8 Nights of Eight Nights
8 Readings, over 8 nights, in 8 different cities, to benefit HIAS-- NIGHT 5 will be at City Winery Chicago on Sunday September 22 -- with 4 more events to follow!
Special Thanks To
8 Readings, over 8 nights, in 8 different cities, to benefit HIAS-- NIGHT 5 will be at City Winery Chicago on Sunday September 22 -- with 4 more events to follow!
In response to the recent massacre at the Tree of Life Synogogue in Pittsburgh, we decided to produce 8 Nights of Eight Nights: a national series of play readings as a fundraiser to benefit HIAS. In the year that has passed since this attack, current events have sadly continued to underscore the importance of remembering the events of the past, to actively work against repeating them
Eight Nights, a new play by Jennifer Maisel, is the story of a nineteen year old German-Jewish refugee who tried to escape Nazi Germany on the SS St. Louis, was sent back to Europe, then survived a concentration camp, to reunite with her father after 10 years. The play takes place over eight nights of Chanukah, over eight decades of her life. It explores the refugee experience, as well as the trauma mirrored in the experiences of the African-American community, the interned Japanese citizens and the current Syrian crisis, and ends just before Trump takes office and institutes his Muslim ban.
With 9 performances in 2019, we are exceeding our goal to deliver the play’s message on a national scale by staging local readings on 8 different nights in 8 different cities across the county over the next year.
Next up!
Night 6: San Francisco CA, 10/12/19
Congregation Sherith Israel. Directed by Ariella Wolfe
Night 7: Davis, CA 10/13/19
About HIAS
With a record high of nearly 80 million refugees and forcibly displaced people worldwide, your support is more crucial than ever.
For over a century, HIAS has been there for refugees when and where they need help most. Now working in the United States and 15 other countries, we provide vital services to refugees and asylum seekers of all faiths so they can rebuild their lives—over 1.4 million in 2020. With the Jewish community beside us, we also advocate for the rights of forcibly displaced people globally. Over our expansive history and with your partnership, we’ve confronted—and overcome—formidable challenges facing refugees.
There have never been more people seeking safety and so few places willing to protect and welcome them. Refugees deserve a world in which they find welcome, safety, and opportunity. With your support, we can create it.
Refugees Making a Difference. Watch more from HIAS.
