The Luncheon – Celebrating the Museum’s 20th Anniversary

The Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center presents “The Luncheon,” its annual Winter event, on Thursday, December 2, 2021, from 11:30am-1:45pm.

The event, celebrating the museum’s 20th anniversary, will be held at the new Arthrex One Event Center in North Naples. Tickets are $150 per person. Sponsorship packages are available, with sponsor recognition in printed, promotional materials and during the event. For more information, visit HMCEC.org or contact Tim@HMCEC.org or call 239-263-9200 x207.

The Luncheon Event Committee Members are Maureen Lerner, Estelle Price, Nancy White, Rosalee Bogo, Diane McGinty, Sandra Lee Buxton, Sandra Roth and Nancy Barbounis. Proceeds benefit the museum’s education programs.

Community leaders created the museum twenty years ago, inspired by “Out of the Ashes,” a local middle school project on the Holocaust.

The new museum introduced to the community the unknown, inspiring personal stories of many Southwest Florida residents who were Holocaust Survivors, Liberators and World War II Veterans. Early exhibits consisted of items donated by these residents, their families and other interested parties.

Today, the museum’s permanent collection contains over 1,000 unique artifacts, documents, and photographs.

The museum’s education programs, exhibits, and events, continue to inform Southwest Florida students, teachers and visitors about the dangers of bigotry and the importance of respect for others. Since 2001, over half a million people have been encouraged to stand up to hatred because of their interaction with the museum.

The Luncheon will feature a special performance of the new short play “Remember – The Story of Abe Price” by Jeffrey Binder. The play is produced by Gulfshore Playhouse, Founding and Producing Artistic Director Kristen Coury and Managing Director Joel Markus. “Remember” is designed to be presented to 7th – 12th grade students during a standard class period in Holocaust Studies, history, social studies, language arts or theatre classes, or as a school assembly performance. Museum staff will provide students and teachers with a Holocaust history lesson prior to the performance.

After seeing the play, students then participate in a post-performance “talkback” with the actors and educators from the museum and Gulfshore Playhouse. Another post-performance activity encourages students to discuss the play, and it’s personal take-away for them. “Remember: The Story of Abe Price” is generously funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts (arts.gov).

The museum and Gulfshore Playhouse previously partnered on “In Flight – The Story of Sabine van Dam.” Created by Hester Kamin, this short play describes the late Holocaust Survivor and Naples resident Sabine van Dam family’s struggle to evade capture by the Nazis in Holland.

To date, “In Flight” has been seen by approximately 8,000 Southwest Florida students, teachers and the public. To schedule a performance of “Remember” contact Gulfshore Playhouse Director of Education Steven Calakos: scalakos@gulfshoreplayhouse.org or (239) 261-7529 x 207.

Abe Price Photo by Eric Kellar Photography

The Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center is a 501 (c) 3non-profit organization. Its mission is to teach the lessons of the Holocaust to inspire action against bigotry, hatred and violence. For more information on how you can support the mission and sponsor education programs, exhibits and events, please contact Susan Suarez, Museum President and CEO, at Susan@HMCEC.org or call 239-263-9200.