Nov. 2, 2022 - Holocaust Museum Reopening Special Section

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

PHOTO: U.S. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

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‘Breaking the cycle of hate’

Expanded Holocaust museum renews mission at a ‘critical juncture’ in history

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum officially re-opens to the public at 1 p.m. Nov. 2 with many more resources to continue its mission to reject hatred, promote understanding and inspire change. Following a 2½-year, $25 million renovation and expansion, the museum features a wide range of exhibits and education tools to achieve those goals.

In recent months, museum staff and volunteers have been preparing for this day as construction crews put the finishing touches on the structure. The building design and entrance strike a balance that is both solemn and welcoming.

With 36,000 square feet of space, the museum is already booking school outings and group tours. Those opportunities to educate students and adults are key to making sure the lessons of the Holocaust don’t fade from memory.

The museum’s reopening comes at an important time, said Frances Levine, interim executive director.

“I think we’ve opened this museum at a really critical juncture when the rhetoric and conspiracy theories have brought so many issues home to us,” said Levine, who holds a doctorate in anthropology and is former CEO of the Missouri Historical Society.

“I think that we couldn’t have opened at a better time in our history.”

An asset for the community

The new Holocaust museum will take on the crucial task of education and fighting hatred, said Carol Staenberg, who spearheaded the museum’s capital campaign.

“The previous museum was pretty outdated,” Staenberg said. “And with the rise of antisemitism all over the world, we built a place that is so beautiful and impactful on the outside, but also inside. We raised a lot of money for the capital to build it, and then we started to talk about what was going to happen inside and what people would take away from visiting the museum. That was

my motivation and why I really thought it was important to be a part of this project.”

Staenberg says that for our region — and our community — the chance to have a safe environment like the museum to learn about the Holocaust, and infuse those lessons into our daily lives, will be both crucial and impactful.

“It’s going to be big enough for when students come, they don’t have to just get right back on the bus and go back home,” Staenberg continued. “They can actually sit and debrief with their teacher, maybe with a survivor, and be able to have conversations.”

Importance of Holocaust awareness

Education efforts about the Holocaust are particularly important based on studies that track awareness. A September 2020 survey conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany revealed a significant lack of knowledge of the Holocaust among U.S. millennials. The survey showed that 63% of respondents did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, and that 36% thought “2 million or fewer Jews” were killed.

More than 40,000 camps and ghettos existed in Europe during the Holocaust. But 48% of survey respondents couldn’t name a single one. The survey broke down results

See REOPENING on page 8A

MORE INSIDE

Designing the museum’s visitor experience—page 4A

Frequently Asked Questions: Visiting the Museum 101—page 6A Museum provides tools, space to preserve Holocaust artifacts—page 7A

Oral history project preserves stories of St. Louis survivors—page 10A

St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum by the numbers — page 9A

Remarks from Gloria Kaplan Feldman (page 14A) and Cheryle Feldman Atkin (page 11A)

Interim director Frances Levine shares her family’s story—page 12A

PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN

Guests tour the new St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum during a pre-opening event for Holocaust survivors and their families.

PHOTO: MIKE SHERWIN

Carol Staenberg

What does the reopening of the museum mean to you?

RACHEL MILLER

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR

It means

Design maximized expanded space for an impactful visitor experience

BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

Walking through the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum is a solemn experience. After viewing the artifacts and exhibits, visitors will have a better understanding of the events leading up to the Holocaust, and how hate and mistrust can quickly spiral out of control.

The expanded museum offers much to view, and one trip may only scratch the surface for those who enter. There are some ways to maximize your time and get the most out of the visitor experience. According to Haley Stodart, manager, volunteers and visitor services, a good place to start is the main exhibit, accessible from the main lobby.

MUSEUM VOLUNTEER:

“It allows for a self-guided experience, so you can spend as much or as little time as you like in there and take as deep of a dive as you are able,” Stodard said.

READ MORE

“If you have more time, we have the downstairs area, which includes our archives (available on Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment), and a space for special exhibitions when they’re available. We will also have our Impact Lab as an additional experience.”

On page 15A, read a Design Statement from Jordan Tull of Gallagher & Associates, the museum planning and design firm that worked with the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

The Impact Lab, located on the upper level of the museum, will use the Holocaust as a reference point to consider contemporary issues, like what it means to be a bystander when a person is targeted by hate because of ethnicity or gender and the importance of becoming an active ally. Specially trained museum volunteers staff the Impact Lab. Reservations are required for its use and advance registration is recommended (stlholocaustmuseum.org).

The main exhibit provides a history of the events leading up to the Holocaust, including the aftermath of World War I (“A Gathering Storm”), the history of antisemitism, the power of propaganda, life in the ghetto, and the systematic state-sanctioned murder of six million European Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators. The timeline continues

MYRNA MEYER

LONGTIME ST. LOUIS KAPLAN

FELDMAN HOLOCAUST

I’ve been part of the museum since day one and seeing this come to fruition is one of the most exciting and meaningful things that’s happened to me. I can’t wait to share this entire experience with the community.”

that the Holocaust will be remembered for many, many, many, many years.”

PHOTOS:

BILL MOTCHAN

ALL EXHIBIT PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN

Thank you

Gloria Kaplan Feldman for your Vision, Time, Talent & Generosity.

Gloria Kaplan Feldman is a Holocaust survivor who has been integral in the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum and the Gloria and Rubin Feldman Family Education Institute. Gloria is a visionary who has given a tremendous amount of her time and talents to assure that survivors are remembered, and their stories are told. The new St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum wouldn’t have been possible without Gloria’s generosity and her vision to make the world a better place.

Your community thanks you!

How does the museum reopening impact the St. Louis community?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Visiting the Holocaust Museum 101

What are museum hours?

The museum will be open 10 a.m. –4:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.

How much does it cost to enter the museum?

Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+), $10 for students with a valid student ID, $10 for veterans, $6 for young adults (10-17). Survivors, members, and children under 10 are free. For the Impact Lab, admission is $3 for adults (18+), $2 for young adults (10-17), and $2 for members. Impact Lab admission is included in All Access memberships and above. Children under 10 are free.

Can I take pictures of the exhibits?

The museum allows photos without flash. Selfies and selfie sticks are prohibited.

We are very excited. We’ve missed the museum being open from our visitors and our local audience. The museum is a very important component for school groups, and also people who enjoy world history, and it’s an important story, particularly now—to make sure people are aware of what happened to the Jewish community.”

How long should I plan for my visit to the museum?

The museum exhibition is self-guided unless you book a guided tour. If you choose to do a guided tour, expect your visit to last anywhere between one hour to an hour and a half.

Can I bring my children to the museum?

The exhibition was designed for ages 10 and up; parent/ guardian discretion is advised.

Where should I park?

Free, on-site parking is available in front of the museum, off Lindbergh Boulevard at Schuetz Road (36 Millstone Campus Drive). The lot has electric car charging stations available on a first come-first-serve basis.

What is the mask policy for the museum?

At this time, masks are encouraged, but not required.

Will I be required to show proof of vaccination when I visit?

Not at this time.

What are your security protocols?

All visitors will pass through a security screening overseen by professional security personnel prior to entering the lobby. This includes a bag check. All purses, bags, and jackets must pass through security. Large bags are prohibited within the Museum.

Is there a museum gift shop?

Yes and it’s open during the museum’s opening hours and during public events/ programs.

Can I just visit the gift shop, without paying the museum admission fee?

Yes. You may browse the gift shop, located to the left of the front desk, no

ticket required. To enter the main exhibition or Impact Lab, you will need a ticket.

When is the Archive & Research Center open, and do I need an appointment?

The Archives & Research Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment. Schedule an appointment by emailing Diane Everman at DEverman@STLHolocaustMuseum.org.

Is there a coat check?

No. The museum encourages all guests to leave coats, jackets, backpacks, purses and bags in their vehicle. Though purses, bags, and jackets will be allowed within the building after being passed through security, large bags are prohibited within the Museum.

Are water bottles and snacks allowed within the museum?

Food and drinks are allowed after they have passed through security. However, large bags are not permitted in the building, and food (including chewing gum) and drinks are not permitted in the Main Exhibition, Impact-Lab, Special Exhibition and Archives & Research Center.

Is there a place to eat at the museum?

There are vending machines located on the lower level. However, there is no dining space or café.

H e a r t f e l t a p p r e c i a t i o n t o

t h e e n t i r e s t a f f t e a m s a t t h e

J e w i s h F e d e r a t i o n o f S t . L o u i s ,

t h e K a p l a n F e l d m a n H o l o c a u s t

M u s e u m a n d a l l o u r v e n d o r s

a n d p a r t n e r s f o r y o u r a b o v e

a n d b e y o n d h a r d w o r k a n d

d e d i c a t i o n

Y o u h a v e c r e a t e d s o m e t h i n g t h a t

w i l l b e n e f i t o u r c o m m u n i t y f o r

d e c a d e s a n d h o n o r s t h e m e m o r y o f t h e v i c t i m s a n d s u r v i v o r s .

We could not have done it without you Thank You!

Julie & Greg Yawitz

KAREN MEIRINK, DIRECTOR OF VISITOR AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES, EXPLORE ST. LOUIS

The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum displays many timeless, sobering artifacts. Those visual reminders of the Holocaust provide visitors with a sense of history and offer a glimpse into Europe during the early 1940s. The museum has been collecting and displaying artifacts since its 1995 opening. Among the items are a Jewish ghetto police stamp, displaced persons camp tags, a U.S. Signal Corps camera and a child’s shoe.

Protecting priceless artifacts is a challenging job that falls to archivist Diane Everman and associate curator Jillian Howell. The recently expanded museum offers them tools and space to ensure the safety of those items.

“We have an 80% increase in space for both the Jewish community archives and the Holocaust museum archives,” Everman said.

Those items are housed in the lower level of the museum in the archive area, Howell said as she turned the lever on a compact mobile shelving unit.

“These shelves are really cool because they’ve expanded our storage space,” she said.

The logistics of preserving artifacts also require special handling, Everman said.

“Everything has to be in acid-free housing when it’s processed, and everything is in an acid-free box and enclosures,” Everman said. “Environmentally, we set everything at 40 to 45% relative humidity and 65 to 68 degrees in temperature.”

That environment is a happy medium for paper, photographs and audio-visual materials, she said.

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2022-11-02 page 06-07.indd 7 11/1/22 6:12 PM

Disinformation and hate speech. . . if you don’t put the brakes on that and call it out, it’s entirely possible that this could happen again.”

“

Which lessons of the Holocaust are particularly pertinent in 2022?

Diane Everman (left) and Jillian Howell stand in the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman’s archives. Everman said the new building offers the archives an 80% increase in space for both the Jewish community archives and the Holocaust museum archives.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

What does the reopening of the museum mean to you?

REOPENING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3A

by state. In Missouri, among millennials:

• 64% did not know 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.

• 37% did not know what Auschwitz was.

• 50% couldn’t name a concentration camp or ghetto.

One positive statistic emerged from the Claims Conference study. Most respondents, including 85% in Missouri, said it’s important to continue teaching about the Holocaust, in part so it doesn’t happen again.

Marci Rosenberg, former chair of the museum who has worked with Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation, said the lessons of the Holocaust must continue to be provided to future generations to fight hatred in any form.

It means a lot to me because people— especially children—who have no idea can learn what went on, so I think it’s a wonderful thing. I and other Holocaust survivors are not going to be here much longer, so the museum will teach young people of the horrors that took place.”

“There is still so much antisemitism, racism, bigotry, propaganda, lie and hatred in this world of what one human being can do to another,” she said. “It hasn’t stopped. We’ve been teaching these lessons for over 80 years. People have been telling their stories of what was done to them because they were Jewish. That’s why this museum is here.”

Key features

The first significant design element at the museum is a sculpture of a red flame in front of the entrance. The sculpture was donated by developer and philanthropist Michael Staenberg. The image of a flame is significant because the definition of the word Holocaust is “destruction by fire.”

Visitors to the museum will enter through a light-filled main lobby. Ceiling panels and the front façade are uneven and distorted, inspired by Kristallnacht. That design merges on a flat, nonbroken, dark gray wall on the north side of the lobby. That design element symbolizes a feeling of hope.

The expanded facility is three times bigger than the previous museum’s 8,000 square feet and will make St. Louis a major destination for Holocaust learning. The additional space allows curators to more effectively preserve and share survivor sto-

ries and challenge visitors to role-play as collaborators, bystanders, upstanders and liberators.

In the main permanent exhibit area, visitors enter through a room that looks like it’s been covered in damask wallpaper. It is decorated with prewar family photos that show the vibrancy and diversity of Jewish life. Within the exhibit area are galleries that focus on the history of antisemitism before the Holocaust, the history of the Holocaust, choices people made during the genocide, and survivors.

Some of the other noteworthy features are an expanded learning center, a larger auditorium, classrooms, and flexible space that allow visitors to gather for self-reflection and discussion.

Impact Lab interactivity

A section of the museum will challenge students and visitors to reject hatred, promote understanding and inspire change. Known as the Impact Lab, this interactive space offers an opportunity to learn more about current issues such as genocide and hate crimes viewed through the lens of the Holocaust.

Within the Impact Lab, each station will be staffed by a volunteer. The volunteers are preparing for opening and getting an education of their own, said Brayden Swathwood, coordinator of programs and events.

“The training is quite extensive,” Swathwood said. “I was involved in theater for many years, and even I would say there’s a lot for volunteers to remember. But what’s interesting is each group is going to have its own set of knowledge about events. Each of the volunteers will have an opportunity to work with that group.”

A top-tier Holocaust museum

There are other Holocaust memorials and small museums around the country, some in university settings.

Susan Myers, president of the Association of Holocaust Organizations (AHO), said: “Our records indicate that there are 16 museums, including the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Museum, with two more getting ready to break ground in Orlando and Boston. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, our national museum, is the largest. We put all the other museums in the second category, which are state, public and privately supported museums.”

Myers said the AHO doesn’t rank those 15 other museums in order of size or dollar amounts spent on construction and renovations because “they are all important to our mission.”

The St. Louis museum was already tracked by AHO and, with the expansion, will be a destination for travelers, including students of history and those who study World War II.

Law enforcement and society

The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum is among a small group of Holocaust museums that participates in the Law Enforcement & Society program,

It means that a larger outreach can be performed, not just the St. Louis community but the entire region, because now this is world-class, and the way it’s laid out, as far as educational value is incredible, and the ability to bring in larger groups really expands the reach of the museum.”

“I didn’t even know the museum had that,” Holocaust survivor Walter “Wally” Mayer said to his wife, Rosalie Rotenberg, about a family document from 1937 on display. The couple toured the new museum on Oct. 30.

RABBI MARK SHOOK RABBI EMERITUS, CONGREGATION TEMPLE ISRAEL

OSKAR JAKOB HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR

PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN

Marci Rosenberg

PHOTO: MIKE SHERWIN

which teaches law enforcement officials how police responded during the Holocaust and how to apply those lessons in their work today. It is one of the first institutions to pilot the program, which has trained thousands of law enforcement personnel. The program is held in conjunction with the AntiDefamation League.

Separation from Jewish Federation

An Aug. 1 announcement that the museum would separate from Jewish Federation of St. Louis signaled the beginning of a new era for the museum, a 25-year-old institution. It was driven by Federation’s strategic plan. Jewish Federation President & CEO Brian Herstig, said running a museum of this size and scope is best handled by museum professionals.

“It will be its own institution with its own board and its own budget,” he said. “The Holocaust museum will be a partner to make sure a very specific part of the mission of our community is met. We will fund them and support them and have a formal relationship with them.”

The decision to separate was the result of two task force studies over six months, Jewish Federation Board Chair Greg Yawitz said.

“Task Force 1 looked at the macro concept of independence,” Yawitz said. “Task Force 2 did the hard work of figuring out what that actually meant and how it would potentially work, and recommendations around structures and governance. It was a painstakingly thought out decision because of its significance.”

Over the next several months, the Federation board will draft bylaws and policies for the museum. It will also apply for 501c3 (nonprofit) status and select an initial board of directors. After the official separation, some services and security will continue to be shared between the two institutions.

Looking to the future

The reopening of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum marks a significant milestone in Holocaust remembrance. The facility will be a major destina-

What do you hope visitors will take away from their visit to the museum?

Holocaust Museum by the numbers

“I hope that visitors who come to the museum will take away an understanding of what can happen when hate goes unchecked, learn from the atrocities of the Holocaust, realize that we as a people can be better and learn from it and help reduce hate around the world.”

What part of the museum resonates most with you?

tion for history and learning.

What does the future hold for the museum? Levine, the interim director, said it has the potential to be a partner in education throughout the region and the country.

“I really see us breaking the cycle of hate and violence,” Levine said. “You have to keep at it every day. I feel strongly that this museum sits at the confluence of trauma-informed education, which so many young

people and older people now need. They need that sensitization.”

The museum will also be a beacon of hope and a positive influence, Yawitz said.

“It’s my hope that the museum will open people’s eyes and make them more thoughtful about what’s possible and set people on a more positive trajectory in how they treat others, how they see the world through the lens of others,” he said.

RABBI JANINE SCHLOSS:

TEMPLE EMANUEL

I love the focus on not just the history of the Holocaust but the choice to highlight the experience of survivors from the greater St. Louis area and the families who lost loved ones in the Holocaust. That makes it such a personal and evermore-moving experience.”

GREG YAWITZ BOARD CHAIR, JEWISH FEDERATION OF ST. LOUIS

Holocaust survivor Marie Cuttler tour the new St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum during a pre-opening event for survivors and their families.

PHOTO: MIKE SHERWIN

How do you think the new museum honors the vision of the former museum?

MICHAEL STAENBERG PHILANTHROPIST AND COMMUNITY LEADER

What I hope people realize is that this (new museum) is an extension of what three trailblazers (Bill Kahn, Tom Green and Leo Wolf, all of blessed memory) put together when the first St. Louis Holocaust museum opened in 1995. We were able to utilize their platform and create something better and more relevant for today’s audience. I want people to realize they had the vision, and we have to honor the past.”

Oral history project preserves survivors stories in online archive

BY JORDAN PALMER CHIEF DIGITAL CONTENT OFFICER

Since 1979, Vida “Sister” Goldman Prince has been Chairman of the Oral Histories Project, at the St. Louis Holocaust Center (which became the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center In Memory of Gloria M. Goldstein in 1995 and is now the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum).

“I bless the day in 1979 when I read a small article in the St. Louis Jewish Light about the Holocaust Center that had been established in 1977,” said Goldman Prince.

“I quickly became interested and phoned Alex Grobman, the center’s director. We met, and Alex tutored me over the next couple of months and supplied me with different periodicals to learn more about the Holocaust.”

What she read affected her deeply. She became in awe of people who endured so much emotional and physical pain.

“I knew I had found something I wanted to do for as long as I was able. Little did I know then that the survivors’ lives would become so much a part of my life,” said Goldman Prince.

Goldman Prince shared her feelings and visions with members of what was then called the Holocaust Commission, and the Oral History Project was created. The project is dedicated to recording and preserving audio interviews of not only Holocaust survivors, but also liberators of Nazi concentration camps and other non-Jewish witnesses living in Europe during World War II. The archive of oral histories is available on the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum’s website, stlholocaustmuseum.org.

In partnership with the Jewish Light, the Holocaust museum is allowing the Light to republish a portion of this oral histories project as a celebration of life and a crucial part of honoring and remembering the past. Over the past year, the Light has shared these stories with the community through its website and email newsletters. Visit stljewishlight.org/survivor-stories to view stories such as these:

• How soup helped St. Louisan Oskar Jakob survive the Holocaust

• Helena Schonfeld met Mengele, fooled the Nazis and survived

• How Morris Gutterman survived five camps and was forced labor on the Autobahn

• Erika Schick Goldburg survived the Nazis and then Communism

• Leslie Ilies survived a Nazi death march as Russians drew near.

ABOVE: Some of the photos of St. Louisans whose stories are preserved in the Holocaust museum’s Oral Histories Project, available on the museum’s website: stlholocaustmuseum.org.

COMMENTARY: CHERYLE FELDMAN ATKIN

An obligation to ‘Never Forget’ and build Holocaust awareness

BY CHERYLE FELDMAN ATKIN

(Editor’s Note: Cheryle Feldman Atkin, the daughter of Gloria Kaplan Feldman and Rubin Feldman, for which the new Holocaust museum is named, delivered these comments at a ribbon cutting for the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum on Nov. 2, 2022.)

On behalf of my mother, Gloria Kaplan Feldman, my late father, Rubin Feldman, my children Sara and Brian, my brother, Steven, my Uncle David Kaplan, and my nephews, I thank you for joining me here on this momentous day, the ribbon cutting of the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

While I firmly believe that my mother, Gloria Kaplan Feldman, should be standing here addressing all of you, I stand here out of obligation. I am obligated to tell the story of my family and their unexplainable survival of the Holocaust as well as the accounts of others who either survived or have family members who survived the horrific atrocities.

I also stand here because I am able. I am able to speak while others are not able to stand and speak their truths and their histories because they are either no longer with us or because they do not have the capability to speak about their unending suffering.

This museum stands as a vessel to fulfill our obligation to teach about the Holocaust to make certain that no other individuals are subjected to the same injustice and attempted destruction. Together and through the visitor experience at this Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, we can make the world a place where antisemitism, bigotry and hatred are eliminated.

This museum stands as a vessel to fulfill our obligation to teach about the Holocaust to make certain that no other individuals are subjected to the same injustice and attempted destruction. Together and through the visitor experience at this Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, we can make the world a place where antisemitism, bigotry and hatred are eliminated.

We are obliged and able to focus on the tagline of the museum, which is the most important to my family. In honor of the survivors — because they have been able to recount the unfathomable horrors and triumphs of their experiences before, during and after the Holocaust. In memory of the victims — because they cannot speak for themselves so we must speak for them and retell their experiences.

Only my parents, my grandparents, my uncle and a small portion of my extended family survived the Holocaust through determination, creativity and a lot of luck. My mother has been steadfast in her actions to contribute to the community, here and abroad, to help repair the world,

“tikkun olam.” With every future generation of the Jewish population, she is “dancing on Hitler’s grave.”

Yes, we are honored to have our family name on this transformational museum, however, we believe that the museum stands not because of us, but because of so many people:

• The survivors and their families

• Our founding families who had a vision for a museum more than 30 years ago

• The leaders in the Jewish Federation and the Holocaust Museum team, past and current; who dared to dream of a more expansive building

• The donors who answered the call

• The architects who designed the dream

• The crafts people who physically built the structure

• And everyone here who recognizes the importance of this museum

As the prominent ner tamid (eternal light) in the logo reminds us, the impact of the museum’s teachings will never be extinguished. The history of the Holocaust will never be extinguished. The Jewish people will never be extinguished.

I say to all of you, you are now obliged to keep Holocaust education ever-present and to strive to eliminate hatred in our world. My family is elated to be part of this impactful Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

AT RIGHT: Cheryle Feldman Atkin (left) with her mother, Gloria Feldman, and her daughter, Sara Atkin.

We were the Zelaznys from Kalushyn

BY FRANCES LEVINE

I grew up in Bridgeport and Fairfield, Conn. surrounded by father’s family — the Levines. My grandmother Anna and my grandfather Isaac Levine lived across the street from my elementary school, and right next to the candy store. I saw them nearly every day, and we spent most weekends with some combination of aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, and relatives of my grandmother’s three sisters.

We were then, and still are, remarkably close. Though now, several cousins and I are the only ones left who know some of the history and the fun of growing up in that noisy band of “mishpocheh.”

My grandmother and her sisters were the matriarchs of the family, the Zelazny sisters. They had all emigrated from Kalushyn, Poland between about 1900 and 1910. I knew that they had a brother Avram Tsal, who once came to the United States, but returned to Poland to remain in the family business of scrap iron. I think today we would call that a recycling business. That’s all I knew about him, a name and the position as one who remained in Kalushyn.

What I did not know until I was grown, and raising my own family, was that Avram Tsal, his wife Shaindel, and their daughters Richel and Gittel died in Treblinka in 1942. Their son Zelig had enlisted in the Polish Army in 1939, and then joined the Russian Army. Zelig’s first wife was killed in the Holocaust, but I know nothing else. After the war Zelig’s second wife and their family emigrated to Israel in 1948. Why didn’t my Grandmother

Anna tell me these stories? She certainly told me many other stories and made me, no doubt, the woman I have become.

Every year our family gathered twice a year with all the cousins, in-laws and outlaws. Summertime was a picnic in a park and winter was in a hotel in Connecticut or New York City. While the kids ran wild and played in the woods or the river, our aunts and mothers talked for hours while our uncles and fathers pitched horseshoes and grilled the hotdogs and hamburgers from Great Uncle Herman’s slaughterhouse. Then it was time for the “family circle” business meeting. They even took minutes for several years and they started a collection to help Zelig buy a truck and start his business in Israel.

As the historian and museum person in the family, I was given many of the documents and photographs of our family.

The one I treasure the most is Grandma Anna’s Naturalization application signed by her in May 1941. My grandmother became a citizen after 35 years of living in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut with my grandfather and their seven surviving children operating

bakeries to support the family and their communities. She became a citizen during World War II while one of her sons was serving in the United States Air Force, another son served in the U.S. Navy, and a son-in-law was fighting with the U.S. Army in Europe.

We — myself and my 12 cousins — heard so much about what my grandmother and our mothers did to support the war efforts, but she didn’t often talk about why she left Poland in 1907, why Avram Tsal returned there, or what she knew about her family in Poland during the war. And she never, ever told us about the death of Avram Tsal and his family. Anything I have learned about the pogroms in Kalushyn, the Nazi occupation in 1939, and the round up and deportment of Jews from there to Treblinka in September 1942, I learned from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, or from reading and research of my own.

Several times I asked my grandmother to take me back to Poland so that I could see Kalushyn, the town where she was raised. She always said to me, “I did not leave anything there.” But now, as an adult

and a historian, I understand that she left everything there, her mother and father, her brother, and her community, her childhood memories, and the earliest memories of her happy marriage to my grandfather. She started all over here in the United States, and those were the memories she was building. She protected me and nurtured me. And just maybe she herself could not yet confront those truths of what she left behind.

This year, maybe better than ever, I understand what her choices were, even if she did not say them in words. The photos of war that we now see daily from Ukraine have made us all keenly aware of the power and the dread of displacement. This year, too, I understand more about the resilience that brought so many Holocaust refugees to embrace a new life in the United States. And this year, I join with the staff of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum so that all our children and their children, your grandchildren and great grandchildren will learn your stories and learn from the history of this museum.

Caption: Zelazny Sisters at family reunion circa 1953 and their children with their spouses, Bridgeport, Conn.  Their brother Avram Tsal died at Treblinka in 1942.

Frances Levine is the Interim Director of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

PHOTO: DANIEL QUAT

13TH ANNUAL

We are excited to announce our 2022 Unsung Heroes celebration will once again be an in-person event.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7

ST. LOUIS KAPLAN FELDMAN HOLOCAUST MUSEUM

Doors Open at 6:30pm Program begins at 7:00pm Followed by a celebratory reception

INTRODUCING OUR 2022 HEROES

$54 PER TICKET

FOR TICKETS, TRIBUTES AND DONATIONS VISIT: WWW.STLJEWISHLIGHT.ORG/UNSUNG-2022

olivia adams tamar adler sam deutsch

julie frankel

nathan goldstein & ben horwitz matovu founders

jewish light’s ohr chadash teen page advisors dr. craig reiss michele siler

unsung heroes chairs faith berger | galia movitz | sheri sherman | jane roodman weiss

Includes event entry, a sneak peek of select museum exhibits, dessert & champagne reception and a copy of our Unsung Heroes magazine

DR. ALAN & VILMA LEVI | DR. JON ROOT & DEBBIE ZIMMERMAN | BETHE & GAARY GROWE

SHERI & DON SHERMAN | JANE ROODMAN WEISS & JOHN WEISS | BRUCE & KAREN SANDWEISS

VOLUNTEER:

The scope of how they tell the story, starting with just the history of antisemitism over the ages and then moving it through time to what happened and why it happened. It’s a good combination of factual information combined with a lot of personal artifacts and personal stories, the voices of survivors.”

COMMENTARY:

GLORIA KAPLAN FELDMAN

BY GLORIA KAPLAN FELDMAN (Editor’s Note:

These comments were delivered at a special event Nov. 1 at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum for major donors)

I often think, “How or why did I survive?”

I had diphtheria, an open infectious wound in my chest, shivering from a high fever. I did not die. A neighbor told the SS that my parents, Abraham and Bessie, brother David and I were at another neighbor’s home. We were hiding in the chicken coup.

We saw the SS through the wire, but they did not see us. We did not die. When the SS marched us through the ghetto just to humiliate us with our frozen bare feet and empty stomachs, we survived. The day before liberation, the SS were patrolling the field where we were covered with branches and leaves. We saw their rifles inches from our bodies as they walked by. The SS did not see us. Again, we survived. So why?

Similarly, my late husband, Rubin, also survived the war with his parents, Joseph and Bella, in their own unexplainable and unknown way. How did we triumph over the darkest days? There must be a reason that we were not told. Therefore, I came to believe that I must give back to my community to make life better for others, make the world a place where antisemitism, bigotry, atrocities and hatred are eliminated.

Even more importantly, if you would permit me to tell you another reason for our incomprehensible and unlikely survival—my family. I have revenge on those who stole my childhood — my children, Steven and Cheryle, and my grandchildren, Sara, Brian, Nick, Pat and Chris. Our family did not get erased despite unending attempts. Many survivors talk about “dancing on Hitler’s grave.” As my family grows and multiplies, I, too, dance on Hitler’s grave. Our family will make a difference so the world will be a better place for future generations.

We are here to celebrate this extraordinary, transformational building. Yes, we all deserve the appreciation and a good pat on the back. Each of you in this room is the reason we are here. Together, we made a dream reality. You’ve all heard the saying “it takes a village.” Well, together we are a strong, determined, successful village.

• For me, it started with a conversation with (former Jewish Federation President and CEO) Andrew Rehfeld discussing the possibility of a museum.

• This conversation continued with (developer and philanthropist) Michael

Staenberg who further nurtured the dream.

• Carol Staenberg took the reins and gave her heart and soul to the dream.

• The cabinet responded to the call and joined in the dream.

• Each of you in the room answered the call with your own vital contribution.

• The prior (Holocaust) museum staff rallied: Jean Cavender, Dan Reich, Andrew Goldfeder, Don Hannon, Lory Cooper and Diane Everman.

• They were later joined by the energetic and experienced (current Holocaust museum staff) Helen Turner and Amy Lutz.

• Greg Yawitz (chair of the Federation board) boldly led us through the planning and building.

Gloria Kaplan Feldman

• Brian Herstig (current Federation president and CEO) joined the team with his leadership and dedication.

• Gallagher and Associates designed the museum beyond our wildest imaginations

• The building team used their skills and muscle to bring the museum plans to reality.

• We will always remember the groundwork set by our founders and visionaries: the Wolfs, Greens and Kahns, who will forever be our role models. May their names be for a blessing.

However, our work does not end here. In fact, our work just begins now. To make an

analogy with our beloved baseball Cardinals, we are in the seventh- inning stretch. We’ve accomplished so much. Now we need to close the game. You are the closers.

Every time we look at the logo, we will see the ner tamid. This museum, its teachings, its impact will never be extinguished. We have already made an impact by educating the community; from the prior museum, continuing through the communications for the new museum. During the hard hat tours, the builders talked to me about all that they learned while building walls, hanging wallpaper, installing sound systems and meeting supporters.

Throughout the war and the years after, I always choose to look forward. This is true now. We have a magnificent museum to educate, impact, influence and enlighten. Let’s use it to its fullest. We need to teach so that the lives of the survivors, the victims, the righteous and the liberators were not in vain. We will use this opportunity to eliminate discrimination, hate and genocide.

I used to dream about a piece of bread to fight hunger and shoes to protect my frozen feet during the marches. Now I can dream about the impact this museum will surely have on visitors — to educate about the Holocaust, to preserve the history of the Holocaust and to inspire a world of respect, peace and love.

As some of you know, I like to end on an optimistic note, one of hope. I invite you to join me in making this museum fulfill its mission and the reason it was built.

LISE BERNSTEIN

ST. LOUIS KAPLAN FELDMAN HOLOCAUST MUSEUM

What parts of the new museum are you most impressed with?

LOOKING BACK • Leo Wolf (in background, at podium), then-chairman emeritus of the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center, looks on as local Holocaust survivors light six candles in memory of the six million Jews of the Holocaust at the groundbreaking ceremonies for the museum in 1994. Taking part in the candlelighting ceremony include (from left) Claire Daniels, Werner Daniels, Erica Goldburg, Pieroskia Hacker, Jerry Koenig and Lili Levi.

EXPERIENCE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE

through the present day.

“Visitors will be coming in with different goals and expectations,” Stodard said. “The permanent exhibition can provide a resource for all of the goals that they have. For someone looking for a general overview, following that chronology is a really great start.”

The main exhibition of the museum is where a visitor may spend the most time, to absorb the chronological narrative of the Holocaust. It is also where many artifacts are on display, like a Torah fragment, prewar shofar and Kiddush cups from Poland. There is also a bell bearing the swastika—a souvenir of the 1936 Olympic Games, and further in the timeline, a striped prison uniform, a stark reminder of life in concentration camps.

A number of interactive displays are located throughout the exhibition, including a full wall-size map of Europe that illustrates the camps, killing centers, and full Nazi sphere of influence.

Visitors will also be able to listen at various points in the main exhibit to survivor’s stories. For example, survivor Jerry Koenig describes life in the Lodz Ghetto, where some 160,000 Jews were crowded into a small area of the Polish city. Only about 10% of Lodz Jews survived the Holocaust. In this section of the exhibit, there is also a detailed replica of the ghetto.

“We also have a section called ‘Perspectives and Roles,’ which is a great spot to focus on. Then we have a section that’s specifically dedicated to St. Louis survivors and the community that’s grown here. If someone is particularly interested in that, we can take them to that section.”

In addition to a chronological account

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM SECTIONS BY SECTION

The museum is divided up into five sections:

Auditorium – With 224 seats, this space will host various programs, including film series, lectures and student programs.

Impact Lab – Using the Holocaust as a core case study, this conversation-based experience follows the museum’s mission to reject hatred, promote understanding and inspire change.

Permanent Exhibition – This section highlights the history and lessons of the Holocaust through the voices of St. Louis survivors. It follows the chronology of the Holocaust from pre-war to the present day. It goes beyond names and dates to explore the choices and decisions of human beings. The exhibition culminates with survivors, sharing the testimonies of those who created a life in St. Louis. Research Center – Available to visit by appointment.

Special Exhibition Hall – The area of museum is on the lower level. It features rotating exhibits from traveling exhibitions and the museum’s own archives.

of events in Europe, the exhibit includes a number of interactive displays, and oral histories of Holocaust survivors. These are also available for review on the museum’s website, https://stlholocaustmuseum.org/learn/testimonies/.

For groups or individuals who want a more detailed museum experience,

walking through the exhibit space with a docent can offer additional insight. Group tours can be arranged by using an online tool, available at https://stlholocaustmuseum.org/school-groups/. Individual requests for docent-led visits can be made by emailing HStodart@ STLHolocaustMuseum.org

St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum Design Statement from Jordan Tull of Gallagher & Associates

Nov. 9-10, 1938, marked a transition in Nazi persecution of the Jewish people from policies of exclusion to violence. This Nazi-organized campaign that occurred across Germany and extended into neighboring countries became known as “Kristallnacht” or Night of Broken Glass. The name derives from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets from Jewish businesses and synagogues that were vandalized or destroyed during the night of violence.

Ninety-one Jews were killed and over 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and placed in concentration camps as part of these events. Historically, the Night of Broken Glass is often referred to as the start of the Holocaust.

With the Night of Broken Glass as its inspiration, the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum exterior form captures the moment of impact when innocent lives were shattered by evil.

The disruption of the jagged vertical “knife wall” breaks and bends the exterior then carries through into the interior space expressing disorder and chaos.

Moving though the museum, the visitor learns and explores the precursors and events of the Holocaust along with the experiences of St. Louis area survivors. The survivor stories establish a relatable human context for connecting the historical events to today’s museum visitor in the community that they live.

In addition to preserving and communicating the history of the Holocaust, the museum serves a purpose to inspire people to stand up to hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism, and injustice in their everyday lives.

Jordan Tull is with Gallagher & Associates, an internationally recognized Museum Planning and Design Firm that worked with the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

LOUIS KAPLAN

FELDMAN HOLOCAUST MUSEUM