FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rachel Leventhal, Exec Producer
(917) 843-4976
8NightsofEIGHTNIGHTS@gmail.com 

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NIGHTS 6 & 7 OF THE “8 NIGHTS OF EIGHT NIGHTS”

NATIONAL FUNDRAISER FOR HIAS IS COMING TO SAN FRANCISCO AND DAVIS, CA

ON OCTOBER 12 & 13!

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EIGHT NIGHTS, a new play from award-winning playwright Jennifer Maisel, is having a unique introduction to audiences – a series of benefit staged readings across America. The 8 Nights of EIGHT NIGHTS series will occur on 8+ different nights in 8+ different cities, to raise funds and awareness for HIAS.

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Back to back staged readings of the moving play EIGHT NIGHTS directed by Ariella Wolfe, with casting by Emily Henderson, featuring stellar performances by a cast of local actors, including Aimee Greenberg, Blair Leatherwood, Jason Oler, Tatiana Ray, Jake Soss, and Jasmine Washington will be held in Northern California.  Night 6 will be held at Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco on October 12, 2019 at 7:30pm, followed by a Talk-back Panel moderated by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, along with Joe Goldman of HIAS and Playwright Jennifer Maisel. 

 

Night 7 will be held at Congregation Bet Haverim in Davis, CA on October 13, 2019 at 3:00pm, followed by a talkback with Playwright Jennifer Maisel.

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EIGHT NIGHTS tells the story of a nineteen-year-old German-Jewish refugee, Rebecca Blum, as she forges a new life in America after surviving a concentration camp. Gracefully weaving heart-aching moments with dark yet life-affirming humor, the play takes place over the eight nights of Hanukkah, spanning eight decades of her life. EIGHT NIGHTS explores the refugee experience, not just of Jewish immigrants, but also the trauma mirrored in the African-American community, the interned Japanese citizens, and the ongoing Syrian crisis. 

The “8 Nights of EIGHT NIGHTS” plan came into focus in the wake of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Rachel Leventhal, long-time collaborator of Maisel’s, had attended a reading of Eight Nights at Antaeus Theatre in Los Angeles, and approached Maisel about producing a series of readings to benefit HIAS. “I couldn’t get the play out of my mind,” Rachel explained, “I was so struck by the story’s relevance to this moment in history. 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.

The play will also have its World Premiere at the prestigious Antaeus Theatre in Los Angeles this fall, with a stellar cast that includes Arye Gross and Tessa Auberjonois.

For more information http://antaeus.org/shows/eight-nights/. 

 

“As a physician who practices medicine through a social justice lens, in the context of treating asylum seekers to the U.S. who have fled human rights abuses in their home countries, Eight Nights spoke to me deeply and reminded me of the resilience that human beings are able to exhibit in the face of the greatest atrocities. This is a play about telling one’s untold story and maintaining one’s identity, while simultaneously establishing new roots and beginnings. In the midst of rising xenophobia in the U.S. and anti-immigrant sentiment, it was a great reminder of the importance of embracing those who have made the journey to a new land and continuing to

foster the hope that this country has represented to so many for so long.”

 

-- Dr. Elizabeth Singer, Director of Mount Sinai Human Rights Program

Click here for Tickets to the San Francisco / Sherith Israel event:
http://bit.ly/8Nights_SherithIsrael

Donate here for Tickets to the Davis CA / Bet Haverim event here:
http://bit.ly/8Nights_BetHaverim

 

8 Nights of EIGHT NIGHTS Schedule:

Night 1: Denver CO, 12/9/18 at Curious Theatre and Theatre OR.  Directed by Amy Feinberg

Night 2: New York City, 4/8/2019 City Winery NYC, Bay Street Theater & Jewish Plays Project (JPP)  Directed by Will Pomerantz

Night 3: Washington DC, 6/24/19 City Winery Washington DC and Theater J. Directed by Adam Immerwehr

Night 4: Stowe VT, 9/22/19 Jewish Community of Greater Stowe. Directed by Wendi Stein 

Night 5: Chicago IL, 9/22/19 A Brunch Matinee at City Winery Chicago. Directed by Jeremy Ohringer 

Night 6: San Francisco, 10/12/19 Congregation Sherith Israel. Directed by Ariella Wolfe

Night 7: Davis CA, 10/13/19  Congregation Bet Haverim. Directed by Ariella Wolfe

Night 8: San Diego CA, 11/19/19 Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center (LFJCC) Directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg

Night 9: Mercer Island WA, 12/11/19 Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC) and Book-It Repertory Theatre
 

Follow our 8 Nights Social Media Links!
Facebook: 8NightsofEIGHTNIGHTS
Instagram: 8nightsofeightnights
Twitter:  @8nightsof

HIAS is the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees—including women and children, and ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities— whose lives are in danger for being who they are. Guided by our values and history, HIAS works in the United States and 10 countries around the world to help refugees rebuild their lives in safety and advocates to ensure that all displaced people are treated with dignity. Follow @HIASrefugees on social media and visit hias.org for more information.

Contribute directly to HIAS at 8 NIGHTS of EIGHT NIGHTS campaign landing page:  http://bit.ly/8NightsOfEightNights-HIAS-Fundraiser