3GNY Intergenerational Brunch
Presenting Sponsor: Cozen O’Connor

Sunday, October 19, 2025
11:00am-1:00pm
Gramercy Park Neighborhood, NYC (exact address to be provided after registration)
*All food is certified Kosher

Join us for a day of food, friends, and meaningful conversation at our Annual Intergenerational Brunch!

This year we are honored to be joined by Holocaust survivor Elizabeth Bellak and her daughter, Alexandra Bellak. Elizabeth, once known as “the Shirley Temple of Poland,” will share her story of survival and her journey from child actress in Poland to life in New York. Together with Alexandra, who urged her mother to bring her sister Renia’s diary to light after decades of being locked away in a vault, they will also reflect on the process of discovering and publishing Renia’s Diary. Released in 2019, the book quickly became an international bestseller and has been described as both a primary historical source of the Holocaust and a powerful work of literature.

Join us as we connect with one another, honor Holocaust memory, and build community together.

About Our Featured Speakers

Elizabeth Bellak (nee Ariana Spiegel) was a celebrated child actress before World War II, known as “the Shirley Temple of Poland.” When the war broke out, Elizabeth and her sister Renia faced unimaginable loss and separation. Renia was murdered in 1942, but Elizabeth survived under a new identity in a convent school before emigrating to New York. Years later, she was reunited with Renia’s wartime diary, in which Renia had documented their family’s experiences and shared intimate personal reflections. Published in 2019 as Renia’s Diary, it quickly became an international bestseller and a vital Holocaust testimony. Today, Elizabeth shares her story as one of the few remaining eyewitnesses.

Alexandra Bellak, Elizabeth’s daughter, is a native New Yorker who has worked in real estate for more than two decades. Fluent in French and Italian, Alexandra has lived in Paris and Milan and bridges both American and European worlds. It was through her urging that Elizabeth brought Renia’s Diary to light. Alexandra now carries forward her aunt Renia’s memory, speaking about her poetry, her life cut short at 18, and the enduring power of her words.

Our Sponsors

We are deeply grateful to our Presenting Sponsor, Cozen O’Connor, for their generous leadership support of 3GNY’s 2025 Intergenerational Brunch.

We also thank Stephanie & Zachary Kuperman and Ed Fleischman, whose sponsorship helps us honor the memory of their beloved grandparents, Edith & Sam Fleischman (parents of Ed (Sara) Fleischman) and Basia & Ben Kuperman (parents of Joe (Randie) Kuperman). Their support ensures that the legacy of resilience and remembrance continues to inspire future generations.

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