5 minute read
At the Museum
Susan Suarez President & CEO
Soon after opening at our new location, the arrival of the pandemic put a hold on plans for new programs and expanding our education programs. As of the end of this school year, I am happy to say we have finally recovered from the effects of the pandemic and experienced our busiest year ever! We have seen increases in the total number of general public visitors, private group tours, special program attendance, and most importantly, the number of students and teachers reached by our education programming. It is more important than ever that we reach and teach the next generation the importance of standing up to hate and bigotry. As adults, we must prioritize behaving as upstanders not only so young people can see what that looks like, but so they realize the difference it makes in our society.
New grant received
The museum received a generous $10,000 grant from the West Bay Foundation in support of our education programs. We are grateful and honored by the continued support from this organization, which doubled its contribution to the Museum this year.
Matching grant challenge continues
The Challenge Grant, which was recently increased to $125,000, will help ensure that The Boxcar Exhibit continues its travels across Southwest Florida. To date, more than 300,000 students and members of the public have been impacted by seeing the exhibit. It is on loan to the museum from Jack and F.E. Nortman and The Boxcar Foundation, who are sponsoring this challenge, along with friends of The Boxcar Foundation. In addition to being able to host the exhibit, the project also provides schools with associated programming and educational materials. Please contact me at Susan@hmcec.org for more information on participating in the challenge.
2024-2025 Board
The museum Board of Directors recently held its Annual Board Meeting and celebrated a successful season with a dinner at the Quail West Country Club. At the meeting, the following directors were appointed as officers for the 20242025 term: Stuart Mest, M.D. – Board Chair; Stuart Price – Immediate Past Chair; Alan Englander – Secretary; Jo Ann Golden – Treasurer; and Maureen Lerner – Development Chair. Directors Jo Ann Golden and Stanley Ruskin, having completed their initial one-year terms, will now begin their first threeyear term on the board. Five new directors will be joining the board for their initial one-year terms beginning July 1, 2024: Felicia Anchor, Nina Diamond, Paula Filler, Stephen Light and Marjie Zucker.
Our thanks to board members with terms expiring June 30, 2024: Officer and long-time Director Richard Yovanovich and Vice Chair Fred Roth, who will become Vice Chair Emeritus.
Anniversary of the end of World War II
This year marks the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II. We gratefully remember those who secured our freedom today. We are honored to share the personal stories of Southwest Florida survivors, liberators and veterans who experienced the Holocaust or served in the European Theater. Throughout the museum, you will see many unique artifacts, documents and photographs that they donated to us. It was important to them that these items had a safe place to be publicly displayed so that future generations would see tangible proof of history from those who experienced it.
In the Rissa and Richard Grossman Reflection Room, you will find the Liberation Wall with the list of the liberation dates of the major camps which occurred in Europe throughout the first half of 1945. The museum’s new North Wing provides visitors with an expanded view of the history of the Holocaust, including the Listening Stations in our new Auschwitz Gallery where you can listen to the moving Survivor and Liberator testimonies recorded for our Oral Visual History Project. You can also learn more about what survivors faced in the aftermath of the war in the Displaced Persons Camps section. Also profiled in updated exhibits and new interactive displays are the post-war rise of human rights activism and descriptions of other genocides in history.
The ongoing conflicts around us reinforce the importance of educating ourselves and our children about history and its lessons. It may seem like an uphill battle, but like any battle, it is important to carry on fighting.
Current exhibit
“Lawyers without Rights – Jewish Lawyers in Germany Under the Third Reich” is on display in the Estelle and Stuart Price Gallery through June 23. This traveling exhibit was created by a joint partnership between the American Bar Association and the German Federal Bar. It highlights the dire consequences faced by German lawyers who were targeted because of their Jewish ancestry, and why the “just” rule of law is so important to any society.
Our next exhibit, “Oradour – Photos by Martin Graf,” opens on July 8 and will be on display through Dec. 2. Oradour, in the German-occupied zone of France, was the site of an infamous massacre by German troops in which almost the entire population was killed and the village destroyed.
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 16. We wish a Happy Father’s Day to all who celebrate! We look forward to seeing you at the museum soon!
