Please join us for Men’s Club Dinner Forum for dinner and socializing followed by a feature speaker. There is also a Zoom option for those unable to attend in person.
Dinner 6:30 – 7:00 pm
Speaker 7:00 – 8:00 pm
(Feuerstein Family Activity Center & Zoom)
The dinner fee is $20 (pay online, or at the door by cash or check only). RSVP below so we can plan for enough seating, food and desserts for everyone. The monthly Dinner Forum is designed to bring to Beth Israel a person with expertise on a topic of interest for all adult members. This program, proudly sponsored by the Men’s Club, is open to ALL members of Beth Israel and the entire San Diego community.
The Swedish Red Cross conducted a complicated humanitarian rescue of 15,345 Nazi Concentration Camp prisoners in the last weeks of World War II. How did this happen amidst the chaos of the Third Reich’s impending defeat? We will meet Wanda Hjort, Count Folke Bernadotte and Erik Ringman whose lives intersected to help save these prisoners. This had Himmler’s approval without Hitler’s knowledge. Count Bernadotte led the negotiations with Himmler, Ringman drove the trucks for the rescue missions, and Wanda Hjort provided potato salad.
Roger A. Ritvo is the Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at Auburn University Montgomery and was presented with the Teaching Excellence Award in the College of Business. He currently is a Lecturer in the Health Administration masters and doctoral programs at the University of Colorado Denver Business School.
Professor Ritvo is a Boston native and received a Ph.D. from Case Western University. He served as Assistant Dean at Case Western Reserve University, program director at Cleveland State University, Dean at the University of New Hampshire, and Vice Chancellor of Auburn University Montgomery.
His scholarship interests have focused on Non-governmental organizations in post-Soviet societies. Twice selected as a Fulbright Scholar, he has taught and done research in Azerbaijan and the Republic of Georgia. He has also been a Visiting Scholar at Ukrainian Catholic University and done research and teaching in Latvia. Professor Ritvo has published 9 books and numerous scholarly papers.
Roger and his wife Lynn reside in Denver, he and his daughter Roberta volunteer at the United States Figure Skating Association national championships, where he opens and closes the door so the skaters can enter and exit the ice. Roger and Lynn will be joining us in May 2025 on the Beth Israel Danube River cruise led by Rabbi Nevarez.