IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: 3 WEEKS UNTIL OUR NEXT ISSUE Please note that the next edition of the St. Louis Jewish Light will be published July 13 — three weeks after this edition (instead of the usual two weeks between papers). After the July 13 edition, the Light will resume its every-other-week publication schedule. In the meantime, the Light will continue to publish stories online at stljewishlight.org and send our email newsletters (sign up at stljewishlight.org/newsletters).
A N O N P R O FIT, IN D EP EN D EN T N E W S S O U R CE TO I N F O R M , I N S P I R E , E D U C AT E A N D CO N N E C T T H E S T. LO U I S J E W I S H CO M M U N IT Y.
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VO L . 75 N O. 13 Artist’s rederings show interior and exterior spaces of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, which plans to open in November.
FALL OPENING PLANNED
Vastly expanded St. Louis Holocaust Museum plans to reopen in November BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
& BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
“
This special place will give all of us the education and tools needed to join with others working to counter hate, fight bigotry and shape a better world.” —Carol Staenberg
The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum will reopen Nov. 2. The new 36,000-square-foot structure will be four times larger than the previous facility, which was located on the lower level of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis building. It has been closed for two years during construction. When the museum reopens, it will have additional resources to continue its mission: to use the lessons of the Holocaust to reject hatred, promote understanding and inspire change. Helen Turner, the museum’s director of education, said the lessons of the Holocaust are more important than ever in the world today. “We’re seeing a rise in antisemitism, not only in this country, but around the world,” she said. “How do we respond? Holocaust museums are really here to help people learn the history and come up with ways to respond and create a brave space to practice that response so that they’re ready when they encounter antisemitism or any other form of injustice in the world.” The expanded museum, which will have its own dedicated entrance, will include a
new, permanent Holocaust exhibition, classrooms, a performance auditorium, archives and a special exhibit space. It will also include a new Impact Lab, which will challenge students — and all visitors — to reject hatred, promote understanding and inspire change.
NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSING SOON SUBMIT YOUR UNSUNG HERO TODAY!
SEE PAGE 17 FOR SUBMISSION DETAILS
In the interactive Impact Lab, visitors will have an opportunity to learn more about current issues such as genocide or hate crimes viewed through the lens of the Holocaust. See HOLOCAUST MUSEUM on page 6
