HER2 : The Diagnosed, The Caregiver and Their Son

Photography book presentation by the authors Anna and Jordan Rathkopf

A special guest Magdalena Lombardi Plasilova, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, will discuss the intersection of art and science, focusing on patient experiences, early detection, and survivorship.

Wednesday, OCTOBER 2, 2024, at 7 pm
Bohemian National Hall
321 E 73 Str, NYC

Limited seating
RSVP on Eventbrite

Free and open to the public.
Suggested donation $10

poster

Join us for an intimate evening with Anna and Jordan Rathkopf, a married, award-winning photography duo whose deeply personal story has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, and honored by the International Photographic Council at the United Nations. Their upcoming book, HER2: The Diagnosed, The Caregiver, and Their Son is a powerful visual journey that explores how they used photography to open up conversations about the emotional and physical challenges they faced together and alone while navigating cancer as a family.

After Anna, a Czech immigrant living in New York for the past 18 years, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer at age 37, she and Jordan turned their cameras inward. Their dual perspectives, through self-portraits and images of their family, became a way to talk about their grief, fears, and resilience, providing a means to confront the illness together. These photographs not only document the individual and shared struggles but also reveal moments of unexpected joy, hope, and connection as they redefined the experience of surviving cancer while raising their young son.

The Rathkopfs’ work has received international recognition. Beyond their own story, they have dedicated their careers to amplifying the voices of others facing health challenges, advocating for health equity, and pushing for a more inclusive representation of illness in media. Jordan recently founded the Patient Caregiver Artist Coalition to further this mission.

Anna Rathkopf – Raised in Prague and shaped by the city’s historic architecture, Anna learned the art of light and composition from her uncle, Pavel Hecko, a renowned Eastern European photographer. As an immigrant, her experience in New York has taught her the importance of curiosity, empathy, and community support, all of which were reinforced by her cancer diagnosis in 2016. The act of capturing her own healing and family through photography became a profound form of communication during their hardest moments.

Jordan Rathkopf—Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jordan’s background in marketing, PR, and experimental music composition informs his storytelling approach to photography. His work emphasizes structure while remaining open to unexpected moments that capture the essence of human experience. Jordan is also the founder of the Patient Caregiver Artist Coalition, advocating for more authentic and inclusive representations of illness in visual storytelling.

Magdalena Lombardi Plasilova, MD, PhD, A native of the Czech Republic, earned her medical degree from Charles University in Prague, followed five years later by a doctorate in stem cell physiology and pathophysiology. She completed research fellowships at Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Center and at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a breast surgery fellowship at Yale New Haven Health’s Smilow Cancer Hospital in Connecticut. She is currently an Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Plasilova brings over 20 years of experience in research and treatment and is known for her compassionate approach to oncology, especially in addressing the needs of younger patients and supporting survivors in their long-term recovery.

Published by Daylight Books, HER2 is available for online purchase HERE:
A limited number of copies will be available for purchase at the event.

Organized by the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU) in New York with the support of the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA).

LEAVING TO REMAIN

A feature documentary film screening

VIDEO RECORDING: INTRODUCTION by PETRA GELBART, PhD, MS, and Q&A
Support Romani students in the Czech Republic

Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 7 pm
Bohemian National Hall
321 E 73 St, NYC

The film Leaving to Remain is available online from RUTH FILMS.

Mira Erdevicki’s documentary follows the lives of three Czech-Slovak young Roma, Petr, Denisa, and Ond?ej, who are children of the first generation of immigrants to the United Kingdom in the 1990s due to racial and social discrimination. The film also follows the three visiting their native countries with mixed emotions. The multi-layered, intimate documentary contains scenes shot by the protagonists on their mobile phones. It provides a closer look at Roma culture and society and insight into their lives in the UK, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. It also presents the challenges the protagonists faced due to Brexit and COVID-19.

Mira Erdevicki is a Serbian documentary film director and writer who graduated from the School of Journalism in Belgrade and Prague’s Film Academy (FAMU) in 1993. She directed several films with the Roma subject.

PETRA GELBART, PhD, MS, Czech-Romani, is an ethnomusicologist, musician, singer, music therapist and activist. She earned her Ph.D. in musicology/ethnomusicology at Harvard University and is the vice-chair of the Czechoslovak Romani Union. Petra uses her research and voice to educate about Romani culture and advocate for Romani rights. She has been working with children from Czech state care for part of each year since 2004.

Support Romani students in the Czech Republic

Poster

Czech Republic, Slovakia, UK, 2022 | 91 min.
Language: Czech, English with English Subtitles

The 6-Minute Challenge, Vol 16 – Student Special

Thu, MARCH 28, 2024, at 7 pm
Bohemian National Hall in Manhattan

VIDEO RECORDING

Since 2015, SVU NY’s signature program The 6-Minute Challenge invites scholars, scientists, artists, and professionals of Czech or Slovak descent and challenges them to introduce their talent, the subject of their work, project, research, or studies in a short presentation limited to six minutes.

This special edition will feature students of Czech and Slovak descent at Columbia University, New York University, and The New School for Social Research: Jáchym Harwood (CU – Biology and Environmental Science), Jennifer Helinek (CU – Eastern European Studies), Maxwell Lurken-Tvrdik (CU – Sociology), Natalie Plavec (NYU – Applied Psychology), Nicole Plavec (NYU – Applied Psychology and Anthropology), Karolina Poliakova (CU -Science Communication), Eben Rose (New School – Crisis and Environmental Economics), Karel Andres Ruiz (CU – Comparative Literature) and René Strezenicky Franko (CU – Biology and Russian)

PROGRAM NOTES with BIOS

Moderated by Christopher Harwood, PhD

A Brief Foray into the Alchemy of Stem Cell Research

HYNEKThursday, APRIL 18, 2024 at 7 pm
Bohemian National Hall in NYC

A talk by Dr. Hynek Wichterle, Columbia University Medical Center

Join us for a fascinating journey into Professor Hynek Wichterle’s stem cell research at Columbia University Medical Center. He developed groundbreaking methods for producing spinal cord neurons from pluripotent embryonic stem cells in a culture dish. The goal of his work is to unlock the mysteries of brain development and discover new treatments that promote motor neuron survival in patients affected by ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Fun fact: Hynek Wichterle is a proud grandson of Otto Wichterle, the Czech scientist who invented hydrogels and soft contact lenses.

HYNEK WICHTERLE is a professor holding a joint appointment in the Departments of Pathology & Cell Biology and Neuroscience (in Neurology) at Columbia University Medical Center. He received his M.S. degree from Charles University in Prague and his Ph.D. from Rockefeller University. He trained at Columbia University, where he was appointed assistant professor in 2004 and a Jerry and Emily Spiegel professor in 2021. He serves as a co-director of the Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease and as a Vice-Chief of the Division of Regenerative Medicine in the Department of Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine.

VIDEO RECORDING

Photo Paul Ort, Painting of Otto Wichterle Hana Shannon

ELECTED and EJECTED: Allen Ginsberg, King of Majales ‘65

MAY 1, 2024, at 7 pm

We remembered Allen Ginsberg’s coronation by students in the 1965 Majáles in Prague. Conceived and moderated by our Vit Horejs, with special guests Bob Rosenthal, Ginsberg’s long-time secretary, Bob Holman, a poet and poetry activist who read Ginsberg’s poem “King of Majáles”, and Martin Holub who shared his amusing memory of meeting Ginsberg in 1965 in Prague. The presentation included voice of Andrew Lass who interpreted for Ginsberg during his stay in Prague … and much more.

Archival photos and videos accompanied Vit’s presentation.

STAND BY FOR RECORDING

————————————————————-
VÍT HOREJŠ grew up in Prague and escaped from the toxic political climate in 1978. In 1990, he founded the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre (CAMT) with fellow émigrés, using centuries-old Czech puppets discovered at Jan Hus Church in the Heart of the Little Bohemia in Manhattan. A resident artist at La MaMa Theatre, Vit translated, wrote, and directed over two dozen plays for CAMT. His film roles included Krojak in Woody Allen’s “Don’t Drink the Water” and the lead role in Onur Tukel’s feature film “Scenes from an Empty Church.” He co-produced “Faust on a String,” an award-winning documentary. His published works include Twelve Iron Sandals (Prentice Hall, 1985), Pig and Bear (MacMillan, 1989), and the lead essay for Czechoslovak-American Puppetry (GOH, 1994). Vit received the international 2018 SVU Award for lifetime achievement in fostering the art of Czech and Slovak puppetry and the 2019 NY ACKER Award at Theater for the New City.

AG majales

SVU NY FIELD TRIP TO THE THEATER

Sunday, FEBRUARY 11 @ 3 pm
Theater for the New City
155 First Ave @ 10th Street, NYC

Join our group when we attend the matinee show of The Good Soldier Svejk and His Fortunes in the First World War, a unique production of the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theater (CAMT) based on a Czech iconic satirical 1921 antiwar novel by Jaroslav Hasek. SVU NY board member and CAMT’s artistic director, Vit Horejs, has worked his magic to bring this rich and hilarious text to life through a unique combination of marionettes and actors! After the show, we will go for drinks and/or dinner at the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant and chat with the director and cast members. (The restaurant sends a portion of the sales to support Ukraine.)

Please REGISTER FOR THE AFTER-SHOW MEET-UP at the RESTAURANT HERE by Thursday, February 8. Include your name, email, and number of people coming. SEATING is LIMITED – the maximum size of our group is 20 people.

Buy the SHOW TICKETS HERE: $18; seniors and students $15.

svejk

The AMAZING BREUER: Czech-American Pioneer of Science Fiction in the USA (1889 –1945)

A talk by Jaroslav Olša, Jr.

VIDEO RECORDING

Sunday, February 25, at 4 pm (EST)

Mr. Olsa discussed the life and work of a Czech American writer who stood at the birth of science fiction literature in the USA.

When the American editor Hugo Gernsback started in 1926 the first science fiction monthly magazine, Amazing Stories, he was soon faced with a shortage of authors. In 1927, a new contributor, Miles J. Breuer, a physician of Czech origin in Nebraska, joined the magazine with his story “The Man with the Strange Head.” Later, Breuer published two novels, thirty-six shorter stories, and several other items for science fiction magazines.
While Miles J. Breuer made a mark in US science fiction, his Czech alter ego, Miloslav J. Breuer, was only discovered in 2020. Until recently, experts thought Breuer was a literary newcomer at that time. But Mr. Olsa’s recent research discovered that Breuer was a prolific writer since 1909 and numerous Czech-American publications published his stories written originally in Czech.

Jaroslav Olša, Jr. is a Czech career diplomat with more than 30 years of experience, including posts as Ambassador to Zimbabwe (2000-2006), South Korea (2008-2014), and the Philippines (2014-2018). Since 2020, he has served as Consul General in Los Angeles. Mr. Olša is also a writer with a passion for science fiction. He published many articles and edited over a dozen Czech and international science fiction anthologies. He also authored books on culture and the relations between the Czech Lands, Asia, and Africa. His most recent books are Czech Painters of California (2023) and Miloslav (Miles) J. Breuer: Cesko-americký spisovatel u zrodu moderní science fiction (2023). https://www.facebook.com/olsajaroslav

The Amazing Breuer in Czech
The Amazing Breuer in English to download

breuer

Stepping into the Future: The Art and Science of Shoe Design

SHOE

A talk by Oldrich Voyta
Friday, January 26 at 7 pm

VIDEO RECORDING

The award-winning Czech footwear designer and technology researcher, Oldrich Voyta discussed the relationship between art, beauty, craftsmanship, modern technology, aesthetics, and comfort in designing shoes. He finds inspiration in the lines of the human body and the biomechanical principles of movement. He was invited to produce shoes for the new Czech First Lady of the Czech Republic, Eva Pavel, to be worn at the presidential inauguration in March 2023 in Prague.

Oldrich Voyta holds his MA in Footwear Design at Tomas Bata University in Zlin (TBU) and is currently pursuing a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Technology at TBU, focusing on the Technology of Macromolecular Compounds. His research centers on women’s high-heeled shoes with a 3D cushioning membrane. With a rich background that includes working as a leading designer in Beijing and receiving the 1st Red Dot Award in 2018 for his contributions to the Air Purifier by ATMPBLUE project, Oldrich’s work has been showcased at renowned events like Beijing Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Milano Design Week, and the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Photos from the event on FaceBook