September 15, 2004

Press Contact: Audrey Fischer (202) 707-0022
Public Contact: Monica Mohindra (202) 707-1071
Additional information: www.loc.gov/loc/kidslc/live-schedule.html

Jewish Life in America Is Subject of Live Performance at the Library of Congress

“Haven to Home: An American Journey” Complements New Library Exhibition Marking the 350th Anniversary of Jewish Settlement in America

The Library of Congress will present “Haven to Home: An American Journey” on Sept. 23, Oct. 12, 26, Nov. 2, Nov. 18 and Dec. 6 at 10:30 a.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building, located at 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. Admission is free and open to the public. Groups of 10 or more must call for reservations at (202) 707-1071.

The 45-minute play for ages 10 and up incorporates images and sound clips from the exhibition “From Haven to Home: A Library of Congress Exhibition Marking 350 Years of Jewish Life in America.” The exhibition will be on view in the Northwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday, from Sept. 9 through Dec. 18. To arrange group tours of the exhibition, call (202) 707-9203.

Playright Roberta Gasbarre, artistic director of the Smithsonian’s Discovery Theater, was commissioned by the Library’s Hebraic Division to write the play, which tells the story of Jewish life in America through the eyes of Emma Lazarus, an immigrant’s daughter who wrote “The New Colossus,” the poem that appears on the base of the Statue of Liberty; and Irving Berlin, who emerged from the decks of an immigrant ship to become one of America’s best-loved composers. With Lazarus and Berlin as guides, the play explores how the values of liberty, opportunity and religious freedom shaped the Jewish experience in America.

The performances are part of Library of Congress Live, a series of free events that introduce students and teachers to the Library and its collections in an engaging and thought-provoking way.

# # #

PR 04-166
09/15/04
ISSN 0731-3527