5 minute read
At the Museum
Erin Blankenship, President & CEO
May 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust and World War II in Europe. As allied troops advanced deeper into Nazi-held territory, they came across nightmarish scenes in concentration and slave labor camps across Europe. Upon hearing about the conditions of the newly liberated Ohrdruf camp, Allied Supreme Commander General Dwight Eisenhower, along with General George Patton and General Omar Bradley, visited the camp and were incensed by what they saw. Eisenhower immediately ordered the visual documentation of this evidence of the Nazi brutality. He sensed the photographs and film footage captured at Ohrdruf and other camps would be crucial to refute future claims of Holocaust deniers.
As we continue to lose survivors, the documentation collected by General Eisenhower’s troops and members of the wartime media becomes even more important to preserve and utilize in Holocaust education programs.
Sadly, the Holocaust wasn’t the last genocide the world has seen. Each April during Genocide Awareness Month, we remember the victims of other mass killing events. In the Museum’s Shelley and Steven Einhorn Gallery, the exhibition “Risk Factors for Genocide” examines how various societal, economic, governmental and historical indicators are involved in a country’s descent into genocide. I encourage you to visit and use our interactive display, which shows visitors information on where genocides have occurred since the end of World War II.
Matching gift challenge a success
I am pleased to announce that the Triumph Event Matching Challenge grant helped us raise a record $300,000 in support of the Museum’s mission. These funds enable us to reach thousands of students and educators with lessons of the Holocaust. Many thanks to all who contributed as well as to The Harvey D. and Janet G. Cohen Charitable Foundation and The Ray Foundation for their generosity as challenge sponsors.
A busy year continues
This school year, we worked with students and teachers in seven Southwest Florida counties! We continue to be busy with school field trips and on campus programs. Our Popup Museum displays have been on exhibit at a variety of Southwest Florida school locations, as has the traveling Boxcar exhibit. Our age-appropriate programs are available to public, private, charter, home school and alternative school groups. These resources are available for free! Please contact Education Specialist Katie Butte at Katie@ hmcec.org for more information and schedule availabilities.
Private group tours and meetings
Are you looking for an interesting activity for friends, neighbors or visiting relatives? Consider a private group tour of the Museum. These tours are offered year-round and held when the Museum is closed to the public. A variety of program options are available. With our recent expansion, we also have the capacity to host community and fraternal organizations for meetings and social gatherings. Contact Community Manager Julie Cohen for more information and schedule availabilities at Julie@hmcec.org.
Current exhibit
“Convincing the Masses: Propaganda at Home and Abroad” is on display in the Estelle and Stuart Price Gallery through mid-August 2025. The exhibition features artifacts from the Museum’s permanent collection as well as materials loaned specifically for the exhibition. It illustrates the many ways propaganda was used during World War II, by both the Nazis and the Allies.
Recent news
I had the opportunity to introduce myself to volunteers and GenShoah SWFL members at the recent “Meet and Greet” breakfast. It was delightful to chat with everyone and learn more about their involvement with the Museum. Each person there, as well as any who were unable to attend, has helped the Museum thrive and continue its important mission.
Curator Cody Rademacher presented at Florida SouthWestern State College’s annual Dr. Talbot Spivak Holocaust Memorial Week event. In “Liberation on a Local Level,” Rademacher spoke about the Museum’s connections with Southwest Florida WWII veterans and liberators. These men and women greatly aided the Museum’s ability to provide the public with a unique perspective on Holocaust history. They added their testimonies to our Oral Visual History project, and generously donated photographs, documents and artifacts to our permanent collection. Professor Sara Gottwalles, organizer of the FSW event, was a former Museum intern.
Another program event was the Second-Generation Round Table, presented by GenShoah SWFL members Sol Awend, Dr. Stuart Mest and Richard Stein. GenShoah member Sam Varsano presented “The Holocaust in Salonica.” Survivor Steen Metz also spoke via Zoom and participated in a Q&A session. The Boxcar exhibit was also on display at FSW during the week-long event.
Complimentary admission on VE Day
We are again offering complimentary admission on VE Day. Reservations are required as space is limited. Please visit our website hmcec.org to reserve your spot.
We look forward to seeing you at the Museum soon!
