Houston Person

Michael Bornstein

Michael is one of the youngest known survivors of the Auschwitz death camp. Photos of Michael at liberation have been spotted on museum walls, book covers and film clips around the world and yet he waited more than seventy years to step forward and share his story publicly. He wrote Survivors Club alongside his third of four children, Debbie, a broadcast news journalist. Along the way, he and his family were stunned to uncover shocking details about his own survival that included a bribery scheme, untold acts of kindness by a German leader, and one perfectly-timed brush with illness.

Michael is a graduate of Fordham University in New York and holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics and Analytical Chemistry from the University of Iowa. He spent four decades helping to develop life-changing drug treatments for major pharmaceutical companies including Dow Chemical, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson.

Now retired, Michael spends much of his time shuttling between New York and New Jersey alongside his wife of fifty-seven years as they juggle soccer games, tennis matches, graduations and birthday parties for their twelve grandchildren. He also speaks regularly at schools, synagogues and business institutions, sharing his experiences as a survivor of the Holocaust.

The Freeman Family:
A Century of Service and Impact

For more than 100 years, the Freeman family has helped shape The New Jewish Home through visionary leadership, innovation, and deep compassion for older adults.
 
Charles H. Freeman joined the Board in the 1920s and became President in 1935. A pioneer in elder care and a founder of Federation (now UJA-Federation), Charles transformed the Home by securing its first public funding and introducing advancements like physical therapy and psychiatry. Under his leadership, the Home launched home health care in 1940—decades ahead of national programs.
 
John L. Freeman joined the Board in 1960 and became President in 1981. A Harvard and Columbia Law graduate, John spent over 50 years as a distinguished attorney and led the organization through a period of growth and modernization. He championed diversity, brought women onto the Board, and in 1985 helped establish the nation’s first geriatric teaching program with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai—still thriving today.
 
David J. Freeman, has served on the Board since 1988. A leading environmental attorney with more than 50 years of experience, David played a key role in resolving complex environmental issues for the organization. As Co-Chair of the Governance & Nominating Committee and active member of multiple other committees, he continues to guide strategic efforts. In 2006, the family established the Freeman Music Endowment Fund at the Westchester campus, which funds music therapy programs and year-round concerts to enrich residents’ lives.

Marianne Kerner

Born in Ulm, Germany in 1932, Marianne Grünvogel was just eight years old when her home was bombed during the early stages of World War II. Tragically, several of Marianne’s relatives, including her father, did not survive the bombing. Due to the impact of the explosion, Marianne woke up across the street, in shock and covered in rubble, but miraculously had no major injuries. This traumatic experience marked the beginning of a life filled with remarkable resilience.  Marianne later lived in Havana, Cuba, and Teheran, Iran, as part of her husband Hans Kerner’s work. During a visit to New York in 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis took place, forcing Marianne to remain in New York.

Driven by her deep love for children, Marianne pursued a career devoted to supporting families in raising their little ones. First came the Ruben Family in Rye, New York, then the Greer Family in New York City. After caring for the Greer Family, Marianne nurtured Lawrence Benenson and his family for more than 30 years, profoundly influencing his life. Lawrence recalls Marianne not merely as a caretaker, but as an unwavering, loving presence who offered guidance, support, and genuine affection. “She is my mother, for all intents and purposes, and more than that, she is my best friend,” he says, capturing the extraordinary impact she has on his life. After moving permanently to Long Beach, New York, she continued taking care of families and children.

Today, at the age of 93, Marianne remains the heart of her biological and chosen families. She enjoys cooking and cultivates a beautiful garden. Marianne’s life has been dedicated to the care and well-being of others. Her bond with Lawrence is exceptionally strong. They speak every day, and Lawrence Benenson is her proudest achievement.

Judith Viorst

Judith Viorst was born and brought up in New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University, moved to Greenwich Village, and worked as a garment-district model, secretary, and children’s book editor before becoming a published writer. She has lived in Washington, D.C., since 1960, when she married political writer Milton Viorst, with whom she has three sons and seven grandchildren. A 1981 graduate of the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, Viorst has written forty-five books, in many different voices: children’s picture books, including the beloved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; adult fiction and nonfiction, including the best-selling Necessary Losses; poetry for children and adults; and four plays for musical theater.

Judy Collins

Judy Collins has long inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 55-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.

The award-winning singer-songwriter is esteemed for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her own poetically poignant original compositions. Her stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” from her landmark 1967 album, Wildflowers, has been entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Judy’s dreamy and sweetly intimate version of “Send in the Clowns,” a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical A Little Night Music, won Song of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards. She’s garnered several top ten hits gold- and platinum-selling albums. Recently, contemporary and classic artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, and Leonard Cohen honored her legacy with the album Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins.

The cultural treasure’s 55th album, Spellbound, was released in February 2022, finds Judy enjoying an artistic renaissance. The 13-song album is a special entry in her oeuvre. It marks the first time ever she wrote all the songs on one of her albums. It features 12 new recently written modern folk songs, and a bonus track of her evergreen, “The Blizzard.” Spellbound is an introspective and impressionistic album. It unfolds as if Judy curated a museum exhibit of her life and welcomed us into a retrospective of her most formative moments, some big and public, and some intensely personal and intimate. Spellbound was nominated in the Best Folk Album category at the 65th Recording Academy Grammy Awards in 2023.

While maintaining her rigorous touring schedule, Judy is set to release her first book of poetry in March of 2025 with Andrews McMeel Publishing. Written with the bold vulnerability that Judy Collins is best known for, Sometimes It’s Heaven is a timeless collection of poetry that captures the ethereal and inspiring nature of her artistry in an all-new way. Biographical and relatable, Sometimes It’s Heaven is a must-read for fans of poetry, fans of Judy, and fans of truth.

Delia Ephron

Delia Ephron is a novelist, screenwriter, essayist, and playwright. She is the author of the best-selling memoir, Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life. Her play, based on the memoir, directed by Susan Stroman, was produced on Broadway. Her novels include the best-selling Siracusa and The Lion Is In; her books of essays and humor include SisterMotherHusbandDog (etc) and How To Eat Like A Child. She had written children’s books and young adult novels. Her many movie credits – often co-written with her sister Nora Ephron — include You’ve Got Mail, Michael, and Hanging Up, based on her novel. Her sister and she co-authored the play, Love, Loss and What I Wore. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. She is part of The Empathy Project, a collaboration of doctors and filmmakers who create films to teach empathy to doctors. She lives in Greenwich Village.

Carol Jenkins

Carol Jenkins is an Emmy-winning journalist, author and equality activist.

Carol is the co-author with her daughter Elizabeth Hines of an award-winning biography of her uncle, “Black Titan: A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire.”

In her role as host of Black America on CUNY TV, now in its 10th season of conversations—nearly 300 episodes–she also produced and anchored its two award winning documentaries—one, the PBS-aired opening of the Smithsonian African American Museum; and the Telly award winning Conscience of America, on the Birmingham Civil Rights Monument established by President Obama. A lynchpin of that historic district is the A.G. Gaston Motel, built by her uncle, which served as headquarters for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the momentous desegregation efforts there.

After a 25-year career as one of New York City’s leading anchor/correspondents at WNBC-TV that included coverage of the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa and U.S. presidential politics, she turned her attention to the activism of women’s and children’s rights.

For nearly a decade, she has worked to amend the U.S. Constitution as Chair, President and CEO of the ERA Coalition. The Equal Rights Amendment ends discrimination based on sex. In January of 2024, President Biden declared the ERA “the law of the land” giving the ERA Coalition a major victory. While President and CEO of the ERA Coalition, comprised of some 300 national and local organizations, she testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform about the impoverishment of women and children in America.

Before that, Carol served as founding president of the Women’s Media Center, created by Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan to combat the absence of women as subjects and leaders in the media. While there, she created the Progressive Women’s Voices project which continues to shape leaders in the media. Each year a WMC/Carol Jenkins award is given to a woman demonstrating the “powerful and visible” mantra of WMC.

Currently, Carol is co-founder and co-host of the nonprofit media project, now in its fourth season, The Invisible Americans Podcast, raising awareness of the nearly 13 million children in the United States who live in poverty. Among her other commitments, she serves as a board member of the US board of Amref Health Africa, the continent’s largest African health organization, serving more than 35 countries.

Honors Carol has recently received include the Forbes Fifty Over Fifty Impact Award, the Vanguard Award from the Shabazz Center, and Distinguished Alumna Awards from Boston University and New York University.

Recent profiles include a Newsday retrospective, “From Anchor to Activist,” and a half hour dedicated to her career and activism on “A Slice of New York” on CUNY TV.