A Legacy of Remembrance: Yours and Ours

The Holocaust Documentation and Education Center, which was established in 1980 as a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization, has acquired a 14,000 square foot facility to house the first South Florida Holocaust Museum. This building was dedicated on Tuesday, February 28, 2006. Staff moved into offices on the third floor in early 2007. The museum itself is in the design stage.

The collected artifacts, documents, photographs, and the testimonies of Survivors, Liberators, and Rescuers will do more than just tell a story. They will teach the lessons of the Holocaust, the dangers and evil of hatred and prejudice, the triumph and resilience of the human spirit, and how one person can make a difference -- must make a difference.

This will be the first museum in the country that will tell the story of the Holocaust in both English and Spanish. In addition, the highlighted experience will be the journey of the S.S. St. Louis, which saw the lights of Miami Beach before being forced to sail back to Europe.

We are building this Legacy of Remembrance because:

• As the generation of Survivors age and their stories continue to be denied, distorted, and dejudaized, there is an urgency to ensure the true history of the Holocaust be protected, preserved, and perpetuated. If not now, when?
  
  
• In light of the dramatic growth of global hatred and antisemitism, it is critical that we alert this and future generations to be vigilant, speak out, and take a stand against injustices and inhumanity.
  
  
• In light of the ongoing and existing genocide in our times and the inadequate world's response, we must sensitize and teach all our children to recognize the signs along the road to genocide before "it is too little, too late."
  
  
• This needed and timely effort will enhance and enrich our mission to be compliant with Florida Statute 1003.42, which mandates required public school instruction on the history of the Holocaust and what it means to a responsible and respectful person for the purposes of understanding and appreciating the richness of differences in diversity.
  
  
• We are keenly devoted to ensuring that each person, regardless of race, creed, color, age, sex, or religion, will leave this Museum forever changed and challenged to remember the universal lessons and implications of the Holocaust.
  
  
• Above all, we have pledged our sacred trust to the Survivors of the Holocaust that their words, memories, and silences will be remembered and embodied within the walls of this Museum.

For more information, please call Rositta E. Kenigsberg at (954) 929-5690.