The Ciesla Foundation

Ciesla News

November 7, 2008 - Watch Aviva Kempner interview on Mosaic show with host Barbara Kay in Florida

This Sunday, November 9 at 10:30 on NBC
Thursday, November 13 at 7:30 pm on PBS

October 10, 2008 - Blogger Keith Demko of Reel Fanantic put The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg at #1 for his Top Ten Favorite Sports Movies, writing: "Even more than boxing movies, I just love flicks about baseball, and this doco was directed with clear love for a great man by Aviva Kempner. Without taking away AT ALL from what Jackie Robinson accomplished, it will really open your eyes when you see what hammerin' Hank had to go through as the first great Jewish player to slug for the Detroit Tigers."

August 25, 2008 - Check out the newest iTunes additions: Grammy winning soundtrack, Partisans of Vilna: The Songs of World War II Jewish Resistance is now available on iTunes! Partisans of Vilna (1986) is also available on iTunes.

July - August, 2008 - Hank is on Showtime throughout July and August! Set your Tivos and/or mark your calendars! Showtime Family Zone July 23 - 12:30 PM, 1:15 AM; Jul 24 – 1:15 AM; Jul 28 - 5:30 PM; Jul 29 - 11:30 PM; Jul 31 - 7:15 AM, 6:00 PM; Aug 5 – 8:00 AM, 4:30 PM; Aug 13 – 7:15 AM, 6:00 PM; Aug 21 – 10:00 AM; Aug 22 – 12:00 AM Showtime Aug 4 – 10:15 AM; Aug 18 – 7:00 AM; Aug 23 – 8:30 AM; Aug 26 – 6:30 AM Showtime Showcase Aug 6 – 3:30 AM; Aug 19 – 7:00 AM; Aug 25 – 6:00 AM

August 2, 2008 - In the 1930’s Jewish mothers would ask “What kind of day did Hank have?” Hank Greenberg, baseball’s first Jewish star, was the Detroit Tigers slugger who came close to breaking Babe Ruth’s homerun record. In honor of the 75th anniversary of Hank's rookie season, the Historical Society of Washington DC is showing Aviva Kempner's The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg as part of their HSW Film Series. (Ages 10 to adult) FREE 2 pm August 2, 2008. The Society is located at 801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square, Washington, DC 20001 RSVP@historydc.org or call 202-383-1828

June 1, 2008 - The Ciesla Foundation received a prestigious $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts towards the making of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. The grant will pay for a number of post-production items, including editing, sound mixing, and music design/composing.

May 9, 2008 - The work-in-progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg was featured at the 2008 Toronto Jewish Film Festival as part of their COMEDY ON WRY: THE MAVERICKS program. The series put the spotlight on Jewish icons that have had a particularly profound influence and impact in North America--genuine trailblazers who broke new ground and who have attained legendary status. Women who were showcased included Sophie Tucker, Fanny Brice, and Gertrude Berg. The festival also featured an airing of two episodes of The Goldbergs.

June 29, 2008 - Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Hank Greenberg's rookie season, Jewish Major Leaguers, in collaboration with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the American Jewish Historical Society, will be hosting a Day of Tribute in Cooperstown on Sunday, June 29. Confirmed participants include Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Greenberg biographer Ira Berkow; film-maker Aviva Kempner, historian Bill Simons, and Hank's daughter Alva Greenberg. The Celebration begins on Saturday, June 28 with a 5 p.m. screening of Kempner's film, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, in the Bullpen Theater. Following the film, Kempner will participate in question and answer with the audience. A Tribute to Hank Greenberg panel discussion, featuring Berkow, Greenberg, Kempner and Simons will begin Sunday morning at 9:10 a.m. in the Grandstand Theater. A book signing in the Library Atrium will follow from 12:15-12:45 and the day concludes with a second showing of The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg in the Bullpen Theater at 1:30 p.m. followed by Q&A with Kempner. Tickets are free of charge, but must be reserved in advance by contacting the Museum's membership department at 607-547-0397. Tickets will be available to Museum Members beginning Monday , June 2 , with tickets first available to the general public beginning June 17.

May 25, 2008 - Join us at 7:30 pm at the D.C. Jewish Community Center for a discussion of the impact of Jewish Major League Baseball stars on baseball history and trivia cards. As 2008 marks the 75th anniversary of Hank Greenberg’s rookie season, there will be a special tribute of ten cards chronicling the life and career of this first Jewish-American baseball superstar this year. The discussion is sponsored by the Chaim Kempner Author Series, and speakers include Dr. Martin Abramowitz, President of Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc., and our own Aviva Kempner, Director of The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.

April 13, 2008 - Aviva Kempner will attend the 8th Dayton Jewish International Film Festival, which is presenting 18 screenings films and shorts, including the work-in-progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. She will appear on a panel at Speaking at Works in Progress Symposium, April 13, 1:00 pm, to discuss Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg and its themes.

April 4, 2008 - Aviva Kempner will attend the 2008 Maine Jewish Film Festival which explores the Jewish Experience of Labor through the lens of a number of films, including the work-in-progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. Aviva will appear on a panel on April 4 from 12:00 - 3:30 at the University of Southern Maine, 96 Falmouth Street, Gerald E. Talbot Lecture Hall. She will talk about Gertrude Berg and her co-star and blacklisted labor activist Philip Loeb. In 1951 Berg took a stand against the Blacklist, refusing to fire Loeb. Loeb resigned to prevent the show's cancellation and later committed suicide. The negative impact McCarthyism had on Hollywood is more widely known than the horrible consequences it had for New York-based blacklisted actors. Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg examines this issue and a number of other critical events of the 20th century.

March 26, 2008 - Aviva Kempner will discuss Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg at the inaugural Clendenen Conference "With Vision Flying": New Perspectives on Women's and Gender History, sponsored by the department of history at American University. The conference will be held on the campus of American University in Washington, DC.

March 2008 - Watch The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg on Showtime this month! All times ET/PT. Watch live or set your Tivos! Showtime Extreme, Saturday, March 22, 5:00 AM and 11:45 AM Showtime Showcase, Sunday, March 23, 6:35 AM The Movie Channel, Tuesday, March 25, 4:25 PM

February 22, 2008 - See the 80th Academy Award Nominees free! Join Aviva Kempner and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives on February 22. The Center for the National Archives Experience will host the fourth annual free screenings of the Academy Award® nominees in four categories—Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Live Action Short Film, and Animated Short Film—from Wednesday, February 20, through Sunday, February 24. They will be introduced by distinguished members of the Washington, DC, film community including filmmaker Aviva Kempner; Ann Hornaday, film critic for the Washington Post; and Flo Stone, artistic director of the DC Environmental Film Festival.

November 11, 2007 - ITVS Community Cinema-DC sponsors an evening of free local film screenings as part of their public outreach campaign on democracy and civic participation. Aviva Kempner’s Today I Vote For My Joey, about the contested Presidential Election ballots in Palm Beach County in 2000, will be screened along with An Unreasonable Man, a profile of Ralph Nader. Screening and discussion will be held at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th Street, NW, beginning at 5:00 pm.

RSVP Requested. Email: unreasonableman@communitycinema-dc.org or call 202-939-0794.

November 3, 2007 - From among former residents of the MacDowell Art Colony, America's oldest artist-in-residence program, Aviva Kempner's work-in-progress Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg has been included in the Colony's 100th anniversary Centennial Film Series. The touring exhibition is free of charge at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Films begin with Seasons of MacDowell, the film created for the Centennial, followed by Aviva Kempner’s presentation of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg at approximately 4:30 pm.

The National Gallery of Art is located at 4th and Constitution Avenue NW in Washington, DC.

The series will also be screening at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire September 10-20, 2007.

For more information on the MacDowell Centennial Film Series, visit http://www.macdowellcolony.org/centennial/film.html

October 7, 2007 - As part of the Washington Jewish Literary Festival, Gertrude Berg's biographer Dr. Glenn D. Smith, Jr. and Aviva Kempner will give a presentation at the Washington, DC Jewish Community Center, starting at 11:00 am. Dr. Smith will speak about his new book "Something on My Own" Gertrude Berg and American Broadcasting, 1929–1956 and Ms. Kempner will screen the work-in-progress of her film Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. The event also includes a brunch. The Washington, DC JCC is located at 16 & Q streets NW. For more information about this event, contact the JCC at 202-581-9400. Cost: $15, members $10

September 23-24, 2007 - Aviva Kempner will present her work at the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg will be screened on Sunday, September 23 at 4:00 pm, followed by a discussion. On the following day, Monday, September 24, Aviva Kempner will discuss her current work-in-progress, Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg at 7:30 pm.

September 11, 2007 - Filmmaker Aviva Kempner and D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh sponsor a special screening at the Avalon Theatre of Saint of 9/11. Proceeds from the film will be donated to HEROES, Inc., an organization that assists the widows and children of law enforcement officers and firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty.

The film begins at 8:00 pm, and tickets are $10. The Avalon Theatre is located at 5612 Connecticut Avenue NW.

Earlier in the day, commemorate the six-year anniversary of September 11by visiting fire companies and presenting them with gift baskets in thanks for their commitment to our safety. All are welcome to join. The visits are scheduled as follows:

10:00am – Engine Company 31 (4930 Connecticut Avenue, NW)

10:40am – Engine Company 28 (3522 Connecticut Avenue, NW)

11:20am – Engine Company 20 (4300 Wisconsin Avenue, NW)

12:00pm – Engine Company 29 (4811 MacArthur Boulevard, NW)

September 3, 2007 - Partisans of Vilna will be screened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Producer/Co-writer Aviva Kempner will introduce the film. Also screening is Image Before My Eyes, a film by Partisans director Joshua Waletzky. Both films will be beautifully projected from 35mm prints loaned by the archives at the National Center for Jewish Film- not to be missed! Screenings begin at 1:00 pm, before which you can catch the final day of the FOTO exhibition curated by Matt Witkovsky in the West Building.

September 1, 2007 - Sports writer Jonah Keri rates Hank Greenberg as the second greatest Jewish Baseball player in history in his article The 18 best Jewish ballplayers of all time for salon.com. Keri also has praise for The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, writing “If you've never seen the superb 1998 documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, run, don't walk, to your Netflix queue.”

July 19, 2007, 7:00 pm - Jews and American Popular Culture at the DC JCC Aviva Kempner discusses her chapter on Hank Greenberg, “Famous for the Day He Didn’t Play,” in Jews and American Popular Culture, vol. 3, at the Washington, DC Jewish Community Center. Also included in the discussion are Michael Kazin, moderator and professor at Georgetown University, and Douglas Century, author of Barney Ross and frequent New York Times writer. He contributed the chapter “Boxing”. Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen's manager, says, " I came away from reading this book with a much clearer and more focused idea of the role of Jewish personality, values and thinking in the formation of modern American culture."

July 8, 2007 - Paper Bridge Summer Arts Festival On the opening day of the National Yiddish Book Center’s Paper Bridge Summer Arts Festival in Amherst, MA, Aviva Kempner will present her work-in-progress film, Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, and answer questions afterwards. The presentation will begin at 2:00 pm, and tickets cost $10. The Paper Bridge Summer Arts Festival will run July 8-19. For more information visit the Yiddish Book Center Website or Buy tickets

June 28, 2007 - Aviva Kempner will present the work in progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg at The Berlin Jewish Film Festival. The festival will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of actor Zero Mostel’s death with a screening of The Front, in which Mostel plays Philip Loeb, the co-star of The Goldbergs and a subject of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. Both The Front and Yoo-hoo Mrs. Goldberg honor the memory of Philip Loeb, an activist for actors’ rights who was driven to suicide after being blacklisted during the Red Scare. Aviva Kempner’s discussion and screening will take place in the Kino Arsenal, Sony Film Haus, Potsdamer Platz at 7:00 pm.

May 30, 2007 - Syracuse University Press has published the compelling biography Something On My Own: Gertrude Berg and American Broadcasting 1929-1956 by Glenn D. Smith, Jr. The book is available in bookstores or can be ordered directly from the publisher. For more information visit http://www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu/order-form.html.

May 2, 2007 - The work-in-progress Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg has been selected as part of a traveling exhibit of select films celebrating the MacDowell Colony's Centennial. Aviva Kempner's work, along with other former fellows of the MacDowell Colony, premiered at the MOMA in New York City on May 2, 2007, and is now traveling the country.

April 20, 2007 - The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg has been rated one of the top ten sports films. Visit Rotten Tomatoes to find out more.

April 18, 2007 - Partisans of Vilna screened at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, in conjunction with the Museum's exhibition Daring To Resist: Jewish Defiance in the Holocaust. Producer Aviva Kempner and survivors depicted in the film were part of a post-screening discussion. The exhibition opened April 16 and will continue through July 2008. For more information about the Museum and it’s programs, visit www.mjhnyc.org.

April 15, 2007 - Now you can viewed selected images from Aviva Kempner's 2005 appearance at the National Archives in 2005. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg was screened and Aviva talked about Hank's contribution to American baseball.

March 31, 2007 - The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg aired on Channel 56 WTVS Detroit public television.

February 28, 2007 - Aviva Kempner, Beth Mendelson and Nina Gilden Seavey were featured speakers at February's Evenings with Extraordinary Artists hosted by The Arts Club. This monthly event introduces area artists to Arts Club members. Aviva screened the work-in-progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg and discussed her other films. Beth discussed her far-ranging career in news and documentary production. Nina screened clips from her extensive oeuvre and discuss the programs of The Documentary Center at The George Washington University.

February 24, 2007 - The Congregation Beth Chaim screened The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg as part of their 2006-7 film series. The evening event featured a discussion with director Aviva Kempner in the Temple's sanctuary and social hall.

January 23, 2007 - Benjamin Blackburn is an artist who carves bats into intricate works of baseball memorabilia. Among his many exquisity pieces are several dedcated to Hank Greenberg. Life and Times of Hank Greenberg director Aviva Kempner is proud to have one of these pieces, Beacon of Hope, in her personal art collection. Another piece, More Baseball Stamps We'd Like to See, celebrates the Baseball Slugger series of stamps released by the U.S. Post Office last year. For more information, and to see pictures of Mr. Blackburn's work, please visit Wonderboy Studios.

January 23, 2007 - This spring a new biography of Gertrude Berg hits the shelves. Something on My Own: Gertrude Berg and American Broadcasting by Glenn D. Smith, Jr. will use Gertrude Berg's personal papers to provide a close look at this amazing television personality. The book will be released this spring on Syracuse University Press. To see more information please visit the book's catalog listing.

December 11, 2006 - The Men's Club of the Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center screened The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. The event was part of their annual paid-up membership dinner.

November 13th, 2006 - As part of the 2006 Jewish Folk Arts Festival, the work in progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg was screened at Tifereth Israel. After the screening Aviva Kempner spoke.

November 10, 2006 - Did you know that anyone can suggest a stamp idea? It’s true! Ideas for new stamps are reviewed by the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee and they are required to review all stamp suggestions mailed in. The Ciesla Foundation thinks it’s time Gertrude Berg had a stamp and we would like your help. To find out more visit our new stamp advocacy page

November 5th, 2006 - The work in progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg was screened at the B'nai Israel Congregation. After the screening the director, Aviva Kempner, spoke about Gertrude Berg and the documentary.

November 4, 2006 - Aviva Kempner hosted a discussion on Hank Greenberg at the National Synagogue following Shabbat Morning Services.

October 29, 2006 - The West Side Institutional Synagogue screened The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. Director Aviva Kempner spoke afterwords.

October 22, 2006 - The Jewish Museum of Maryland screened The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. Director Aviva Kempner spoke afterwords.

October 17th, 2006 - The work in progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg was screened at the Jewish Study Center in the historic 6th and I St. Synagogue.

August 31st, 2006 - Four episodes from the last season of The Goldbergs were screened as part of the Jewish Museum's SummerNights program. Other entertainment included the music of Art Bailey's Orkestra Popilar.

July 13, 2006 - The Hank Greenberg stamp was among four slugger stamps commemorated today in a ceremony at Yankee Stadium. Over 54,000 people attended the historic ceremony, including director Aviva Kempner. See this MLB Press Release for more information.

April 23rd, 2006 - The work in progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg was screened at the Center for Jewish History's Forsccheimer Auditorium. Following the screening Aviva Kempner spoke on Gertrude Berg's impact on the evolution of television and radio. Also speaking that evening were Professor Donald Webber, Professor Joyce Antler, Marla Brettschneider, Dr. Ari Y. Kelman, and TV critic David Zurawik who spoke on his forthcoming book: Gertrude Berg. Following the event was a reception featuring recipes from the Molly Goldberg Cookbook.

April 6, 2006 - The Museum of Modern Art in New York City hosted award-winning director Aviva Kempner at 6:00 p.m. Ms. Kempner introduced her film, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. The screening was a part of the museum's Baseball and American Culture exhibit (April 3-30, 2006)

November 16, 2005 - Now You can watch excerpts from Director Aviva Kempner's November 16, 2005 appearance at the Museum of Radio and Televsion in New York City. Ms. Kempner screened the work-in-progress of Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, and served on a panel entitled The Goldbergs to 2005: The Evolution of the Family Sitcom. Her peers included the creative forces that brought us The Cosby Show, Who's the Boss, and That Girl! to name a few. The panel discussion, broadcast to 150 universities nationwide, kicked off the museum's She Made It collection. The discussion focused on Berg's contribution to popular culture and the family sitcom format.

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