Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center New Season of Exhibits and Programming

by Susan Suarez, President and CEO

Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center

Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the holidays. 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. Held at the Royal Poinciana Golf Club, 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 brand-new 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.

Elaine Rosen

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

Museum Docent Ellaine Rosen brings back her popular series, “Nazi-Looted Art – Unfinished Business.” The five-part series will be held in the Maureen and Arnold Lerner Classroom at the museum from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on the following Mondays: January 16, 23, and 30 and February 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 January 27 with a special film presentation from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. We will also offer complimentary admission from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Last guests will be admitted at 3:00 p.m. Advance reservations are required. Visit www.hmcec.org to reserve your place.

North Wing Update

The interior demolition of the three adjoining suites owned by the museum has created a new 3,500 sq. ft. 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, 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 for more information: Susan@hmcec.org or 239-263-9200.

Upcoming Calendar of Events

We hope you will “save the date” for these events in February and March:

Stuart Mest

Wednesday, February 15 Zoom Discussion at 4:00 p.m. Eastern (U.S. and Canada) – “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 on mothers on drug-related charges. Advance reservations are required; you will receive a private link to view the film the week before the Zoom. Visit www.hmcec.org to RSVP.

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

This two-part series will be presented twice in the Maureen and Arnold Lerner Classroom at the museum from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. on the following dates: Tuesday, February 28 and Tuesday, March 7; and repeated on Thursday, March 23 and Thursday, March 30. Tickets are $40 for the two-part series, with advance registration is required. Visit www.hmcec.org to purchase.

Wednesday, March 15 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. – Triumph 2023.

Triumph the museum’s annual fundraising event will present Guest Speaker Michael Abramovitz, CEO of Freedom House. 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 areavailable. 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!