At the Museum

Susan Suarez President & CEO

With every student field trip the Museum hosts and every Holocaust education program we present in schools, we have the unique opportunity to help form the next generation of Southwest Florida Upstanders. As students learn about the horrors and lessons of the Holocaust from the past, their perspectives on life expand. They become more aware of hatred and bigotry in the present and learn they have the power to make a positive difference to others now and in the future.

Many thanks

I am so grateful to those who support our mission to teach the lessons of the Holocaust to inspire action against bigotry, hatred and violence. Their gifts of time, talent and treasure are what makes our important work with students and the public possible.

On May 5 at 4 p.m., we commemorate Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance. GenShoah co-chairs Shelley Lieb and Ida Margolis have designed a meaningful program, and we invite all to attend. It will be held at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center in Naples. Please register for this important gathering at jewishnaples.org. Nearly 80 years have passed since the end of WWII and the Holocaust, and it is our collective responsibility to honor the memory of those who perished as well as those who survived the horrors, and to work to spread mutual respect rather than hate.

Today, our mission is more important than ever. Please contact me at Susan@ hmcec.org or 239-263-9200, ext. 203 if you’d like to learn more.

Happening in May

As the school year and season begin to wrap up, we are still hosting field trips and private group tours by appointment. Contact Education Specialist David Nelson for more information and schedule availabilities at David@hmcec.org.

Complimentary admission on VE Day

We are offering complimentary admission on VE Day. Reservations are required as space is limited. Please visit our website hmcec.org to reserve your spot.

Matching challenge grant increased

Great news! The matching challenge grant for the “Boxcar Education Project” was just increased from $100,000 to $125,000! Many thanks to Jack and F.E. Nortman and friends of the Boxcar Foundation, for their generosity! The authentic World War II-era boxcar is an important part of the Museum's Holocaust education programming and has been seen by well over 250,000 people during its travels. The project also provides schools with educational materials including the boxcar's history and a teacher's guide. Often, there is associated programming, such as a Survivor Talk or a performance of a short play about a survivor’s experience. The exhibit is on loan to the Museum from Jack and F.E. Nortman and Boxcar Foundation.

New Exhibit

“Lawyers without Rights — Jewish Lawyers in Germany Under the Third Reich” is on display through June 23, 2024. This traveling exhibit, explores the Third Reich’s 1933-1938 systemic exclusion of German lawyers and jurists of Jewish ancestry from the legal profession. By 1938, a general occupational ban was firmly in place, forbidding these lawyers from practicing. The exhibit highlights the dire consequences to targeted populations when the “just” rule of law is replaced by an “arbitrary” rule of law. The American Bar Association and the German Federal Bar have partnered to create this exhibit, reflecting their shared interest in reminding future generations of the horrors of the Holocaust and the importance of the just rule of law in any society.

The Museum has a connection to a lawyer affected by this discrimination. Dr. Ernst Flatau, a distinguished entertainment lawyer in Berlin, was the father of late Holocaust survivor and Museum Docent Dr. Fred Flatau. Although Ernst Flatau received the Iron Cross for his World War I service and had a fine reputation, sadly none of this protected him or his family.

Recap of a busy April

Last month’s Volunteer Appreciation Brunch celebrated the people who make a visit to the Museum so special. For those heading back home, we look forward to seeing you next season, and for those who live here year-round, we look forward to enjoying the summer and fall seasons with you!

Our Spring 2024 Teachers Workshop was attended by teachers from elementary, middle and high schools across Southwest Florida. The full day session brought the educators up to date on the latest developments in the field of Holocaust education and provided them with classroom-ready materials for their students. The workshop was provided at no charge to the teachers, thanks to a generous legacy grant from the Merrill Kuller Educator Series.

The Museum was notified it is a finalist for “Best Museum in Collier County” in Gulfshore Life Magazine’s 2024 “Best of the Gulfshore” annual reader survey. Thank you to all who voted for us. Category winners will be announced in the magazine’s May issue.

The Museum was represented at Senator Rick Scott’s recent Naples press conference by Chair Stuart Price, Vice Chair Stuart Mest and myself.

We look forward to seeing you at the Museum soon!