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38 REMEMBERING HONORING A BIG CHECK By Catherine D. Anspon Photography Priscilla Dickson, Wilson Parish E ach year, Holocaust Museum Houston's Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award Dinner brings together survivors, their descendants, and other philanthropic patrons to raise funds and awareness so the Holocaust is never again repeated. The benefit is always notable and intensely mov- ing. This year's evening, chaired by museum supporters Ira Mitzner and Fred Zeidman and their families, drew more than 1,100 guests to the Marriott Marquis Houston. The crowd turned out to honor the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem and renowned curator and educator Avner Shalev, who has chaired its directorate since 1993. Accepting the award on behalf of the center and its chairman were, respectively, Yad Vashem director Dorit Novak, in from Jerusalem, and Shalev's granddaughter, Ruth Tsuria, a doctoral student at Texas A&M. Former U.S. vice presidential candidate and retired U.S. senator Joe Lieberman spoke of the importance of HMH's role in the community and region; his wife, Hadassah, is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. The $1.25 million night wrapped with a big announcement: the surprise gift of $1 million more by Sue and Lester Smith, to go towards the museum's capital campaign. It was a generous gesture the couple would top a mere month later, with an addi- tional $14 million — the most munificent gift ever in the museum's history. SEEN: Honorary chairs Diana Hagee and Pastor John Hagee, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, and Mayor Sylvester Turner; Ginger Blanton; Kelli Cohen Fein and Martin Fein; HMH board chair Gary Markowitz and wife Sunni; mu- seum CEO Kelly Zuñiga and husband Luis; Bill Morgan; Divya and Chris Brown; Heather and Sanford Dow; Carol Isaak Barden; Tali and Eric Blumrosen; Velva and Fred Levine; and Lester Smith's children, daughter Shelly Hendry and husband Brian, and son Stuart Smith. + + Sue & Lester Smith Michael & Ileana Treviño, Laura & Rick Jaramillo Senator Joe Lieberman, Mayor Sylvester Turner Chairman Fred Zeidman Chairman Ira Mitzner Divya & Chris Brown David LePori, Anna Pawlik Stephanie & Steven Mitzner Brian & Shelly Hendry Heidi & David Gerger Tali Blumrosen Ginger Blanton Sunni Markowitz Cynthia Anhalt Martin Fein & Kelli Cohen Fein Amy Margolin Blake Ford Nancy Zeidman Cory Accardo Sanford Dow