Blog

At The Florida Holocaust Museum, we are working on a safe and efficient plan to reopen the doors to our community. We are taking the CDC guidelines very seriously and are implementing every precaution within our museum space to ensure the safety of our staff, visitors, students, volunteers, and our local Holocaust Survivors. We are mindfully evaluating the best way to […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum Criticizes Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters for Antisemitism Op-ed from The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Executive Director Elizabeth Gelman and Board Chair Michael Igel Roger Waters has achieved success most can only dream of. He’s a musician. He’s an artist. He’s one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, a band loved by […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Executive Director Elizabeth Gelman and Board Chair Michael Igel issued the following statement today.   The Florida Holocaust Museum joins all people of conscience in condemning the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. We are pained and frustrated by the racial inequities and injustices that continue to […]

An important message from The Florida Holocaust Museum‘s Executive Director:   I hope that you and yours have been weathering these extraordinary times in good health and good spirits. Thank you to everyone who has reached out and stayed engaged with us during the past weeks.   The Florida Holocaust Museum has always had a […]

Here at The Florida Holocaust Museum, education is and has always been one of our top priorities. In order to successfully complete our mission of teaching members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life, we offer a wide variety of educational programs and events. One such program is a monthly […]

Sara M. McDonald, Special Projects Coordinator   What gives you hope for the future? It’s a question many of us ask ourselves repeatedly. Hope. It’s such a powerful and timeless word. If you look back throughout history you can find pieces of hope scattered throughout, and one could say it is the very root of […]

***STATEMENT ON HOLOCAUST DENIAL*** The Florida Holocaust Museum has issued the following statement: On April 12, 1945, General Dwight D. Eisenhower entered Buchenwald. He described what he saw as “beyond the American mind to comprehend.” He immediately ordered photographs to be taken, afraid that someday people might deny the existence of barbarity at such scale. He wanted […]

Sara M. McDonald, Special Projects Coordinator When Eula Mae Mitchell Perry started working here at The Florida Holocaust Museum in October 2016, she had no idea what her new job would have in store for her. She started out working on the Visitor’s Welcome Team, but quickly became an integral part of The FHM family […]

                Sara M. McDonald, Special Projects Coordinator                 Bill White didn’t plan on breaking barriers in baseball, but it just happened. Coming from a family of sharecroppers, Bill White’s education was of the upmost priority, especially to his mother, Edna Mae Young. She wanted him to become a doctor. So, he went to Ohio State […]

Sara M. McDonald, Special Projects Coordinator On October 27, 2018 antisemitism and hatred reared its ugly head in the form of the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States, when a gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and left eleven members dead and six injured. In the hours […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum is saddened by the recent passing of Holocaust Survivor Philip L. Gans. Philip Gans was born in Amsterdam, Holland on January 23, 1928. His father owned a successful textile business and Philip was the youngest of three children. Following the defeat of the Dutch and the subsequent occupation by German forces in 1940, […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum is saddened by the recent passing of Marietta Sobel Drucker. Marietta left her homeland of Vienna, Austria at the age of nine on the Kindertransport. After arriving in Great Britain, she was greeted by the first of six foster families that she was placed with over the next six years. Both her mother […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum’s mission is to honor the memory of millions of innocent men, women and children who suffered or died in the Holocaust. The Museum is dedicated to teaching the members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. In order to […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum has been nominated for two Arts & Entertainment awards for the Best of the Bay 2019! The FHM has been nominated for Best Museum and Best Exhibition, for the recent exhibition, Bill Graham and the Rock and Roll Revolution. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay hosts the Best of the Bay 2019 Readers […]

Loss and Affirmation: Illustrations and Drawings by William Pachner is now open at The Florida Holocaust Museum! The exhibition is open from July 27 through January 5, 2020. Loss and Affirmation: Illustrations and Drawings by William Pachner tells the story of American artist William Pachner. He was born in Moravia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (later Czechoslovakia) in […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern Deborah E, Lipstadt once said, “The press may not determine what the public thinks, but it does influence what it thinks about.” The influence of the press and media has always shaped discussion. In addition, without the press, it would be very difficult to know what goes on halfway across […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern The Courageous Twelve were a group of Black police officers from the St. Petersburg Police Department who took a stance against racism and injustice in the 1960s. For them, becoming police officers allowed them to make a difference in St. Petersburg, Florida. Leon Jackson, member of the Courageous Twelve, visited […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum invited the community to enjoy the 3rd Annual “Rays Up Night” with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, July 5! Holocaust Survivor and current Board member, Lisl Schick threw out the first pitch. Lisl Schick was born in Vienna, Austria. In 1939, at the age of eleven, her parents bravely sent […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern The Florida Holocaust Museum is excited to announce the opening of the exhibition, Loss and Affirmation: Illustrations and Drawings by William Pachner. The exhibition is opening on July 27, 2019 and will be open to the public through January 5, 2020. This collection was donated in 2016 by Pachner’s children, […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern The Florida Holocaust Museum has been selected as finalist for the 2019 Good ‘Burger Awards! A Good ‘Burger Award is given to a business, organization or individual in greater St. Petersburg that makes a positive impact in the St. Petersburg community. The FHM is a finalist in the Arts & […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern The Florida Holocaust Museum will unveil a rare letter handwritten by Albert Einstein on July 9, 2019. The letter will be on display in the Museum’s permanent exhibition, History, Heritage and Hope, located on the first floor. The letter was donated by past board chair and longtime Museum volunteer, Irene […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern The Florida Holocaust Museum is excited to participate in #MuseumWeek 2019. Throughout the week, #MuseumWeek is bringing together cultural institutions from across the globe. The theme is “7 Days, 7 themes, 7 Hashtags,” all of which are framed based on the role of women in the culture of yesterday, today […]

The events at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh were devastating. Worshipers who had come to synagogue to pray and to rejoice in a family celebration were targeted and murdered because of their faith. This is reported to be the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States. The Florida […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern Educating our children is one of the first steps we can take to create a world without hate and prejudice. Holocaust education is essential to ensure the memory of the Holocaust stays alive. Students across the nation have been touched by our Teaching Trunks. These large Teaching Trunks, available free […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern From touching lives to conveying a national identity, music is extremely powerful. Music goes hand and hand with society; rebellious teenagers listened to rock and roll in the sixties while today’s rappers comment on political controversies in their lyrics. Music has always acted as an outlet for people and the […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum has partnered with the Tampa Bay History Center to offer its “Speak Up, Speak Now!®” program to students. This is the first time that The FHM is providing this program in Tampa! This summer, The FHM will be working with approximately twenty-four summer camp students at the Tampa Bay History Center, ages seven to eleven. […]

Two years ago, on June 12, 2016, our communities were rocked by the massacre that occurred at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL. At The Florida Holocaust Museum, we are dedicated to teaching the members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life. We believe that education is key to ending […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) has partnered with the Pinellas and Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperatives to offer free admission to the Museum! This exciting new partnership allows for Pinellas and Hillsborough library cardholders to check out a museum pass to visit The Florida Holocaust Museum. One of only three accredited Holocaust museums in […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum In 1931, the International Olympic Committee announced that the 1936 Olympics would be held in Berlin, Germany. This choice recognized Germany’s inclusion in the world community after being isolated following World War I. The decision was made before Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor. As experienced […]

The Florida Holocaust Museum to offer free admission to active duty military personnel and their families through Blue Star Museums The Florida Holocaust Museum is offering free admission to United States active duty military personnel and their families, starting on Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 26, 2018. This program continues throughout the summer and ends […]

Zoe Wright, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum The Florida Holocaust Museum’s display of Operation Finale: The Capture and Trial of Adolf Eichmann is the very first exhibition in the United States that offers an inside look into the capture and trial of a Nazi war criminal.  The exhibition is co-produced by the […]

In 2016, through all Giving Challenge donations a total of $41,082 was raised for The Florida Holocaust Museum!  Donations made through The Giving Challenge were used to fund The FHM’s Educational and Outreach programs, such as the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award, Teaching Trunks, Law Enforcement and Society, Speak Up, Speak Now!® and Summer Institute for Teachers programs!  The Anne […]

 Becky Smith, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum August 17, 2017 marks National Nonprofit Day. Nonprofits are organizations or businesses trying to make the community a better place through education and advocacy by relying solely on donations. On September 9, The Florida Holocaust Museum is partnering with Keep St. Pete Lit to present the […]

 Becky Smith, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum The Florida Holocaust Museum has been nominated for TWO local community awards! The St. Petersburg Chamber has nominated the Museum for their “Good ‘Burger” award for Arts and Culture and Creative Loafing Tampa nominated the Museum for “Best Museum” in the Tampa Bay area. The “Good […]

“Hitler and the Nazis took everything away from us. The one thing they could never take away from anybody is the education they have.” -Lisl Schick, Holocaust Survivor  Becky Smith, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum   A few weeks ago, The Florida Holocaust Museum launched its annual Trunks of Hope campaign to continue […]

 Becky Smith, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum Due to popular demand, The FHM’s traveling exhibition, The Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945, has been extended through August 6, 2017. The exhibition examines the Nazi regimes attempt to eradicate homosexuality while promoting tolerance via personal stories, featured rhetoric and law of the time and interactive […]

***Enter Now for Your Chance to WIN!*** GETAWAY PACKAGE Featured above: Luggage from AAA Also included: Seven night stay in the Presidential Suite at the Orleans Waterfront Inn in Cape Cod, MA. $200/day dining voucher and whale watching cruise included. GAME PACKAGE Featured above: One night stay at the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, FL […]

 Sarah Hagerty, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum Two of The Florida Holocaust Museum’s volunteers, Martin Borell and Johanna Bromberg, have been nominated in the WEDU Be More Awards, an annual program that “celebrates the human spirit and showcases the best work by nonprofit organizations in West Central Florida and the individuals that support […]

 Sarah Hagerty, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum Łukasz Baksik’s exhibition Matzevot for Everyday Use premiered at The Florida Holocaust Museum on Saturday, October 15, 2016, featuring photographs of Jewish tombstones that were “repurposed” and integrated into walls, grindstones, roads, and other structures both during and after World War II. As Jewish graveyards were leveled and […]

To Life Chance Opportunity Drawing: Donate For Your Chance To WIN! The Florida Holocaust Museum’s To Life: 25th Anniversary Celebration will be held on February 25th, 2017, featuring keynote speaker David Eisenhower! During this event, a drawing will be held for three prize packages: Getaway, Game, and Jewelry packages. Tickets can be purchased at any […]

 Sarah Hagerty, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum This Saturday (9/24) admission to The Florida Holocaust Museum will be free of charge, as part of St. Petersburg’s Arts Alive Free Museum Day and Smithsonian magazine’s annual Museum Day Live! Recently named the #1 museum to visit in St. Petersburg – Clearwater by USA Today, […]

 Sarah Hagerty, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum The Giving Challenge is a 24-hour online fundraising event, starting Tuesday, September 20 at 12:00 p.m. and continuing until 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 21. During this day of giving, The Patterson Foundation will make a 2:1 match on all donations to The Florida Holocaust Museum. This […]

 Sarah Hagerty, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum Oz Pearlman kicked off The Florida Holocaust Museum’s 25th Anniversary year this Sunday (9/11) with an interactive and astounding performance of his unique blend of mentalism and magic at The Palladium Theatre in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. Oz has a unique connection to the Holocaust – […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The FHM has received two nominations for Creative Loafing Tampa‘s Best of the Bay contest! The Florida Holocaust Museum has been nominated in two Arts & Entertainment categories:  1. Best Museum- The Florida Holocaust Museum  2. Best Museum Exhibit- Beaches, Benches and Boycotts: The Civil Rights Movement in Tampa […]

 Erin Blankenship, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Curator of Exhibitions and Collections The Florida Holocaust Museum has three new exhibitions opening in July! The information for each exhibition is as follows: Helen Suzman: Fighter for Human Rights July 16 @ 10:00 am – September 25 @ 5:00 pm Helen Suzman: Fighter for Human Rights tells the story of Suzman’s rise […]

 Elizabeth Gelman, Executive Director of The Florida Holocaust Museum I cannot describe the sorrow I felt when I heard that Elie Wiesel had passed away. Like most of my generation, his book Night was the first I had ever read about the Holocaust. I still remember the strained conversations in my high school classroom. How […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager This week, The Florida Holocaust Museum is offering our Law Enforcement and Society: Lessons of the Holocaust (LEAS) program to participants of National Homeland Security Conference, along with the Tampa Police Department and the St Pete Police Department. Today, the Tampa Police Department visited the Museum and […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager Speak Up, Speak Now! (formerly the Paris Project) is an outreach program of The Florida Holocaust Museum. This is an eight-week summer program currently offered at select Pinellas County recreational facilities. This summer’s program kicked-off last week at Tyrone Middle School. Middle school age students […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager Teachers from Pinellas County Schools visited ‪The Florida Holocaust Museum today as part of the Summer Institute for Elementary School Teachers program.‪ Holocaust Survivor‬ Ellen Bernstein spoke to the teachers and shared her Survivor Story. Ellen Bernstein Nee Herschmann was born in Bonn, Germany. Hitler came into […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager Central to the mission of The Florida Holocaust Museum is the program to collect, preserve, and make available to the public the historical record and artistic and interpretation of the Holocaust and other genocides. The Museum collects and maintains the material that supports its efforts […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Senior Educator, Sandy Mermelstein was in Pensacola, Florida (Escambia County) last week for The FHM’s Summer Institute for Teachers program. The FHM’s Summer Institute for Teachers program, which was offered in Partnership with the School District of Escambia County, was a unique opportunity […]

All Admission Fees Collected on Saturday, June 18th to be Donated The Florida Holocaust Museum will be opening our doors on Saturday, June 18th in honor of the Pulse shooting victims and their families. All admission fees collected that day will be donated to the Pulse Victims Fund. In addition, there will be a public […]

 Elizabeth Gelman, Executive Director of The Florida Holocaust Museum The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Anne Frank Humanitarian Award was created out of the ashes of September 11th, conceived as a way to move our community’s eyes and hearts away from the violence that had sprung out of insensible hatred, and to focus on the good that […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Gelman and Curator of Education and Director of Research, Urszula Szczepinska were in West Palm Beach (Palm Beach County) this week for The FHM’s Summer Institute for Teachers program. The FHM’s Summer Institute for Teachers program, which was offered in […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager “Quick, get out the rain buckets!” These words are urgently spoken entirely too often inside of The Florida Holocaust Museum. Our leaking roof has been patched an innumerable amount of times and has produced short-lived results. Summer is quickly approaching, along with Florida’s torrential summer rain, […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager Holocaust Survivor‬ Marie Silverman is on site at ‪The FHM‬ this morning sharing her story to a packed house of students. As a child, Marie lived in Antwerp, Belgium with parents and sister. Her family fled to France and went into hiding on a farm […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Gelman and Curator of Education & Director of Research, Ula Szczepinska are on site in West Palm Beach today! This is part of The FHM’s Summer Institute for Teachers program, which is offered in Partnership with Yahad – In […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager Today marks the 72nd Anniversary of D-Day, the invasion by Allied forces of Nazi-occupied Europe on the beaches of Normandy. On the morning of June 6, 1944, 156,000 allied soldiers landed in Normandy, ready to liberate northern Europe from Nazi control. During World War II […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager At ‪‎The Florida Holocaust Museum, we offer the unique opportunity for students and visitors to hear a ‪‎Holocaust Survivor‬ give their personal testimony. Hearing ‪Survivor stories in person enables Museum visitors to translate the history of the Holocaust from abstract, staggering numbers into compelling experiences […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The German parliament has passed a symbolic resolution recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as a “genocide.” The motion declared the killings a deliberate act of ethnic cleansing.   The motion passed with overwhelming support from all parties in the Bundestag, Germany’s […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager STAGE Cast Club is proud to present The Diary of Anne Frank! STAGE, the theater group that is producing the show, is a cast club for Walt Disney World Cast Members and will be collecting donations for The Florida Holocaust Museum during the show run. STAGE will […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Executive Director (Elizabeth Gelman), Curator of Exhibitions and Collections (Erin Blankenship), and Assistant to the Executive Director (Korri Krajicek) traveled to Washington D.C. this past weekend to attend the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting! The American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager Today is #MusFavObject Day! In honor of Museum Favorite Object Day, please enjoy my Top 5 favorite objects at The Florida Holocaust Museum.    Garments (from In Search of the Lost Object) Gabrielle Rossmer was born in Bamberg, Germany. Her father was arrested the morning […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager Jackie Albin shared her Holocaust Survivor story with students and Museum visitors this week at The Florida Holocaust Museum‬. The FHM welcomes 10,000 students each year to tour the Museum and talk with a Survivor.  Jackie was born in France in 1937 and spent much of her […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The Florida Holocaust Museum is to proud to announce that we will be offering free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel and their families from May 30, 2016 – September 5, 2016! Each summer since 2010, Blue Star Museums have offered free admission to […]

  Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The Auburndale Public Library is recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month‬ by featuring books about the Holocaust and sharing information from The Florida Holocaust Museum with visitors. The Library is especially passionate about educating children and understands that knowledge is vital in helping to prevent future atrocities. […]

 Kristen Wright, The Florida Holocaust Museum’s Writer and Digital Content Manager The Florida Holocaust Museum is thrilled to announce that visitors are now permitted to take photographs inside of the Museum! (Please note: There is absolutely no flash photography allowed at any time. This will help us preserve our artifacts by cutting back on light exposure which […]

  Elizabeth Gelman, Executive Director of The Florida Holocaust Museum The Florida Holocaust Museum has been proud to participate in Give Day Tampa Bay since its inception two years ago. We’ve had fun creating videos and email and social media campaigns. And this fun paid dividends – with many donations being made in our name at […]

    Elizabeth Gelman, Executive Director of The Florida Holocaust Museum I was a camp counselor at a predominantly white day camp one summer, and one of my duties was to ride the bus with the kids each morning and afternoon. One day, while the bus was stopped at a light, two of the fifth grade […]

 Elizabeth Gelman, Executive Director of The Florida Holocaust Museum I write this inaugural blog post as I fly back to sunny St Pete from sunny California. The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) Curator of Exhibitions & Collections, Erin Blankenship, and I have just finished spending the last few days in Los Angeles getting to know […]