A little more than 70 years ago, two-year-old Mickey Shapiro arrived with his parents, Holocaust survivors Sara and Asa Shapiro, in the United States from a Displaced Persons camp in Germany. When they came to America, Mickey estimates that they had about $8 in their pocket. Sara and Asa built a life and family here in America where they worked with dedication to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. Mickey honors his parents and carries on that legacy through his work with USC Shoah Foundation.

Mickey is one of Michigan's top financiers and developers; he has ownership positions in numerous real estate entities across the United States. Mickey is actively involved in numerous charitable organizations throughout the country and was appointed by President Bush as a Council member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

For nearly two decades, Mickey has been involved with USC Shoah Foundation ever since he was invited to visit and meet with Founder Steven Spielberg on the Universal Studios Backlot where the organization was based in its formative years. He immediately committed to becoming a part of the Shoah Foundation family after his initial visit.

“Whatever I could do, I wanted to do,” Mickey said. “My parents are both survivors, and it was so important to me that USC Shoah Foundation could share their story and others with as many people as possible.”

Mickey is currently an Executive Committee member of USC Shoah Foundation Board of Councilors, providing leadership and supporting the Institute’s mission and programs.

In 2015, Mickey chaired the Institute’s first Ambassadors for Humanity Gala held in Michigan at the Henry Ford Museum, honoring Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford Motor Company. The event was hosted by Steve Carell, with a musical performance by James Taylor and with Special Guest Halle Berry. Mickey said he wanted to “bring Hollywood to Michigan” in an effort to introduce the Institute to the local philanthropic community and show its commitment to bringing testimony-based educational programs to Detroit. The gala was attended by nearly 1,000 guests from the Detroit area and launched the Institute’s Educational Initiative, IWitness Detroit, in partnership with the Ford Motor Company, bringing educator training workshops to school districts around the Metro Detroit area.

Nearly seven years later, the activities and programs built around that event continue to have an impact, not only in communities in Michigan but the model has expanded around the country.

In 2016, Mickey endowed the Sara and Asa Shapiro Annual Holocaust Testimony Scholar and Lecture Fund. The program enables scholars to spend up to a month in residence at USC Shoah Foundation working alongside other fellows and scholars to uncover new findings contained within the Visual History Archive. Each fellowship culminates in a public lecture. 

By endowing the Sara and Asa Shapiro Scholar and Lecture Fund and naming it after his parents, Mickey honors their story of survival. Sara recorded her testimony for USC Shoah Foundation in 2012; both have since passed on, Asa in 2017 and Sara in 2018. Mickey’s endowment gift serves as a role model for other survivor’s stories to be recorded and honored.

Mickey said he is motivated to be involved with USC Shoah Foundation simply because the stories of Holocaust survivors must be told. He has seen firsthand how profoundly USC Shoah Foundation can educate and inspire people even in the most unexpected places.

Mickey recalled sitting in an airport lounge, getting ready to fly to Poland to attend USC Shoah Foundation’s program, Auschwitz: The Past is Present, in January 2015 to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The pilot came up to him and asked if he was going to Auschwitz. “My daughter never believed in the Holocaust. She was a non-believer. But she met somebody from the Shoah Foundation, and now she teaches it,” Mickey recalled the pilot saying. “Every little bit helps, and you never know what is going to happen and when real good can come out of it,” reflected Mickey.

Shortly after his 2015 Poland trip, Mickey decided to confront his family history head-on through film. He executive produced the award-winning feature film, My Name Is Sara, about his mother’s extraordinary story of survival. The film is a moving example of the power of intergenerational storytelling and confronting one’s past.

In 2018, Mickey named the Sara and Asa Shapiro Visitors Lounge at USC Shoah Foundation’s Global Headquarters on the USC Campus. The space allows not only students on campus, but people from all around the world, to gather around the work of the Institute as well as to view the Dimensions in Testimony interactive survivor testimony interface.

Mickey served as an executive producer again in 2019 on another film, Liberation Heroes: The Last Eyewitnesses, in association with USC Shoah Foundation for Discovery Channel. The award-winning documentary explores the journeys of Liberators and Liberation Witnesses, drawing parallels between the past and present. 

His generosity also honors the memory of his many family members who perished in the Polish (now Ukrainian) town of Korets during World War II. “My historical knowledge, coupled with my deep emotions, fuel my need to help ensure these events do not happen again,” states Mickey.

In 2021, Mickey expanded the footprint of the Sara and Asa Shapiro Visitors Lounge by naming the Shapiro Testimony and Technology Wing at USC Shoah Foundation’s Global Headquarters. The Wing will now include the Executive Conference Room, the Office of the Endowed Research Chair, the Research Commons, the Research Fellows Study, and the Testimony Editing Suite.

The Shapiro Testimony and Technology Wing is a physical manifestation of Mickey’s extraordinary commitment and passion for ensuring the stories of the Holocaust are heard for generations to come and are used to shape and inform behaviors and attitudes through increased scholarship and research. 

Mickey’s philanthropy is transformational, as he continues to honor the Shapiro Family and his commitment to fighting anti-Jewish hatred through the use of survivor testimony and innovative technology. His dedication ensures that the mission of USC Shoah Foundation – to develop empathy, understanding, and respect through testimony – continues to have an enduring effect on generations of students, educators, and the general public worldwide.