Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach Opens State-of-the-Art Education Center
The Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, a Committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, has entered a new era in Holocaust education, with the opening of its state-of-the-art Education Center.
Situated on the southwest corner of the Memorial campus at 1933-1945 Meridian Avenue, the Education Center brings the story of the Holocaust into the 21st century with cutting-edge interactive technology, historic film footage and family photographs, contemporary news reports and more. It greatly expands on the Memorial’s longstanding mission to preserve Holocaust memories, educate new generations and confront the scourge of antisemitism.
The Education Center features:
- Expansive exhibition space, with 11 permanent indoor panels tracing the historical arc of the Holocaust and including family photos from local residents, and two digital panels on the recent, dramatic rise in worldwide antisemitism and other important current events (to be updated regularly)
- Multi-use space for virtual reality engagement, lectures and educational programs for students and visitors of all ages
- Two Knight Digital Theaters featuring the USC Shoah Foundation’s Dimensions in Testimony and USC Libraries Interactive Interviews. These interactive biography exhibits enable visitors to conduct real-time, one-on-one interviews with Holocaust survivors and witnesses and learn those survivors’ experiences under Nazi rule, in the concentration camps, and after liberation. Currently, the exhibit features the testimonies of 5 Holocaust survivors and 1 liberator (5 in English, 1 in Spanish).
“The voices of Holocaust survivors are the backbone of this institution,” said Norman Braman, a Memorial Founder and a past President of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. “Their eyewitness accounts and stories of resilience have inspired our visitors for the last 36 years, and the Education Center is a continuation of their legacy for future generations.”
“Interacting with Holocaust survivors is the most impactful experience a visitor can have,” said Holocaust Memorial Chief Executive Officer Sheri Zvi, “Through the lens of film, virtual reality and interactive interviews, eyewitness testimony will always be at the heart of the Education Center.”
Since the Memorial’s opening in 1990, 2.6 million visitors have walked the peaceful grounds of this meaningful landmark. Guided by Holocaust survivors, descendants of survivors and trained docents, students, teachers and other visitors learn about the events leading up the Holocaust and the horrors that ensued. Survivors and other Memorial volunteers also visit classrooms throughout Miami-Dade County to lead insightful conversations with students of all backgrounds.
“Holocaust education is mandated in the state of Florida,” said Braman, “and we are proud to welcome educators and support them in teaching these events of the past so that they may never be repeated.”
The original Memorial grounds had their beginnings in the mid-1980s when a group of Holocaust survivors and community leaders commissioned architect and artist Kenneth Treister to plan and create a memorial to those lives and communities destroyed in the Holocaust. Designed as a place for contemplation and learning, Treister’s impactful Memorial features lush memorial gardens, a large reflecting pool, a dramatic four-story bronze arm sculpture and, hundreds of bronze sculptures of men, women and children in agony, terror and sorrow.
“My parents were Holocaust survivors who inspired me throughout my life and were the reason I began a journey in 1985 along with the original Founders toward building of the Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach,” said Ezra Katz, a Memorial Founder and a Federation past President. “The next natural phase had to be an Education Center, which evolved from a visit to the Holocaust Museum Houston six years ago.”
“The planning of the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach began the year I was born and has been a formative part of my life ever since,” said Jessica Katz, immediate past Chair of the Memorial and Ezra Katz’s daughter. “I am incredibly proud of our new Education Center, a tribute to our Holocaust survivors — including my own grandparents — and their bravery.”
“For decades, the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach has stood as a steadfast reminder of what can happen when vicious hatred, bigotry and antisemitism go unchecked,” said Greater Miami Jewish Federation President & CEO Scott Kaufman. “The Memorial has served as a place for memory, awareness and reflection. Now, with the addition of the Education Center, it will serve new generations of visitors — Jews and non-Jews alike — as a source for knowledge and meaningful conversation.”
“We are so grateful to the City of Miami Beach, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and our generous donors. Their tireless support of the Memorial and our Mission has enabled us to fulfill the vision of our Founders, secure our facilities on a daily basis and greatly enhance our educational capacity,” said Matan Benaviv, Chair of the Holocaust Memorial. “We also deeply appreciate the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which has enabled us to build the state-of-the-art theaters that bring Holocaust experiences to life.”
“I envision the new Education Center as a gathering place to bring awareness of the Holocaust for generations present and future, to exemplify strength and resilience in the face of horrible circumstances, and to invite constructive dialogue,” said Jessica Katz. “My hope is to inspire future generations, including my grandchildren, to learn about the history of the European Jewish community’s near annihilation, yet having its survivors teach about tolerance and mutual respect amongst all human beings,” concluded Ezra Katz.
For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Sheri Zvi, Chief Executive Officer, at [email protected] or 305.538.1673.
Dimensions in TestimonySM was developed in association with Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, with technology by USC Institute for Creative Technologies, and concept by Conscience Display. Funding for Dimensions in Testimony was provided in part by Pears Foundation, Louis. F. Smith, Melinda Goldrich and Andrea Cayton/Goldrich Family Foundation in honor of Jona Goldrich, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and Genesis Philanthropy Group (R.A.). Other partners include CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center.