US Holocaust Memorial Museum - 20th Anniversary National Tour: Los Angeles

US Holocaust Memorial Museum - 20th Anniversary National Tour: Los Angeles

issued 02/17/13

UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM BRINGS 20th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE NATIONAL TOUR TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Museum’s National Tour Honor Local Holocaust Survivors and World War II Veterans on Sunday, February 17 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California. 

Marking two decades of honoring the memory of the Holocaust and inspiring citizens and leaders worldwide, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will brought its commemorative 20th anniversary National Tour to Los Angeles on Sunday, February 17. 

The centerpiece of the Museum’s 20th anniversary is a National Tribute to Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans to be held in Washington, DC, in April. In addition to the National Tour and Tribute, the Museum is launching a nationwide call to action to secure the permanence of Holocaust memory and ensure its lessons are carried into the future. More information on the Tribute, Tour and anniversary activities can be found atwww.ushmm.org/neveragain.

“Twenty years after the founding of the Museum, the timeless lessons of the Holocaust—the fragility of democracy, the nature of hate and the consequences of indifference—are more relevant than ever,” said Sara J. Bloomfield, director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “As we honor Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans in the Los Angeles community, we pledge to them that we will forever remember their experiences and teach the world about the Holocaust and its lessons for humanity.”

The Museum’s anniversary theme, Never Again: What You Do Matters, asks the Los Angeles community, and all Americans, to reaffirm the nation’s pledge to honor Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans and challenges today’s generations to act upon the lessons of the Holocaust. The Museum has developed 20 actions that anyone, anywhere can take to preserve Holocaust memory and fulfill the promise of Never Again. 

20th Anniversary National Tour—Los Angeles

Today, Sunday, February 17, the Museum was in Los Angeles at the Skirball Cultural Center to honor Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans, bringing the history and lessons of the Holocaust to this important community, and thank area residents for their continued support, which has helped to secure the future of the Museum’s important work.                                                                                                                  

The Museum’s free, daylong public event featured programming and family activities. People of all ages were invited to participate in this historic moment. 

Event attendees in Los Angeles had the opportunity to attend interactive workshops and panel discussions that will engage audiences with thought-provoking questions, such as “Who was responsible for the Holocaust?” What if Hitler had access to the Internet?” “Does memory have the power to change the world?” and “Can we make never again more than a promise?” Speakers include:

• Sara Bloomfield: Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Warren Olney: Host of PRI’s To the Point
• Peter Hayes: Editor of Lesson and Legacies: The Meaning of the Holocaust in a Changing World
  • Dan Schnur: Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California
  • Elie Attie: Screenwriter, producer, and former political speechwriter
  • Philip Zimbardo: Author of The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil 

Museum curators were on site to provide information on how to preserve Holocaust-era artifacts or donate personal collections as part of the Museum’s ongoing work to rescue the evidence of the Holocaust. On-site family research and services will be available for survivors and their families. Rare films and historical footage from the Museum’s collection that have never been seen outside the Museum’s walls will be featured for special viewings.

The Tour concluded with an hour-long Tribute ceremony to honor southern California-area Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans as they pass a challenge to new generations to always remember the victims and survivors, and to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust.