Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy Announces New Leadership and Major Initiative

Jason Guberman joins the Conservancy to realize the Herz Lower East Side Jewish AR/VR Heritage Trail , a project dedicated to NYC activist/advocate Roger Herz.

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, November 20, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy is excited to announce Jason Guberman has joined the Conservancy as Executive Director of Jewish Heritage Preservation. Jason is “inspired by the Lower East Side’s pluralist past and present, the mission of the Conservancy to perpetuate pride in the American Jewish experience, and the potential to make a positive impact for our community and country.”

Jason’s work with the Conservancy will focus on realizing a major new digital initiative recently endowed in memory of the NYC activist/advocate Roger Herz by his sister Carol Joan Herz Brull.

The Herz Lower East Side Jewish AR/VR Heritage Trail will enable anyone to embark on an immersive journey through time, exploring iconic synagogues, tenement buildings, and bustling streets, all while accessing archival photographs, film footage, oral histories, and 3D models. This new initiative will ensure preservation, promote awareness, engage new audiences, especially young people, and perpetuate Jewish history, memory, and pride on the Lower East Side.

“Whenever Roger set his mind on tackling any project, usually something very challenging that others wouldn’t even attempt, he always said: ‘Better futile than Passive’. He was never passive, and it seldom was futile. He was successful in accomplishing his goals with perseverance (one might say stubbornness) more often than not,” says Carol.

A summa cum laude graduate of Sacred Heart University, where he served as the first Jewish class president, Jason was named to Connecticut Magazine’s “40 under 40” and to the NY Jewish Week’s “36 under 36.” He is the founding Executive Director of Digital Heritage Mapping and coordinates DHM’s flagship initiative, the Diarna Geo-Museum of North African and Middle East Jewish Life, which was a 2017 Newsweek cover story and profiled by Dara Horn in the June 2020 issue of the Smithsonian Magazine as well as in her award-winning book, People Love Dead Jews.

Jason is continuing to serve as Executive Director of the American Sephardi Federation, a partner of and housed in New York’s Center for Jewish History, dedicated to documenting, preserving, and perpetuating the history, traditions, and rich mosaic culture of Greater Sephardic communities.

At the ASF since 2014, Jason spearheads major events and exhibitions, creates projects and publications, and serves in the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and World Jewish Congress. An alumnus of the Tikvah Fund’s Fellowship and Core18 Leaders Laboratory, Jason has written for AJS Perspectives, Sh’ma Journal, MidEast Web, Wexner Foundation Newsletter, MyJewishLearning, The Algemeiner, Newsweek, and the Brown Journal of World Affairs, as well as appeared on NPR’s “Here & Now,” SmartHistory, and in the San Diego Union Tribune.

"The Herz Lower East Side Jewish AR/VR Heritage Trail is a testament to the commitment of the Conservancy to preserving and sharing the rich tapestry of Jewish life on the Lower East Side. We are thrilled to have Jason Guberman at the helm of this groundbreaking initiative. His vision and leadership will ensure that this project not only educates and inspires today, but also ensures that future generations can connect with their heritage in a meaningful and interactive way,” says Karen Gibofsky, President of the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy.

About the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy (LESJC)

The LESJC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created in 1998 dedicated to exploring and maintaining the vibrancy of Jewish history in New York City. Our mission is to celebrate, preserve, and share the Jewish heritage of NYC neighborhoods, starting with the iconic Lower East Side, the cradle of American Jewish civilization.

The conservancy has raised in excess of $2,000,000 to preserve various structures on the Lower East Side, as well as secured the historic designations of synagogues and 32 city blocks as a New York State and National Register recognized Historic District.

Our primary endeavors are to provide public, private, and educational programming—showcasing Jewish landmarks, history, and people—to enlighten and inspire residents and visitors of all ages, cultures, traditions, and faiths. The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy has been awarded by Trip Advisor the “Travelers’ Choice Award” for eight consecutive years in recognition of Conservancy tours being “in the top 10% worldwide.” The Conservancy is also consistently ranked amongst the best tours and attractions in New York City.

LESJC
Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy
+1 212-374-4100
info@nycjewishtours.org
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