| Join us for a screening of the film Shared Legacies, a moving documentary about the critical historical lessons of the Black Jewish Alliance during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, at the Williams School in Chelsea.
Following the film, a sit-down conversation with a personal and local perspective will feature Chelsea City Councilor Leo Robinson and Janna Kaplan from Brandeis University. Janna’s late husband Edward and his father Kivie, who were lifelong residents of Greater Boston and were key players in the Civil Rights movement, appear in the film. Kivie’s wife, Emily, was from Chelsea.
Chelsea City Councilor Leo Robinson – Leo is a lifelong Chelsea resident and is the longest-serving member of the Chelsea City Council. He has served as its president seven times. As president, Leo wrote the Affordable Housing Ordinance and oversaw three searches for the City Manager position. He co-founded the Lewis Latimer Society with his brother Ron Robinson. Leo has had close friendships with Chelsea’s Jewish community members since childhood.
Janna Kaplan, M.S. – Janna is a Senior Research Scientist at Brandeis University’s Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Lab. Janna’s undergraduate and graduate degrees are from the University of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Janna came to the United States from the former Soviet Union as a Jewish political refugee, fleeing state-sponsored antisemitic violence and intellectual and cultural suppression.
Janna’s late husband, Edward Kivie Kaplan (1942-2024), was the son of Kivie Kaplan (1904-1975), a Boston industrialist deeply involved in the Jewish social action and the Civil Rights movements. Kivie Kaplan was elected National President of the NAACP in 1966 and served until he died in 1975. Both Kivie and Edward appear in the film. Kivie’s wife, Emily, was from Chelsea, and her family was affiliated with the Walnut Street Synagogue.
Enjoy our nosh and schmooze with community members!
Doors open at 12:30 pm.
Registration – No cost to attend, but please let us know if you plan on attending. Advance registration is required.
This program is partly supported by a grant from the Chelsea Cultural Council, a local agency that the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, supports. The Congregation Ahabat Shalom Religious Fund and other generous donors have provided additional funding. |
