Seven Holocaust Museums in North America Issue Joint Statement Condemning Hate Crimes Against Jewish Institutions
On July 1, seven Holocaust Museums in North America issued the following statement in the wake of ongoing incidents of vandalism against both Holocaust museums and other Jewish organizations. The statement is issued by the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (New York), The Florida Holocaust Museum, the Holocaust Center for Humanity (Seattle, Washington), Holocaust Museum LA (Los Angeles, California), the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center (Chicago, Illinois), the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center (Cincinnati, Ohio), and The Zekelman Holocaust Center (Detroit, Ohio).
“Holocaust museums are no strangers to acts of antisemitism. We teach how those acts, celebrated and reinforced at all levels of Nazi society, led to the murder of approximately six million Jews. The senseless scapegoating of Jews did not begin or end with the Holocaust. It’s been happening for thousands of years, and while the pretext may change, the antisemitic motivation is the same.
At the end of June, another example of scapegoating was seen, this time in the form of vandalism against Seattle’s Holocaust Center for Humanity, where a photo of a child Holocaust survivor was defaced with the phrase “Genocide in Gaza.” As leaders of many of America’s Holocaust museums, we strongly condemn this crime – and we also recognize it as an opportunity to educate. Holding Jews – much less a Holocaust museum – responsible for the wartime actions of a foreign government is unacceptable and straightforwardly antisemitic.
Hate crimes against American Jews have tripled since Hamas’ unprovoked terrorist attack against Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, with many of those crimes motivated by inaccurate allegations of genocide against Israel. Our mission to guard the memory of Holocaust survivors and victims requires clarity on what does and does not constitute genocide, especially where misconceptions lead to hateful acts of antisemitism.
Education is the only way to break this cycle. Let’s commit to working together toward a more peaceful and accepting world. Schedule a visit to your local Holocaust museum today and empower your community to stand as allies in the fight against antisemitism!
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to Never Forget. Opened in 1997, the Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust.
The Museum’s current offerings include Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark, a new exhibition about the extraordinary rescue of Denmark’s Jewish population in 1943, a story of mutual aid and communal upstanding in difficult times for visitors aged 9 and up; The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do, a major exhibition offering a timely and expansive presentation of Holocaust history, on view in the main galleries; and, Survivors: Faces of Life After the Holocaust, featuring photographer Martin Schoeller’s portraits of 75 Holocaust survivors in his signature style.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains the Peter & Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Resource Center, a collection of almost 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies, and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The Museum also hosts the LOX at Café Bergson an OU-certified café serving Eastern European specialties.
Each year, the Museum presents over 100 public programs, connecting our community in person and virtually through lectures, book talks, concerts, and more. For more info visit: http://mjhnyc.org/events. The museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit mjhnyc.org.