At the Museum

Susan Suarez, President & CEO

As I write this month’s column, our state has just gone through the devastating Hurricane Ian and its devastating effects. Our hearts go out to those who have suffered during the storm. For some, it will be a very long time until they recover, if ever. Our thanks to all the First Responders and those who have come in from all over the country to help us.

We are grateful that the Museum suffered only minor damage and was able to quickly reopen. We are also fortunate that we can continue with our long-planned November calendar of events. We hope, if circumstances permit, you will be able to join us for some or all the events below.

Movies That Matter Series

“Movies That Matter SWFL – The Steve Brazina Memorial Film Series” will continue this month. Steve Brazina, who passed away earlier this year, was the cofounder of “Movies That Matter Series.”

The screening and discussion of the film “APART” has been postponed due to the hurricane’s impact on the availability of our panelists. The new date will be announced at a future time.

The film, “Redlining,” will continue as scheduled and requires advance registration. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at www.HMCEC.org. The film will be shown at 6 p.m. at Paragon Theaters – Pavilion, 833 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples. Please arrive by 5:45 p.m. to be seated. Here’s a little something about the film:

• “Redlining” Wednesday, Nov. 9

The film explores the discriminatory real estate practice of “redlining” — marking off certain areas in order to racially segregate neighborhood housing sales. Its use over the years contributed to built-in inequality in the development of U.S. cities and suburbs. The film presents the impact of redlining on several Midwestern families. It also reviews the lasting effects of this federal policy. Panelists to be announced.

Many thanks to the sponsors of this year’s series. As of Oct. 12, they are:

Sustainer Sponsor: Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP

Supporter Sponsors: Rhonda Brazina, FineMark National Bank & Trust Company and Habitat for Humanity of Collier County

Patron Sponsors: Barbara Kanter, Jenny and Mel Kaplan, Marci Margolis, Ida and Jeff Margolis and Alys Morande

“Movies That Matter – The Steve Brazina Memorial Film Series” is presented by GenShoah SWFL, Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center, Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, Jewish Community Relations Council, Naples United Church of Christ and Temple Shalom.

Lecture at Artis—Naples Baker Museum

You are invited to attend a special lecture on the new exhibition, Envisioning Evil: “The Nazi Drawings” by Mauricio Lasansky, at the Artis—Naples Baker Museum. The art lecture will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. We are honored to be collaborating with Artis—Naples Baker Museum on this event. For more information on tickets, please visit www.HMCEC.org.

Annual Community Kristallnacht Commemoration

This year marks the 84th Anniversary of Kristallnacht, considered to be the beginning of the Holocaust. The annual community commemoration will be Sunday, Nov. 6, 2:30 p.m. at Temple Shalom in Naples. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP at www. jewishnaples.org.

The guest speaker is Holocaust historian, Dr. Suzanne Brown-Fleming, the director of International Academic Programs, Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at USHMM. Her topic will be “November 1938: Perspectives from the Vatican Archives.” For more information, visit www.naplestemple.org.

The program is sponsored by the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County, the Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of Collier County, the Diocese of Venice in Florida, GenShoah of SWFL and our Museum. For more information, please contact CJDialogue@naples.net.

David Nelson Lecture Series

Museum Education Specialist David Nelson is presenting a series of three lectures based on his film series, “Heroes and Heroines of the Holocaust.” Admission is free, but reservations are required. Please visit www.hmcec.org to RSVP. The lectures will take place at the Museum from 11 a.m. to noon. The dates, speakers and topics are as follows:

Tuesday, Nov. 15 – “Carl Lutz, Dangerous Diplomacy”

Tuesday, Nov. 29 – “Bill Spira, The Story of a Survivor”

Tuesday, Dec. 13 – “Varian Fry, The Artists’ Schindler”

Coming in December

Please join us for our annual winter fundraiser, The Luncheon. It will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at an exclusive private club. The program will include a special presentation by author/actor Tom Dugan. He will perform excerpts from his stirring one-man play, “Wiesenthal.” The play is based on the life of the famous Holocaust survivor, Simon Wiesenthal. Sponsorships are available. For more information and tickets, please visit www.hmcec.org.

We wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for, especially this year. Please note the Museum will closed for the holiday on Thursday, Nov. 24 and Friday, Nov. 25.