The author Elie Wiesel, left, in 1985. David Hyde Pierce, center, and Sheldon Harnick will be among those reading Mr. Wiesel’s work on Jan. 29. FROM LEFT: NEAL BOENZI / THE NEW YORK TIMES; SARA KRULWICH / THE NEW YORK TIMES; CHAD BATKA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
More than 50 luminaries from the performing arts and politics, as well as other public figures, will gather on Jan. 29 to read Elie Wiesel’s masterpiece “Night” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan.
The event, which is presented by the museum and the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene, is meant to honor both International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Jan. 27) and the life of Mr. Wiesel, the Nobel laureate and prolific chronicler of the Holocaust who died last July, at 87.
The participants include the violinist Itzhak Perlman and the Broadway actor Joel Grey, known for his star turn as the M.C. in stage and film versions of the musical “Cabaret.” Sheldon Harnick, the celebrated lyricist of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and Jessica Hecht, who was in the musical’s recent Broadway revival as the matron, Golde, will be there.
Other readers include the “Frasier” star David Hyde Pierce, the broadcast news personality Geraldo Rivera and the former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman — with his wife, Hadassah, who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors.
“This is a great coming together of people from every walk of life, regardless of industry and political stripe and religion,” Michael Glickman, the museum’s president, said in an interview. “This is a group that believes in the power of words.”
Wiesel’s son, Elisha, who is among the participants, said in a statement that “at a time when this country is feeling so divided, when so much negativity is circulating about those who are different from ourselves — those who have different ethnicities, religions or even different political leanings — my father’s words are an important reminder of the dangers of the ‘us versus them’ mentality.”
Tickets are free and can be reserved at mjhnyc.org. The museum’s theater holds about 400 people, but Mr. Glickman said the museum would set up additional screening rooms to accommodate attendees. A live stream will be available at mjhnyc.org/night.
Originally published HERE
