The Blue Card Annual Benefit and Auction Raises $800,000 for Needy Holocaust Survivors

NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Blue Card, a national non-profit organization dedicated to aiding over 2,000 Holocaust survivors, held its 79th Anniversary Benefit and auction at the Powerhouse at The American Museum of Natural History on Monday, October 21, 2013.  The benefit, hosted by Emmy-award winning TV and radio Host and best-selling author Rita Cosby, commemorated the 70^th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by paying tribute to several survivors and the Blue Card's humanitarians for their dedication to this cause. The event raised over $800,000 to provide direct financial assistance to Holocaust survivors in need.

"The needs for dental care, medical care and housing assistance for Holocaust survivors are at their highest.  Funds raised from the gala will allow us to continue expanding the support we provide nationwide," said Executive Director Masha Pearl. "We are truly grateful to the remarkable honorees, Mia Farrow, Ronan Farrow, the Curt C. and Else Silberman Foundation and Sara Greenberg."

Mia Farrow and Ronan Farrow received the annual Richard Holbrooke Award for Social Justice, which was presented by author and journalist, Kati Marton. The award pays tribute to Ms. Marton's late husband, a highly accomplished diplomat and with whom Ronan Farrow attributes as his mentor and whom Ms. Marton shared a profound commitment to humanity with.

"It is of utmost importance that we do our part in aiding survivors of the Holocaust so as to ensure that something this tragic will never happen again," said Mia Farrow of the night.

The honorees each received a personalized plaque designed by Irene Hizme, a child Holocaust survivor and Mengele twin recognized at Monday's Benefit. Hizme, who has both Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis and is wheel chair bound, painted each award with a calligraphy pen using her mouth.

The Curt C. and Else Silberman Foundation received the Max. L. Heine Humanitarian Award which was presented by Heine's daughter, Peggy Heine. The evening featured cocktails, a seated dinner, a silent auction and a special performance by singer, songwriter and pianist, Regina Spektor.  Other notable guests included poet Rose Styron, fashion designer, Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, and philanthropists, Dr. Robert Shillman, Jack and Gail Bratman, Sherry Wilzig Izak and Larry and Jane Scheinfeld.

About The Blue Card

Founded in Germany in 1934, and reorganized in the United States in 1939, The Blue Card's sole mission is to provide direct financial assistance to needy Holocaust survivors who live at or near the federal poverty level. All proceeds from the Annual Benefit will support these individuals; The Blue Card has distributed over $22 million to date, with 100 percent of individual donations going directly to survivors.

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SOURCE The Blue Card