At the Museum

Susan Suarez, President & CEO

As you may know, our Museum was inspired by a local student classroom study of the Holocaust. Th e Golden Gate Middle School students saw, even at their young age, the importance of never forgetting the Holocaust and its lessons. Th ese young people learned how the tragic, devastating consequences for millions began with devaluing the victims as human beings. Th is knowledge was reinforced as they heard personal stories of local residents impacted by the Holocaust. Th e students strongly believed it was up to them and future generations to raise awareness of our individual responsibility to stand up to bigotry, hatred and violence.

How sad those students would be to learn of the recent antisemitic incidents in Southwest Florida schools. Because they knew where this might lead, they’d be the fi rst to speak out against targeting and harassing schoolmates for any reason — religion, race, nationality, economic background, etc.

Our Holocaust education resources

As time goes on and hateful incidents increase in society, the need for Holocaust education programs in our schools grows in importance. Our mission — to teach the lessons of the Holocaust to inspire action against bigotry, hatred and violence — honors the legacy and commitment of those Golden Gate Middle School teachers and students to making our world a better place.

Michael J. Abramowitz

The Museum has developed a comprehensive catalog of age-appropriate Holocaust education programs and classroom materials. All are readily available to teachers on our website and through our education department. Since 2001, thousands of teachers and students across Southwest Florida in grades K-12 through college/university have benefi ted from using our Holocaust education resources.

Did you know that Florida mandates teaching about the Holocaust in its public schools? The Museum is a long-time Designated Site of the Florida Department of Education Commissioner’s Task Force on Holocaust Education. We offer annual teachers’ professional development workshops to assist teachers in meeting the mandate requirements. There is no charge to participate, and all active teachers are invited to attend. The workshops are funded by a generous legacy gift from the Merrill Kuller Educator Series.

The next workshop takes place at the Museum on Saturday, Feb. 25. The theme is “The new ‘Standards for Florida Holocaust Education’ guidelines and how to use them.” The full-day program includes breakfast and lunch. All active Southwest Florida middle school, high school and college/university level teachers are invited to participate. State and school district curriculum coordinators will also be invited to attend. For questions and to RSVP, please contact David Nelson at David@hmcec.org or call 239-263-9200, ext. 205. Feel free to share this information with other teachers who might find it of interest to attend.

February and March programs and events

We invite you to join us at the following programs. Please note advance registration is required. Visit www.hmcec.org for details and to RSVP and purchase tickets. All programs, except the Zoom event, will take place in the Maureen and Arnold Lerner Classroom in the Museum.

Ellaine Rosen

Ellaine Rosen Lecture Series “Nazi-Looted Art –Unfinished Business”

Monday, Feb. 6 and Monday, Feb. 13, 2-4 p.m. Suggested minimum donation of $18 is greatly appreciated! Advance registration is required.

“Movies That Matter –The Steve Brazina Memorial Series” Zoom panel discussion of “APART”

Wednesday, Feb. 15 via Zoom, 4-5 p.m. (EST). Th e documentary explores the impact on families from the incarceration of mothers on drug-related charges. You will receive a private link to view the film the week before the Zoom. Tickets are $10.

Stuart Mest

Stuart Mest, M.D. Lecture Series – “Eugenics, Experiments, Ethics: Nazi Germany, Japan and the U.S.”

Tuesday, Feb, 28 (Part 1) and Tuesday, March 7 (Part 2), 5-6 p.m., and repeated Thursday, March 23 (Part 1) and Thursday, March 30 (Part 2), 5-6 p.m. Tickets are $40 for the two-part series.

Yiddish Group

Sunday, Feb. 12 and Sunday, March 19, 4-5 p.m. No knowledge of Yiddish necessary. The program will be conducted by Sol Awend, Harriet Bernman and Felicia Anchor. Admission is free.

Triumph 2023 event

Wednesday, March 15

Join us at Arthrex One Conference Center for our annual Triumph fundraising event on Wednesday, March 15. The guest speaker will be Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. The nonprofit tracks the global state of political rights and civil liberties and engages with human rights defenders risking their lives as they push back against repressive governments to secure basic rights and freedoms in their countries.

Tickets are $300 and sponsorship packages are available. For more information, please contact me at Susan@hmcec. org or visit www.hmcec.org.

Volunteers needed for in-school reading program

Education volunteer Susan Moricca was a Holocaust education teacher for many years in New Jersey. With her help, the Museum will be involving more volunteers in our 5th-grade education programs, which provide a gentle introduction to the subject of the Holocaust to 5th grade classes. The “Guest Reader” program brings volunteers into the classroom to read from age-appropriate Holocaust-themed books. An example is “Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto,” a book we use with 5th graders. If you are interested in participating, please contact Museum Education Specialist David Nelson for more information (David@hmcec.org).

We thank you for your support of our mission and we look forward to seeing you in the Museum and at our events and programs.