How many of us can remember a heartwarming story that was read or hard during the past several weeks?
Well, here’s one: (Thank you to Barry Elkins for bringing it to our attention)
(JTA) — (New York Jewish Week via JTA) — In January of 1943, Irma Lauscher, a teacher at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, smuggled a tree into the camp so that the Jewish children imprisoned by the Nazis could celebrate Tu B’Shevat in a secret ceremony. The children used their water rations to nurture the sapling.

Of the 15,000 children who were imprisoned in Theresienstadt during the Holocaust, fewer than 200 survived. But the tree was still standing when the camp was liberated in 1945, and a sign was placed at its base marking it as a symbol of resilience.

“As the branches of this tree, so the branches of our people!” said the sign under the tree, which survivors named “The Tree of Life.” Lauscher, who survived the Holocaust, eventually was buried alongside the original tree.

In the 1980s, branch saplings were cut from the tree and planted in Jerusalem, as well as in San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia to accompany a traveling exhibit of treasures nearly lost in the Holocaust.

Now, New York City — home to the largest community of Holocaust survivors and their descendants of any city outside Israel — will also nurture a descendant of the original tree. Dr. Roger Pomerantz, a Jewish philanthropist who owns a farm in Pennsylvania that holds seven trees grown from cuttings of the original tree, has donated one to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City.

“The Children’s Tree,” as it will be known, will be unveiled to the public today during a dedication ceremony held jointly by the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Battery Park City Authority. Currently 15 feet tall, the silver maple tree will have a permanent home in the park.

“We want everybody in Battery Park City to be able to walk by and see a piece of history,” Jack Kliger, the president and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, told the New York Jewish Week. “To not only remember but to understand what resilience means in the face of tremendous odds.”

Calling the project “a labor of love,” Kliger said transporting the tree involved hiring a horticulturist to uproot the tree from Pennsylvania and working with Battery Park City Authority to find the right space for the tree.

As at Theresienstadt, the tree will be cared for by children — in this case, students at PS/IS 276: The Battery Park City School, a public elementary and middle school located just across the street from the museum. In collaboration with the museum, the school will make the tree part of an ongoing curriculum in Holocaust education.

“They were planting a tree that would live in a world that they would not live in, as sort of a physical expression of belief in the future and a form of spiritual resistance,” said Michael Berenbaum, a Holocaust historian who was instrumental in the transplant of the tree to New York, of the imprisoned children who cared for the original Tree of Life.

“Now their legacy can continue,” he added.

“Resilience is represented by both humans as well as trees,” Kliger said, comparing their abilities to survive as well as endure such a long, roundabout journey to New York.

Speakers at the ceremony will include Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. representative to the United Nations; Theresienstadt survivor Fred Terna; Czech Consul General Arnošt Kareš; and Battery Park City Authority President and CEO B.J. Jones. The student choir at PS/IS 276 will also perform.

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Author: Julia Gergely

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The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation (www.lucefoundation.org),
Orphans International Worldwide, and the
United Nations SRC Aux Antilles Club invite you to the

Second Annual Black Tie Gala Dinner

Saturday November 10, 6pm-12am

Bohemian National Hall
321 East 73rd Street
New York City

Honoring

U.S. Representative Charles B. Rangel

Katleen Félix M. Sc., General Director, Kanpe Foundation
(former Project Dir., Haitian Diaspora Liaison, Fonkoze)

Co-sponsored by the

United Nations Missions of Haiti, Cape Verde & Czech Republic

In support of

Phase I of the International University Center Haiti (“Uni Haiti”)

With music by Haiti’s renowned

Tabou-Combo +

Tickets

Stage floor tables seat eight at $150 each ($1000 full table)

Balcony tables seat ten at $100 each ($1000 full table)

Purchase tickets here

Participants, Partners & Sponsors

For further information, contact: James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation

The UNSRC Aux Antilles Club was founded in 1990 by U.N. Haitian staff members who wanted to share their culture and that of other Caribbean countries with others. Since its existence, the Club has showcased countless talents from Haiti as well as from other countries. It has also been very present in helping raise funds for Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and recently for Japan. This gala is yet another event that the Club is organizing.

Tabou Combo. Tabou Combo is Haiti’s most famous group. For over 30 years, they have toured worldwide and are celebrated as the “Ambassadors of Kompa” – the popular Haitian dance rhythm sung in French, English, Spanish and Creole. Tabou Combo’s music is aimed squarely at the dance floor – mixing Haitian Meringue, Rara (vodoun percussion) with Kompa and elements of Brazilian music, Soukous and Funk. Their phenomenal popularity has given them an important standing in Haitian society and they use their lyrics to defend the poor people in their songs.

The gala is in support of Uni Haiti Phase 1 – the reconstruction of the sanitation facilities of l’Ecole la Rédemption, Uni Haiti’s partner school, in Léogâne, Haiti.

Dress code: black tie or business formal. Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) is an approved 501(c)(3) I.R.S. tax-exempt charity. Its tax identification number is 26-1618712. A copy of its Annual Report may be obtained from OIWW or by writing the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau, Attn.: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10271.

The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation  honors Haiti and The needs of the world are vast, but so too are our many resources. One of humanity’s most valuable resources is young global leadership impacting positive social change, which this foundation endeavors to support. The Luce and Dudley families have had a long and historical commitment to youth, education, and social improvement in the United States and around the world. I aspire to continue this family tradition through the grants, awards, and publications of The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation – playing a role, however humble, in bettering humanity. My goal is uplifting the worst of humanity while celebrating the best of humanity – especially the arts.

The post Charlie Rangel to be Honored at Uni Haiti Second Annual Gala Dinner appeared first on Good News!.

Good News is proud to cover the ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by a reception at VIP lounge.  The Oasis, to celebrate this important moment with us.

Venue: John F. Kennedy International Airport

Terminal 4

Door 2, Row 2

China Airlines (CAL) is the largest airline in Taiwan and the flag carrier of the Republic of China. Although not directly state-owned, the airline is owned by China Airlines Group, which is owned by the China Aviation Development. China Aviation Development Foundation is in turn owned by the government of the Republic of China.

The airline, with headquarters in and flight operations from Taoyuan International Airport, flies to destinations in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. China Airlines has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Northeast Asia. The airline started scheduled chartered flights between Taiwan and mainland China on July 2008. Most flights serving this market are concentrated at Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing. China Airlines has operated the Hong Kong route since 1967, which is the airline’s most profitable market, generating 13.3% of its NT$121.9 billion (US$3.7 billion) revenue in 2006 with over 140 flights flown a week between Taipei, Kaohsiung and Hong Kong.

China Airlines’ wholly owned subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines, manages regional flights to secondary cities with smaller capacity requirements. China Airlines’ cargo division China Airlines Cargo operates CAL’s dedicated freighter fleet, and manages the cargo-hold capacity in CAL’s passenger aircraft.

Before the Chinese Civil War, there were three airlines operating in the Republic of China. One was Civil Air Transport, founded by General Claire L. Chennault and Whiting Willauer in 1946. The other two were joint ventures by the ROC government with Pan American World Airways and Lufthansa. As a result of the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China took control of mainland China, and only Civil Air Transport moved along with the Kuomintang (KMT)-controlled ROC government to Taiwan.

With a fleet of two PBY Amphibians, China Airlines was established on December 16, 1959, with its shares completely held by the Republic of China government[citation needed]. It was founded by a retired air force officer[citation needed] and initially concentrated on charter flights. During the 1960s, China Airlines was able to establish its first scheduled routes. In October 1962, a flight from Taipei to Hualien became the airline’s first domestic service. Growth continued and on December 1, 1966, Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) became the airline’s first international destination.  Trans-Pacific flights to San Francisco were initiated on February 2, 1970.[citation needed]

The China Airlines Taipei Branch Office and the former China Airlines headquarters in Songshan District, Taipei

The next 20 years saw sporadic but far-reaching growth for the company. Routes were opened to Los Angeles, New York, Honolulu, Dhahran and Johannesburg, among others (China Airline’s first European destination was Amsterdam). Jets were acquired, and China Airlines employed such planes as the Boeing 747 in its fleet. Later, the airline inaugurated its own round-the-world flight: (Taipei-Anchorage-New York-Amsterdam-Dubai-Taipei).[citation needed] 1993 saw China Airlines listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Change of logo and livery

As the flag carrier for the Republic of China, China Airlines has been affected by disputes over the political status of Taiwan, and under pressure from the People’s Republic of China was barred from flying into a number of countries maintaining diplomatic relations with the PRC. As a result, in the mid-1990s, China Airlines subsidiary Mandarin Airlines took over some of its Sydney and Vancouver international routes. Partly as a way to avoid the international controversy, in 1995 China Airlines unveiled its “plum blossom” logo, replacing the national flag, which had previously appeared on the tail fins (empennage), and the aircraft livery from the red-white-blue national colors on the fuselage of its aircraft.[citation needed] Plum blossom (Prunus mume) is the National Flower of the Republic of China.

Throughout the 1990s, the airline employed many ex-ROC Air Force pilots. Due to the company’s poor safety record in the 1990s, China Airlines began to change its pilot recruitment practices and the company began to actively recruit civilian-trained pilots with proven track records. In addition, the company began recruiting university graduates as trainees in its own pilot training program. The company also modified its maintenance and operational procedures. These decisions were instrumental in the company’s improved safety record, culminating in the company’s recognition by the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

In late 2004, President Chen Shui-bian proposed the renaming of all state-owned enterprises bearing the name “China” to “Taiwan.” This was opposed by the Pan-blue coalition, the opposition parties in the ROC legislature. The airline also voiced concern over its international operations, codeshare agreements and other commercial contracts. The issue was dropped after the 2004 Legislative Yuan election when the pro-Chen Pan-Green Coalition failed to win a majority. In 2007, however, the issue resurfaced with the renaming of several state-owned companies such as Chunghwa Post, whose name was changed to Taiwan Post (a name that was reverted again to Chunghwa Post when the KMT won both the presidential and legislative 2008 elections) and CPC Corporation.

Our strategic target is to continuously strengthen profitability and boost our competitiveness among international carriers.

―Philip Wei (魏幸雄 Wèi Xìngxióng), Former Chairman of China Airlines

SkyTeam

China Airlines signed an agreement to begin the process of joining the SkyTeam airline alliance on September 14, 2010 and officially became a full member on September 28, 2011. This was marked by an update to the logo of the airline and the typeface in which “China Airlines” is printed.

The float built by China Airlines won the International Trophy in the Rose Parade in California on January 2, 2011 for the 20th time in a row.

China Airlines changed their Taipei-New York stopover from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to Kansai Airport, ending Anchorage’s only non-seasonal international passenger flight after 28 years, on April 28, 2011.

Japanese Government awarded a Certificate of Appreciation to China Airlines for its post-quake efforts.

China Airlines announced the intention of bringing the fleet from 68 now to 100+ within at most 10 years. With the orders of the Airbus A350s (14 orders and 6 options), China Airlines recently announced the intention of leasing more Airbus A330s or narrow-body aircraft in order to meet the increasing demands of regional routes and cross-strait routes. China Airlines also announced that the decision of the long-haul fleet plan will be announced by the end of 2012 the latest.

China Airlines’ original livery prior to 1995 was a livery with the Republic of China Flag printed on the tail. It changed its livery since the Chinese mainland government prohibits any aircraft flying with the Republic of China Flag printed on the plane to land in the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau and pressured other countries to do so too. Under political pressure, China Airlines changed its livery to the livery now.

China Airlines has had many uniforms since its 1959. China Airlines’ present uniform was changed in 2007 to celebrate its 47th anniversary.

China Airlines has used different slogans throughout its operational history. In 2006, a second slogan was introduced to complement the new uniforms and to celebrate the 47th anniversary. China Airlines’ slogans have been as follows:

“We treasure every encounter” (1987?C1995)

“We blossom everyday” (1995?C2006)

“Journey with a caring smile” (2006?Cpresent)

Further information: China Airlines destinations

Most of China Airlines’ flights originate out of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, its main hub near Taipei, Taiwan. At Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, China Airlines’ flight operations are in Terminal 1 and 2. China Airlines’ regional flights are mainly concentrated in Terminal 1. Its long-haul flights, especially American, European, and Australian, are mainly concentrated in Terminal 2. Additionally, China Airlines and its domestic subsidiary Mandarin Airlines operate numerous flights out of Kaohsiung International Airport and Taipei Songshan Airport. China Airlines’ focus cities outside Taiwan are mainly Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, Hong Kong’s Hong Kong International Airport, and Osaka’s Kansai International Airport.

Through the mid 2000s, China Airlines’ route network was affected by the political status of Taiwan, which has historically limited access for Taiwanese airlines to Europe and certain Asian countries. Because Taiwanese carriers did not have direct access to China, China Airlines used Hong Kong as its interline destination. China Airlines started to operate regular charter flights to China in 2008. The airline began regularly scheduled, direct cross-strait operations in December 2008, following the restoration of direct travel links.

China Airlines now serves 98 destinations in 29 countries and territories (including cargo) on four continents, with a well-developed Asian network.

Codeshare agreements

China Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines: (* denotes as Skyteam members and or affiliates)

Alitalia *

China Eastern Airlines *

China Southern Airlines *

Czech Airlines *

Delta Air Lines *

Garuda Indonesia (future SkyTeam member)

Japan Airlines (Oneworld)

KLM *

Korean Air *

Shanghai Airlines *

Thai Airways International (Star Alliance)

Vietnam Airlines *

Virgin America *

Xiamen Airlines (future SkyTeam affiliate member)

In addition, China Airlines has a codeshare agreement with Deutsche Bahn.

Interline agreements

China Airlines has interline agreements with the following airlines:

Virgin America

WestJet

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There are many river and water related organizations in the world. Our organization only works with the Red River of the North and its tributaries. See www.waterkeeper.org, www.americanrivers.org, www.river-management.org, www.rivernetwork.org, or www.irn.org for information on river or water groups in your area.

Born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (1978), Ivn Martn is one of the most outstanding artists of his generation in todays spanish musical panorama. He began his musical studies at the age of five with professor Lorenza Ramos, continuing afterwards at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Conservatory of Music with Nicole Postel and Francisco Martnez as teachers, culminating his studies with the highest qualifications, completing his musical training at Reina Sofa Music School (Madrid) under direction of Dimitri Bashkirov and Galina Eguiazarova and more recently, with polish professor Ireneusz Jagla in Palma de Mallorca.

He has offered numerous concerts in the most important halls of Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, Czech and Slovac Republic, Albania, South Africa, South America, Mexico, USA, etc. He has performed with orchestras such as Gran Canaria Philharmonic, Tenerife Smphonic, Galicia Symphonic, National Spanish Orchestra, Santiago Royal Philharmonic, Castilla y Len Philharmonic, Asturias Symphonic, Bilbao Symphonic, Radio-Television Spanish Orchestra, Sevilla Symphonic, Balearic Symphonic, Spanish National Youth Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, Praga Virtuosi, Strasbourg Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Montevideo OSODRE Orchestra, Santiago de Chile Symphonic, Sao Paulo Symphonic, Monterrey Symphonic (USA), World Symphony Orchestra, etc, collaborating with conductors such as Maurizio Benini, Max Bragado, Justin Brown, Christoph Eshenbach, Pedro Halffter, Christoph Knig, Jean Jacques Kantorow, Kirill Karabits, Max Kugi, Adrian Leaper, Miguel ngel Gmez Martnez, Juanjo Mena, Roberto Montenegro, John Neschling, Josep Pons, Alejandro Posada, Alfonso Scarano, Michael Schnwandt, Maximiano Valds, Oldrich Vlcek, Toni Bilic or Josep Vicent, and participating in highlights festivals such as International Piano Festival La roque dAnthron (France), International Music Festival La Folle Journe (France and Spain), International Keyboard Festival (New York), Orford International Music Festival (Canada), Canaries International Music Festival, Granada International Music Festival, Scherzo Festival (Madrid), Internacional Cervantino Festival (Mexico) or International Piano Festival (Santiago de Chile), where he is continuosly invited, obtaining always excellent reviews and great audience successes.

Likewise, he has participated in several masterclasses offered by professors such as Joaqun Achcarro, Michelle Campanella and Paul Badura-Skoda (Accademia Chigiana, Siena), Andrzej Jasinski, Claude Frank, Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Ralph Gothoni, Rosalyn Treck, Ramn Coll or Josep Colom.

He is winner of several piano competitions as Infanta Cristina, Marisa Montiel, Juventudes Musicales, “Frechilla-Zuloaga” Piano Competition, Antoni Torrandell, Pedro Espinosa, Mozart Competition, Arenas School, etc. He has received scholarships from Real Musical (Gran Canaria) and Rotary Club Internacional. He has recorded numerous programs for radio and television in Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, Uruguay and The United States.

As a composer and musical investigator, he has been a founding member of Aula de Msica Actual (Las Palmas Conservatory of Music), giving masterclasses concerning new technologies for Gran Canaria University, and likewise, he has achieved various premieres such as Landscapes comissioned by Italian Radio Television (RAI), or Ictus piano series collaborating with british painter James Lambourne, premiered at Valldemossa International Chopin Festival. He has offered several piano masterclasses for New York Keyboard Festival and Institute, Montevideos Spanish Cultural Centre and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Conservatory.

He recently made his debut as a conductor performing Bach and Mozart piano concertos with Bach Project Orchestra founded by himself with support of Spanish Jeunesses Musicales and Teatre del Liceo Chamber Orchestra (Barcelona), and performed a debut recital in La roque dAnthron International Piano Festival and International Keyboard Festival of New York, and in the cities of Monterey, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, obtaining a great response from critics and audience. He has also completed a concert tour with Jeunesses Musicales World Simphony Orchestra and conductor Josep Vicent that led him through the most important halls such as Berliner Philarmonie, Amsterdem Muziekgebouw or Palau de las Arts Reina Sofa (Valencia, Spain). Future engagements include presentations at the renowned New York Carnegie Hall, United States, Canada, South America, France, Germany, Austria, Swiss, Italy, and Spain, performing piano solo recitals and collaborating with several orchestras and conductors such as Gerd Albrecht or Gnther Herbig. Likewise, he is preparing his first recording project for Warner concerning spanish composer Antonio Solers piano works.

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