At the Museum

Susan Suarez President & CEO

Happy New Year! We are gearing up for a busy season and look forward to having you join us for interesting programs and events. Many thanks to our sponsors and all who joined us for The Luncheon. Proceeds from our annual winter fundraising event benefited our education programs. The program featured excerpts from the award-winning play, “Wiesenthal,” performed by its author and actor, Tom Dugan. The play sheds new light on Simon Wiesenthal’s life and his post-war efforts to track down Holocaust criminals evading capture to escape justice. We thank Royal Poinciana and Mr. Dugan for a memorable event.

New exhibit

We invite you to visit the Estelle and Stuart Price Gallery to view a brandnew exhibit. “Two Regimes” reflects the experiences of a mother and daughter who lived under both the Nazi regime in World War II and under a Communist government post war. The exhibit will be on display from January through April.

“Nazi-Looted Art –Unfinished Business”

Museum docent Ellaine Rosen brings back her popular lecture series, “NaziLooted Art – Unfinished Business.” The five-part series will be held in the Maureen and Arnold Lerner classroom at the Museum from 2 to 4 p.m. on the following Mondays – Jan. 16, 23 and 30 and Feb. 6 and 13. The lectures are free but a suggested minimum donation of $18 is greatly appreciated! Advance registration is required. Please visit www.HMCEC.org to sign up.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The Museum will commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 with a special film presentation from 11 a.m. to noon. We will also offer complimentary admission from 1 to 4 p.m. Last guests will be admitted at 3 p.m. Advance reservations are required. Visit www.hmcec.org to reserve your place.

Yiddish group

Are you interested in learning Yiddish or brushing up on Yiddish phrases? You are invited to attend a three-part series to be held at the Museum from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on the following Sundays – Jan. 22, Feb. 12 and March 19. You do not need experience with the language to attend this fun class. The program will be conducted by Sol Awend, Harriet Bernman and Felicia Anchor. Admission is free, with advance registration required. Please visit www.hmcec.org.

North Wing update

The interior demolition of the three adjoining suites owned by the Museum has created a new 3,500-square-foot space. This space will house a new Auschwitz Gallery, an expanded classroom and event space, a catering kitchen and offices. The current Special Exhibits Gallery will be enlarged and relocated to the new North Wing as well, allowing us to renovate the existing space into a new Genocide and Human Rights Gallery in the current Museum. A variety of naming opportunities are available. Please contact me at Susan@hmcec.org or 239-2639200 for more information.

Upcoming calendar of events

We hope you will “save the date” for the following events in February and March: Wednesday, Feb. 15 – “Movies That Matter – The Steve Brazina Memorial Series” presents a Zoom panel discussion of “APART.” The film explores the impact on families from the incarceration of mothers with drug-related charges. Advance reservations are required and you will receive a private link to view the film the week before the Zoom discussion. Visit www.hmcec.org to RSVP.

Stuart Mest, M.D. Lecture Series – “Eugenics, Experiments, Ethics: Nazi Germany, Japan and the United States.” Th is two-part series will be presented twice in the Maureen and Arnold Lerner classroom at the Museum from 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and Tuesday, March 7; then repeated on Th ursday, March 23 and Thursday, March 30. Tickets are $40 for the two-part series, with advance registration required. Visit www.hmcec.org to purchase.

Wednesday, March 15 – Triumph 2023 – Triumph, the Museum’s annual fundraising event, will present guest speaker Michael Abramovitz, CEO of Freedom House, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Freedom House’s programs support human rights and democracy advocates in their efforts to promote open government, defend human rights, strengthen civil society and facilitate the free flow of information and ideas. Tickets are $300 and a variety of sponsorship packages are available. Proceeds will benefit the Museum’s education programs.

On behalf of our Board and staff, we wish you and your families all a healthy, happy and wonderful new year ahead!