Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame - 2022 Inductees Announced

[Bernard Kavaler]

The Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame (IHHF) will be adding four iconic contributors to the fabric of life in Connecticut and America, representing vast accomplishment and varied backgrounds and religious traditions.  The induction ceremony by the National Immigrant Heritage Center will take place on Thursday, July 14, 2022 at Aqua Turf in Southington.

 

The new class of IHHF inductees will include distinguished individuals who have been leaders, activists and scholars in education, human rights, science, philanthropy, and interreligious understanding. They are:

• Judith Altmann, educator, human rights activist and Holocaust survivor
• Marilda Gándara, corporate attorney, business and philanthropic leader
• Aida Mansoor, scholar, Islamic Chaplain and activist for interreligious understanding
• Radenka Maric, Interim President, University of Connecticut

 

The upcoming IHHF Induction Ceremony and Gala will mark the first time in which an entire class of IHHF inductees are women, highlighting the indispensable role of women to America’s immigrant heritage. In addition to honoring each inductee, the 2022 event honoring the new inductees will also include an artistic program featuring performances reflecting the cultural backgrounds and heritage of the inductees.  The number of individuals and families honored by the Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame since its inception in 2013 will total 35, with the four new inductees. Detailed inductee profiles – for the 2022 honorees and previous inductees - can be seen on the IHHF website at immigrantheritage.org.

 

Keynote speaker for the IHHF induction ceremony will be Angelina Gadeliya, Professor of Piano and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at the University of Connecticut. She was born in Sukhumi, Georgia where she began her musical studies at the age of five and continued them in Ukraine until moving to the US in 1990. She serves as the President of the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Connecticut. Under her guidance, the Chopin Society has been actively raising funds in recent weeks that are being sent directly to charities and shelters in Ukraine.