The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation (ABMF) is a New York-based non-profit organization established in 2012. Its mission is to safeguard the memory of Auschwitz-Birkenau through the preservation of its original artifacts and bringing education about Auschwitz to every American student. Under the leadership of its Chairman, Ronald S. Lauder, the ABMF believes that the existence of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, its authenticity, and its message will help prevent a reoccurrence of the hatred, racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia that led to the Holocaust. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation's work consists of three main pillars: Preservation of the authentic remains of Auschwitz-Birkenau Holocaust education Survivors' outreach in the United States Ronald S. Lauder is the younger son of Estee and Joseph Lauder and serves as a Director of the Estee Lauder Companies, Inc., and Chairman of Clinique Laboratories, LLC. He also serves as the President of the World Jewish Congress, the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, Neue Galerie New York, the Jewish National Fund, the Commission for Art Recovery, and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation. He also served as the United States Ambassador to Austria under President Ronald Reagan. Notably, he is the Chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation. Since his first visit to the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camps Auschwitz-Birkenau, Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder has donated tens of millions of dollars for the preservation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the creation of the Museum's innovative conservation labs. In January 2020, Lauder financed a trip of over 100 survivors and their family members from the US, Canada, Israel, Australia, Sweden, and other countries to Auschwitz. Dr. Maria Zalewska is a nonprofit executive, Holocaust educator, media scholar, and author with a track record of strategically planning, developing, and funding cross-institutional Holocaust educational projects, as well as developing media projects from pre- to post-production. Her academic work has focused on the relationship between new technologies, media studies, and Holocaust memory. Her research develops new directions in Holocaust studies and innovative responses to the challenges facing Holocaust education in the digital age. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation. Her great-grandfather was killed in Auschwitz.
Preparing the dishes in this substantial new cookbook feels like paying homage to resilient survivors. -- Florence Fabricant * The New York Times * A perfect gift for anyone who loves the traditions and food in the Jewish religion. * Glamour * Honey Cake & Latkes is more than a collection of recipes. It also contains inspiring stories from the survivors as well as archival and contemporary photographs showing their resilience. * Jewish Telegraphic Agency * Sure, Honey Cake & Latkes contains enough Jewish recipes to feed an oneg's-worth of hungry mouths, but in this poignant, one-of-a-kind cookbook, the matzo balls and latkes take a backseat to the subject matter at hand: the collective legacy and triumph of the survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, whose families provided the recipes for the compilation. The cookbook is also a gift that keeps on giving, since all proceeds are donated to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation. * Saveur * You'll want to cook this mix of well-known classics like matzo brei and lesser known dishes such as mamaglia, a Romanian staple akin to polenta. But just as much, you'll want to savor the stunning photographs of the foods and, more importantly, the stories of the survivors. -Dawn Davis, Editor in Chief, Bon Appetit