AJHS 2023
Emma Lazarus
Statue of Liberty
Award Gala
documentary
filmmakers
Sarah Botstein
Featuring an interview with Honorees Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein
Musical Performance by Johnny Gandelsman and Gyan Riley
Special Remarks by Julia Ioffe
Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein
Documentary filmmakers Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, co-directors and producers of The U.S. and the Holocaust along with Ken Burns, have collaborated on some of the most popular and acclaimed documentaries about American life and culture on PBS, including: Ernest Hemingway (2020), The Vietnam War (2017), Jazz (2001), The War (2007), and Prohibition (2011).
The U.S. and the Holocaust, which premiered in September to widespread critical acclaim, tells the story of how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian tragedies in history.
Novick and Botstein also partnered on College Behind Bars, a film that follows the inspiring and transformational journey of a small group of incarcerated men and women as they try to earn college degrees in one of the most rigorous prison education programs in America – the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI).
Novick and Botstein also partnered on College Behind Bars, a film that follows the inspiring and transformational journey of a small group of incarcerated men and women as they try to earn college degrees in one of the most rigorous prison education programs in America – the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI).
Coming up, Novick and Botstein are working with Burns on a forthcoming series about Lyndon Johnson’s life and presidency, and Botstein is producing Burns’s epic, six-part series on the American Revolution. Novick’s next project as solo director and writer is a multi-part PBS series on the history of crime and punishment in America, slated for release in 2026.
A recording of the 2023 Gala is available to view below:
Co-host
Sid and Ruth Lapidus
Friend and Arts and Scholars Sponsor
The Knapp Family Foundation
Friend
Julianna Margulies
Patron
Center for Jewish History
Perry and Marty Granoff
The Karetsky Family
Steve and Nita Lowey
Hedy Zankel
Supporter
Scott and Dianne Einhorn
Lise Strickler and Mark Gallogly
Contributor
Gemma Birnbaum
James and Susan Dubin
Martin Elias
Flagstar Bank
John Golden
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
The Morris Family Foundation
PBS
Nancy and Martin Polevoy
Matthew Saravay
Glenn and Lori Shannon
Jerry Wyner
Leah Joy Zell
