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    Virginia Holocaust Museum > Events > The Choral Synagogue Auditorium > Big Sonia Screening

Big Sonia Screening

Big Sonia Poster

The Virginia Holocaust Museum and Weinstein JCC present

Big Sonia tells the story of Sonia Warshowski, 91-year old great-grandmother, businesswoman and Holocaust survivor whose tailor shop she’s owned for more than thirty years is served an eviction notice. Faced with the reality of retirement, Sonia is prompted to revisit her harrowing past as a refugee and witness to genocide.

A poignant story of generational trauma, BIG SONIA also offers a laugh-out-loud funny portrait of the power of love to triumph over bigotry and the power of truth-telling to heal us all.

Tickets are $10 General Admission or $7 for JCC & VHM members. You can purchase tickets on the Weinstein JCC website.
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Sponsored by Lisa and Nathan Zasler with additional funding from the Henry and Gertrude Kupfer Holocaust Education Fund of Richmond Jewish Foundation.

The Choral Synagogue Auditorium

Labeled one of the most beautiful synagogues in the Jewish world on the eve of the Holocaust, the Chore Shul (Yiddish for Choral Synagogue) of Kovno certainly was a gem of synagogue architecture. Dedicated in 1871, its name “chore” places the synagogue as a superb example of the large “choral synagogue” tradition of the second half of the nineteenth century in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in the Russian Empire.

Jay Ipson, Museum co-founder, Holocaust survivor and Kovno native, opted to copy this architectural treasure in order to offer visitors some idea of the rich Jewish religous and cultural heritage that had existed before the Holocaust. Working with Marc Cohen and Trademark Woodworking, the original building’s plan moved from idea to actuality and now serves as the Museum’s auditorium.

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