38th Annual Purim Ball Raised Record $3.45 Million for the Jewish Museum

New York, NY, April 8, 2022— The Jewish Museum’s 38th Annual Purim Ball, held at The Plaza on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, raised a record $3.45 million for the Museum. Approximately 1,000 guests were in attendance for the festive dinner and the After Party hosted by the Jewish Museum’s Young Patrons. This year’s Purim Ball honored William D. Zabel, a pioneering attorney and champion of human and civil rights, who was recognized for his contributions to arts and culture, and Marta Minujín, the celebrated Argentine artist whose solo exhibition just closed at the Jewish Museum, who was honored for her 60-year legacy of exuberance and activism through art. The event also celebrated the Museum’s 120th anniversary.

James S. Snyder, Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director, said, “This year's Purim Ball produced an all-time record of $3.45 million in support of the Museum’s mission.  In today’s complex climate, all museums, and especially our Jewish Museum, need to be counterpoint to the times.  And the record response to this year’s Purim Ball could not be a more gratifying endorsement of our ongoing work, where cultural engagement, activism, and diplomacy are surely the pathway to a brighter time ahead.”

The night’s speakers included James S. Snyder, Robert Pruzan, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, and Darsie Alexander, the Museum’s Senior Deputy Director and Susan & Elihu Rose Chief Curator. Both honorees also gave remarks. 

During his remarks, Snyder announced that the powerful series of drawings, 7 October 2023, by Israeli-Ukrainian artist Zoya Cherkassky that was on view at the Museum from December 15, 2023, through February 18, 2024, has been acquired for the Museum’s collection with the generous support of Amalia Dayan and Adam Lindemann, New York. With Cherkassy in attendance, it was also announced that the painting to be realized from her now iconic image, Bring Them Back Home! (The Kidnapped Children), will also enter the Museum’s collection through the generosity of Liz Lange and David Shapiro.

The Plaza was transformed by David Stark Design and Production, with decor inspired by Minujín’s work. The stunning centerpiece featured a replica of the Museum’s historic Warburg Mansion façade featuring a timeline of highlights over the Museum’s 120 years. Photographers from Smilebooth roamed the party taking photos of guests, and music was provided by Timo Weiland. 

William D. Zabel is a founding partner of Schulte Roth & Zabel and head of its Individual Client Services Group. He practices in the areas of estate planning, wills, trusts, charitable foundations, income-and gift-tax planning, and estate administration. For more than 50 years, he has been an advocate for social justice. His civic and philanthropic activities include, among many others, authoring the lead brief for the ACLU in Loving v. Virginia, which legalized interracial marriage, serving as chair of Human Rights First for over 20 years, current chair of Immigrant Justice Corps, and trustee of New York University, The New School, Mailman School of Public Health, Lincoln Center Theater, and The Academy of American Poets.

Marta Minujín is a defining force in Latin American art. Her trajectory has intersected with major artistic developments of the postwar period while reflecting a singular vision infused by her sharp intellect, irreverent humor, and performative presence. Today Minujín is one of South America’s most recognized artists and celebrated cultural personalities. She continues to produce surprising performances, immersive environments, psychedelic paintings, and ambitious sculptures, attesting to her unceasing exuberance. Marta Minujín: Arte! Arte! Arte!, which closed at the Jewish Museum on April 1, 2024, was the artist’s first survey exhibition in the United States, reflecting the genre-defying arc of her six-decade career.

GALA CHAIRS
Anita and Marc Abramowitz • Areté Foundation & Betsy and Ed Cohen • Cassie Arison and Niv Alexander • Shari and Jeff Aronson • Barbara and Richard Lane • Liz Lange and David Shapiro • Betty and John Levin • Felicia and Sander Levy • Beth and Joshua Nash • Nancy and Morris W. Offit • The Paul E. Singer Foundation • Tracey and Robert Pruzan • Harriet and Len Schleifer • Judy and Michael Steinhardt • Jane and James Stern

VICE CHAIRS
Jonathan and Darcie Crystal • Nomi Ghez and Michael Siegal • Catherine Klema and David Resnick • Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer and Joseph Neubauer • Melissa Frey Levine and Malcolm Levine • Meg and Aaron Malinsky • Nazee and Joseph Moinian • Dayna and Steve Novenstein • Emilie and Paul Salama-Caro • Nicole and David Sambur • Susan and Stephen Scherr • John Shapiro and Shonni Silverberg • Audrey and Zygi Wilf • Jane and Mark Wilf • Susan and Benjamin Winter