Florida Holocaust Museum
This article needs to be updated.(January 2012) |
Location | St. Petersburg, Florida |
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Coordinates | 27°46′14″N 82°38′26″W / 27.770529°N 82.640622°W |
Type | Holocaust museum |
Website | www |
The Florida Holocaust Museum is a
History
Founders
The Florida Holocaust Museum was founded by Walter Loebenberg and his wife Edith Loebenberg in 1992. Both of them had been born in Germany and had escaped Nazi persecution. Walter Loebenberg was born in Wächtersbach, Germany, but due to Nazi prosecution of his father and the subsequent difficulties in running the family store, the Loebenberg family moved to Frankfurt in 1936. It was in Frankfurt in 1938 that the Loebenberg family experienced Kristallnacht, with Walter narrowly escaping physical harm and being forced to hide. Eventually, through the support of an aunt already living in the United States, Walter Loebenberg was able to immigrate successfully and eventually moved to Chicago. He then served in the United States Army for the duration of the World War II after being drafted in 1942.
After completing his time in the military, Walter Loebenberg would go on to meet Edith Loebenberg, leading to their marriage in 1948.
Museum
The museum was founded by Walter and Edith Lobenberg in 1992. It was founded with the idea of "teaching the members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of life in order to prevent future genocides". The Holocaust Museum was founded as the Holocaust Center in a space that was rented from the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Pinellas County in Madeira Beach. The museum started as a collection of 10 Holocaust posters which the founders had acquired over the years.[3] At the JCC, the Holocaust Center hosted its first exhibit, 'Anne Frank in the World', which would attract 24,000 visitors within the first month. As the center proved popular it began to run teaching seminars, lectures, and commemorative events in which visitors could participate. Additionally, the center began to connect with the local educational system; schools in an eight county area surrounding Tampa Bay were provided with study guides, teacher training programs, and presentations by Center staff and Holocaust survivors.
By 1996 the Holocaust Center had grown to such a point that a larger space was needed and thus the board of directors voted to buy and renovate a new building for the museum. This new building, a former bank, was 27,000 square feet in comparison to the 4,000 square feet in the previous space. The architect chosen for this task was the Israeli-born Nick Benjacob. He also designed the shopping area under the World Trade Center. He would produce the distinctive shape of the new building which prominently featured triangles, explaining that "the era of World War II is so depressing that I did not want to do anything with either circles or squares, because they are whole shapes. I wanted a broken shape. A triangle is a suppressing shape, it is a hard shape, and I wanted to design a feeling for the visitors before they even entered the museum". This move was completed in 1998, and in January 1999, the Holocaust Center officially changed its name to the Florida Holocaust Museum. Elie Wiesel attended the 1998 opening ceremony in which he served as the Honorary Chairman.[1]
In this new building the Florida Holocaust Museum has continued its mission of human rights awareness and Holocaust awareness. The new building was able to welcome 65,000 visitors in its first year. Additionally, the extra space in the new building has allowed for the expansion of the museum's library which includes both audio and visual materials. The current building features three floors with the permanent exhibit as well as archives being located on the first floor, and temporary galleries on the second and third floor. The first major exhibition was the boxcar #113 069-5, which became part of the permanent collection.[3]
Vandalism
On May 27, 2021, the phrase "Jews are guilty" and a swastika were spray-painted on the museum's exterior.[4][5][6]
Exhibits
Permanent collection
The permanent collection of the Florida Holocaust Museum is housed on the first floor in an exhibit titled: "History, Heritage, and Hope". This exhibit features various artifacts from the period and takes the form of a self-guided audio tour through the history of the Holocaust beginning with the history of
Temporary exhibits
On the second and third floors of the building, temporary exhibits are hosted with topics varying from artistic interpretations of the events of the Holocaust to informative exhibits which illuminate related topics, such as the
Programs
The Florida Holocaust Museum additionally runs several programs of outreach within the community with the aim of continuing their mission of raising awareness of human rights. They include "Speak Up, Speak Now!",[11] which is a multi-session program that aims to engage students in discussion and includes guest speakers such as Holocaust survivors, law enforcement officers, and activists. The Anne Frank Humanitarian award, established in 2001, recognizes high school juniors who have shown humanitarian efforts in and outside of school.[12] The museum also provides police agencies in Florida with Law Enforcement And Society (LEAS) lessons, which are meant to educate officers about the role that German police had in the Holocaust.[13] Additionally, the Generations After group is made up of the daughters, sons, and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, who are dedicated to telling their families' stories.[14]
Education
Florida was one of the first states to mandate Holocaust education in public K-12 schools. Notably the museum played a crucial role in getting the legislation passed in 1994.[15] The Florida Holocaust Museum sends speakers to schools and brings classes to the museum. As part of its education program, teachers can borrow material for teaching about the Holocaust for free.[16] In 2014 the trunks cost $300 to ship around the US, reached 17 states, and impacted around 50,000 people.[17]
The Florida Holocaust Museum also offers school-group docent-led tours. School group tours take about two hours and are available for fifth through twelfth grades.[18]
The museum offers free after-school workshops to all teachers in the state of Florida.[19]
In response to COVID-19, the Florida Holocaust Museum created a Virtual Education Outreach Program.[20]
Volunteer
The Florida Holocaust Museum also runs volunteer programs where everyone from students to the elderly is able to assist in the educational process. The museum is one of many organizations worldwide where young Austrians can serve their
See also
- Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service
References
- ^ a b Fryer, B. (2016, July 15). Elie Wiesel leaves lasting impression on Bay area. https://www.jewishpresspinellas.com/articles/elie-wiesel-leaves-lasting-impression-on-bay-area/
- ^ "Florida Holocaust Museum". St. Pete Clearwater. Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Edie Loebenberg, Florida Holocaust Museum co-founder, dies | Jewish Press of Tampa". m.jewishpresstampa.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-28.
- ^ "Swastika, 'Jews are guilty' message spray-painted on Holocaust Museum in St. Pete, police say". FOX 13 News. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ "Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg vandalized with painted swastika". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ "Swastika spray-painted on wall at Florida Holocaust Museum". AP NEWS. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ "About our Boxcar". The Florida Holocaust Museum. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ "Dimensions in Testimony". The Florida Holocaust Museum. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
- ^ "Matzevot for Everyday Use Photographs by Łukasz Baksik". The Florida Holocaust Museum. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ "Humanity Beyond Barbed Wire - Hitler's Soldiers in the Sunshine State Special Exhibit". The Florida Holocaust Museum. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ "Speak up, Speak Now!".
- ^ "Anne Frank Humanitarian Award".
- ^ "Law Enforcement and Society".
- ^ "Generations After".
- ^ Solodev (2022-11-22). "Commissioner of Education's Task Force on Holocaust Education". www.fldoe.org. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ "Teaching Trunks".
- ^ "Trunks educate kids about the Shoah". 26 January 2015.
- ^ "Tours". The Florida Holocaust Museum. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Teacher Training". The Florida Holocaust Museum. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Virtual Resources". The Florida Holocaust Museum. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "Partner organizations". Austrian Service Abroad. Retrieved 2010-09-24.