Meant to Be: A Memoir

by Marvin Hier

Overview

In Meant to Be, Rabbi Hier recounts the events of his dazzling life: the miraculous birth and growth of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Moriah Films, and the Museums of Tolerance; the hunt for the Nazi “Angel of Death,” Josef Mengele; encounters with renowned Jewish sages Rabbi Aharon Kotler, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and the Gerrer Rebbe; his friendship with Jordan’s King Hussein; his meetings with every American president – from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama; and his relationships with Hollywood stars such as Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Billy Crystal, Tom Cruise, Marlon Brando and Michael Douglas. With classic Jewish humor, Rabbi Hier reflects on interplay of instinct, chutzpah and serendipity that have enabled his remarkable achievements, revealing that all that happens is, in fact, meant to be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613291146
Publisher:	The Toby Press, LLC
Publication date:	02/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Rabbi Marvin Hier is Founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the world’s foremost human rights organizations, with offices in the USA, Canada, Israel, France and Argentina. He heads the Center’s Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, which has been visited by nearly six million people, and the Center’s film division, Moriah Films. Under his leadership, the Wiesenthal Center is building a $200 million Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem. Rabbi Hier meets regularly with world leaders to advance the Wiesenthal Center agenda: teaching the lessons of the Holocaust; confronting anti-Semitism, hate, and terrorism; standing with Israel and defending the safety of Jews worldwide. He is frequently sought out by the international media for his views on current events. Rabbi Hier is the recipient of two Academy Awards and two honorary doctorates, one from Yeshiva University. He was named “Knight of the National Order of Merit” by French President Francois Mitterrand and twice “The Most Influential Rabbi in America” by Newsweek. He is the only rabbi who is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Where It All Began 1

Keeping Judaism Alive in a Distant Place 21

Teaching Our Children 51

Birth of the Simon Wiesenthal Center 61

Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue 81

Goodwill Ambassadors 133

Vatican Visits 177

When Grand Street Meets Hollywood 199

Expanding the Vision 225

Moguls and Stars Are People, Too 247

The Heart and Soul of It 271

Epilogue 285

Appendices 321

Index 335