2020 Annual Meeting
Summer Institute Committee

​2020 Summer Institute Speaker Series

July 9: E.J. Dionne Jr.
Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country
E.J. Dionne, Jr. is a syndicated columnist for The Washington Post, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, university professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown University, and visiting professor at Harvard University. A nationally known and respected commentator on politics, Dionne appears weekly on National Public Radio and MSNBC.

July 16: Alan Zweibel & John Fugelsang
How Satire Influenced Culture, With an Emphasis on Politics
Alan Zweibel, an original Saturday Night Live writer, has won five Emmy Awards for his work in television, which also includes It’s Gary Shandling’s Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
John Fugelsang is a comedian, actor, political commentator and radio host. He was co-host of America’s Funniest Home Videos and appears frequently on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News and NPR.

July 23—Frank Snowden
How Epidemics Shape Society
Frank Snowden is the Andrew Downey Orrick Professor Emeritus of History and History of Medicine at Yale University. His research interests include the comparative history of epidemic diseases, the history of public health, the impact of emerging diseases and issues in medical ethics. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, he has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Journal of the American Medical Association for his historical expertise.

July 30: Eric Ward
Racism, Anti-Semitism and the Struggle For an Inclusive Democracy
Eric K. Ward is the Executive Director of Western States Center, an organization that works with leaders throughout the United States to reduce inequality and advance opportunity. He is a civil rights strategist and national expert on the relationship between hate violence and preserving democratic institutions. He is the leading expert in the connection between Anti-Semitism and White Nationalism and how these twin phenomena are shaping America today.

August 6: Bret Stephens
The Post-Covid World
Bret Stephens is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and a senior political analyst for MSNBC. Previously, he was deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal, as well as the paper’s foreign affairs columnist. His many awards and distinctions include the 2013
Pulitzer Prize for commentary, the 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and three honorary doctorates.

August 13: Mitch Landrieu
How Cities Will Lead: Climate Change, Resilience and Equity
Mitch Landrieu served for 16 years in the Louisiana House of Representatives, two terms as Lieutenant Governor and two terms as Mayor of New Orleans. As Lieutenant Governor he led the effort to rebuild the state’s tourism industry and its job creation following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While Mayor of New Orleans he moved the government from near bankruptcy to financial to efficiency and accountability, and created the country’s first comprehensive resilience strategy for a city.

Three films will be presented, for free, this year to Summer Institute Sponsors & current members of the Hebrew Center. Access will be provided via a Vimeo link on the day of screening.

July 19 – THOSE WHO REMAINED
Those Who Remained is a tender portrayal of a relationship between a 42-year old Holocaust survivor and a 16-year old girl who meet in Budapest after WWII. Following its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, the film was selected as Hungary’s submission for the Best International Feature Film at the 2020 Academy Awards.

JULY 26 – INCITEMENT
A psychological thriller, Incitement follows Jewish extremist Yigal Amir in the months leading up to his assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.Winner of the 2019 Israeli Academy Awards (Ophir) for Best Picture and Best Casting.

AUGUST 2 – WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT
Oscar winning director Caroline Link (Nowhere in Africa) directs this stunning adaptation of Judith Kerr’s best-selling novel. The plot follows nine-year-old Anna, who in 1933 has to flee Germany with her Jewish family because her father, a renowned journalist, has published articles criticizing Adolph Hitler and the Nazis. This film has not yet had a theatrical release in the United States. A German production, it is considered to be a “sleeper hit,” having already grossed in excess of $8 million.

This year has been unprecedented due to the coronavirus. There are no in- person Summer Institute events and we have moved to a Zoom Webinar platform for Speakers and Vimeo links for films.
While not all pledges have come in as yet, we project that Sponsorships will be down from last year which was an extraordinary year. While we may have fewer Sponsors, the total financial revenue may come close to that of 2018. Given that we have fewer expenses since there are no brunches, or expenses associated with the Speaker events, we may still show a profit this year.

Bruce Eckman, Ph.D.
Shelly Eckman, Ph.D.
Co-Chairs, Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center Summer Institute