonard Sachs

Ema Segal

Louise Silverstein

Brian Simblist (in honor of Jonathan Felender)

Jerry Stulc

Hodl Suganas

John Wolfstone

Chic Wolk

Dr. Ian M. Young

Oleg Yunakov 

Jerrold Zoloto

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THANK YOU IN 2018:

Jon Becker

Toby (Herman) Birney 

Ruta Bloshtein (Vilnius): Old Vilna Jewish Cemetery project

Zahava Bublick

Denis Daneman (Toronto)

Vivian Felsen (Toronto)

Dov and Chaya Fried: Old Vilna Jewish Cemetery project

Samuel Gansburg

Victor Gilinsky (Los Angeles)

Sarah Greenberg

Vidas Gvozdzius (Oregon, USA)

Peter Høllund

Marcia Kaplan

Michael H. Klein (Brooklyn, New York)

Leigh-Ann Kopp

David Leigh (UK)

Professor Sid Leiman (New York): Old Vilna Jewish Cemetery project

Carole Lemee (Bordeaux, France)

Linda Lipsky (Toronto)

Gila Manolson

Batsheva Medows

Lilianne Milgrom

Noah Perlman

Uriel Preiser: Old Vilna Jewish Cemetery project

Lucinda Rinaldo

Thomas Rome (Hartford, Connecticut)

Ian Rose

Prof. Roy Rosenstein (Paris)

Leonard Sachs

William Schwartz (Teaneck, New Jersey)

Neal Stulberg

Roland Thele (Berlin)

S. Chic Wolk (Santa Monica, California): Yiddish Cultural Dictionary project

Dr. Jerrold A. Zoloto (Chicago)

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THANK YOU IN 2017:

Rachel Barrett (London)

Blake Street Hebrew Congregation (South Caulfield, Melbourne, Australia)

Cheryl Brownstein (Winder, Georgia)

Stephen Edelstein (Lexington, Kentucky)

Vivian Felsen (Toronto)

Teresa Ford (Center Conway, New Hampshire)

Judith Freier

Dov Fried (New York)

Rabbi Walter Friedman (New York)

Victor Gilinsky (Santa Monica, California)

Peter Høllund

Suzanne Hoffman (Chicago, Ill.)

Anna Kremer (Toronto)

Andreas Kuck (Marl, Germany)

Joseph Maran (Plankstadt, Germany)

Kate Morgan (Scranton, Pennsylvania)

Andrew Orkin (Ontario, Canada)

Prof. Sidney Rosenfeld (Oberlin, Ohio)

Prof. Roy Rosenstein (Paris)

Ken Schwartz (Flushing, N.Y.)

Raphael Schrire Smith (London)

Odile Suganas (Paris)

Sam Waldron (Mordialloc, Australia)

Dr. Jerrold A. Zoloto (Chicago)

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THANK YOU IN 2016:

Lisa Abrahamsohn (London)

Matt Bell (Plano, Texas)

Hyman Bielsky (Sullivans Island, South Carolina)

Zane Buzby (Los Angeles)

Denis Daneman (Toronto)

Debra Ellerin (Hull, Massachusetts)

Peter Høllund

Vincent Homolka (London)

Paul Levey (Ontario, Canada)

Linda Lipsky (Toronto, Canada)

Brocha List (St. Louis, Missouri)

Joseph Maran (Plankstadt, Germany)

Daniel Meyrowitz (Victoria, Australia)

Faye Ran (New York City)

Sidney Rosenfeld (Oberlin, Ohio)

Roy Rosenstein (Paris)

Raphael Smith (London)

Jacob Sysser (Riga) [for Vilnius Yiddish Reading Circle]

Christian Tengblad (Farsta, Sweden)

Michael Yashinsky (Amherst, Massachusetts)

Mount Scopus Memorial College (Caroline Springs, Australia)

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SPECIAL 2015-2016 THANKS:

TARGUM SHLISHI, INC. (AVENTURA, FLORIDA) FOR ITS GENEROUS SUPPORT

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 2009-2015:

Elkanan Avilev (Jerusalem)

Matthew Bell (Plano, Texas)

Roland Binet (Braine-l’Alleud, Belgium)

Steven Brown (Hanahan, South Carolina)

Celia Kaplan Booth (Santa Monica, California)

Zane Buzby (Los Angeles)

Carol Crawford, nee Lehrer (Sydney)

Albert Dobmeier (New York)

Robert Freedman (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)

Alex Gartlan (Allenstown, Australia)

Henry Gass (Los Angeles)

Rupert Glanville (Vancouver)

Tuula-Hannele Ikonen (Helsinki)

Esther Ipson (Richmond, Virginia)

Peter Høllund (Stockholm)

Jay Ipson (Richmond, Virginia)

Deborah Jacobson (Tel Aviv)

Roman Jockel (Ashburton, Australia)

Anton Katz (Sydney)

Ronald Kent (Madison, Wisconsin)

Gertrude Novin Kline (Margate, New Jersey)

Cate Legnoverde (Melbourne)

Monica Lowenberg (London), in remembrance of Paul Loewenberg, sent at age 19 to the Riga Ghetto on 4 October 1941

Anna Lvova (Issaquah, Washington)

Peter Lynch (Manchester, Michigan)

Joseph Maran (Plankstadt, Germany)

Mersey Marketing (Perth)

Jaan Murphy (Narrabundah, Australia)

Craig Nudelman (Johannesburg)

Mark Piron (Vancouver, Canada)

Ruben Rock (Woodbridge, Connecticut)

Sidney Rosenfeld (Oberlin, Ohio)

Joyce L. Rudnick (Port Washington, NY)

Myer Sampson (New South Wales, Australia)

Jonathan Simon (Rockville, Maryland)

Targum Shlishi, Inc. (Aventura, Florida)

United Synagogue of Great Britain (London)

David Wakil (Sydney)

Anastasia S. Weigle (Maine, USA)

Rosa Wilson (Melbourne)

S. Chic Wolk (Los Angeles)

Olga and Sid Zabludoff (Washington DC)

Attendees of the Jay Ipson Rewriting History screening, Richmond Virginia, 18 April 2013

Attendees of Prof. Danny Ben-Moshe’s screening of Rewriting History at Limmud Oz, Sydney, Australia, 10 June 2013

Attendees of the Council of Christian and Jews’ screening of Rewriting History in Melbourne, Australia, March 2014

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