Programs & Events

Spring Fundraiser

“An undiluted privilege to witness.”

- Los Angeles Times

2025 SPRING FUNDRAISER

THE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE:

BEYOND THE KINDERTRANSPORT

An Evening with Mona Golabek

MONDAY, MAY 5, 2025

5 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Performance

Charles W. Eisemann Center

2351 Performance Dr | Richardson 75082

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION

PAY ONLINE

MAKE A PLEDGE

All levels include complimentary parking, pre-show reception with cocktails and heavy appetizers, reserved seating for the featured performance, and a signed copy of The Children of Willesden Lane (one per couple).

Sponsorships start at $1,000 for two tickets. View the sponsorship contract here. View all levels and associated benefits here.

JOIN US FOR AN INSPIRATIONAL EVENING

Based on her book The Children of Willesden Lane and featuring some of the world’s greatest classical music, concert pianist Mona Golabek shares her mother’s riveting story of survival during World War II in this acclaimed theatrical production filled with hope and the life-affirming power of music.

Set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitzkrieg, this powerful production tells the true story of Lisa Jura, a a 14-year-old musical prodigy whose dreams of becoming a concert pianist were cut short when Hitler’s armies were advancing in Vienna. Her parents were forced to make the difficult decision to choose one of their three daughters to secure safe passage on the children’s transport to London. They chose her, believing that her musical talent would give her the strength to survive. At a hostel on Willesden Lane, her music became a beacon of hope for not only her, but for the other children who found themselves in a devastating new reality – a life without their parents.

ABOUT MONA GOLABEK

Grammy nominee Mona Golabek is the founder and president of the Hold On To Your Music Foundation. An author, recording artist, and internationally renowned concert pianist, she learned to play the piano from her mother, Holocaust survivor Lisa Jura. Her father, Michel Golabek, fought valiantly in the French resistance and received the Croix de Guerre. Mona has brought the show and the book to over 10 million students and teachers across the globe.

ABOUT THE KINDERTRANSPORT

On the night of November 9-10, 1938, the Nazi regime savagely attacked Jews across the Third Reich. Thousands of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and cemeteries were destroyed, and Jewish homes were ransacked in Germany, Austria, and parts of Czechoslovakia. In the aftermath of this pogrom, known as Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), the British government, Jewish organizations, and others, laid the groundwork for the Kindertransport, a rescue effort that saved nearly 10,000 Jewish children under the age of 17 from the Nazis between 1938 and 1940. Learn more here.

Open Hearts, Open Homes: A Story of the Kindertransport

We invite you to enjoy this original Museum-produced film that shares a story of the Kindertransport told through the personal testimonies of siblings Magie Furst and Bert Romberg, who are the Honorary Chairs for this year's Spring Fundraiser event.

Honorary Chairs

Magie Romberg Furst and Bert Romberg

Event Chairs

Melanie Kuhr Myers and Paula Romberg

Host Committee

Rivka and Brad Altman • Aviva and Gabe Austein • Fran and Mark Berg • Dana Blaugrund • Edie Blaugrund • Nancy and David Brickman • Susie and Joel Carp • Dr. Lisa Genecov • Jennifer and Josh Goldman • Julie and Sander Gothard • Debbie and Ron Greene • Ronit and Haviv Ilan • Hylton and Veronique Jonas • Melissa Lowenkron • Carol and Kevin Margolis • Yana and Yury Mintskovsky • Stephanie and Dan Prescott • Kimberly and Jon Ross • Staci and Paul Rubin • Karla and Larry Steinberg • Bonnie and Jeff Whitman • Linda and Ken Wimberly

Platinum Sponsors

Candy and Ike Brown

Raelaine Radnitz

Mark and Peggy Zilbermann

Gold Sponsors

Debbie and Ron Greene

Terry and Bert Romberg

Jeri Lyn and Jeff Sebert

Silver Sponsors

Lisa and Neil Goldberg

Liz and Tom Halsey

Susie and Larry Mondry

Stan Rabin

Helen and Frank Risch

Andy Smith and Paul von Wupperfeld

Daphne and David Sydney

Jackie and Steve Waldman

2024 SPRING FUNDRAISER

Mitch Albom: In Conversation

On Sunday, April 14, nearly 400 guests joined us at the beautiful Arts District Mansion to welcome internationally renowned and bestselling author, journalist, and philanthropist Mitch Albom to Dallas. In a conversation moderated by Good Morning Texas host Jane McGarry, Mitch shared reflective lessons from the New York Times bestselling memoir of all time, "Tuesdays with Morrie," and his newest novel, "The Little Liar," told against the backdrop of the Holocaust, to discuss modern-day antisemitism and his philanthropic work with children in Haiti.

Click on the images below to see photos from past Spring Fundraiser events.