Jun

23 2016

A Philatelic Tour of the “Righteous Among The Nations"

10:45AM - 12:00PM  

This Federation event will be held at Congregation Knesset Israel 16 Colt Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201

Contact Nancy Maurice Rogers
413-442-4360 x 15
jfb.programs@verizon.net
http://www.jewishberkshires.org

The Jewish Federation of the Berkshires' Connecting with Community welcomes Dr. Edwin Kolodny, who will share his enthusiasm for stamp collecting in a talk titled “A Philatelic Tour of the Righteous Among The Nations.”

The study of postage stamps teaches much about the world at large – geography, history, art, literature, science,
architecture – a few of the many topics found on stamps says Dr. Kolodny. Since 1963, Yad Vashem, the center of
Holocaust remembrance in Jerusalem, has honored over 25,000 men and women from 49 countries who at great
personal risk saved the lives of Jews who would have otherwise perished during World War II. Those honored include
diplomats who defied the orders of their own government, clergy of other religions, and ordinary citizens. Dr. Kolodny
will use stamps issued by many countries to tell the stories of these righteous people and how they accomplished
life-saving deeds against improbable odds.

Dr. Kolodny is a neurologist and geneticist whose career spans more than 55 years in teaching, research, and
patient care, with a special focus on inherited diseases of the nervous system. He was a professor of Neurology at
the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before assuming the Chairmanship of the Department of Neurology at the New York University School of Medicine in 1991. He has been “semi-retired” and living in the Berkshires since 2012. He began collecting stamps in his youth but became a serious
philatelist in 1960 while still in medical school. He collects stamps with a Judaic connection from all countries and
is a member of the Berkshire Chapter of the Society of Israel Philatelists (SIP), the oldest active chapter of SIP in the United States (and an affiliate of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires). He shares this and other hobbies including gardening, cooking, photography, and travel with his wife Roselyn, their two sons and two daughters, and twelve grandchildren.

This free program is part of the Federation’s Connecting With Community Series and will be followed by a kosher hot lunch. Lunch is a $2 suggested donation for adults over 60 years of age or $7 for all others. Advance reservations are required for lunch and can be made by calling (413) 442-2200 before 9 a.m. on the day of the program.