This post is a bit late, but it’s still on my mind.
The Shoah Foundation, together with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, gathered to honor two people whose work embodies the power of truth and storytelling, and it was impossible not to feel the weight of history in the room.
Dana Bash, one of the finest journalists working today, was recognized with this year’s Jewish Heritage Award. Dana has spent her career asking tough questions, insisting on clarity, and reporting with integrity in moments when the country desperately needs it. Watching her receive this honor was a reminder that journalism at its best is a public service rooted in courage and conscience.
The evening was also deeply personal for me because my longtime friend and colleague David Zaslav was honored as Humanitarian of the Year. David and I have shared many chapters in our professional lives, and seeing him recognized in this context — by Steven Spielberg himself — was profoundly moving. Steven created the Shoah Foundation with a singular purpose: to preserve the voices and stories of Holocaust survivors before time silenced them. That mission has never felt more urgent.
David spoke beautifully about the responsibility to tell the truth and to tell our stories. Not selectively. Not conveniently. But honestly. Those stories of survival, loss, resilience, and humanity matter deeply, especially in a world where memory can fade and facts can be distorted. The Shoah Foundation’s work in recording and preserving these testimonies stands as one of the most important acts of historical stewardship of our time.
What struck me most about the evening was the throughline connecting everyone being honored: a belief that truth still matters, that stories shape who we are, and that remembering is not passive—it’s an active responsibility. Leaving the event, I felt grateful to be surrounded by people who have dedicated their lives to making sure those stories are heard, protected, and passed on.
Some nights remind you why this work matters. This was one of them.
— Andy Lack