By Samuel Asher, Executive Director, Virginia Holocaust Museum
As September arrives, the Museum comes alive with the return of students on field trips and group tours, bringing a vibrant energy after the quiet summer months.
In September, we’re excited to offer two special programs that you can sign up for on our website, along with a major exhibit update.
Special Programs in September
Sept. 4, 6-8 p.m. | Virginia Holocaust Museum
Richmond Mayoral Forum – Presented by the Jewish Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, The Rotary Club of Richmond, and Fellow Rotarians. Moderated by Jeff Schapiro from the Richmond, Times-Dispatch and Michael Phillips, from The Richmonder.
Sept. 5, 6-8 p.m. | at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture
Join us for a compelling lecture and book signing event: A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America. Author, photographer, and exhibition curator Andrew Feiler will present images and stories from his extraordinary journey into the history of Rosenwald schools. The evening will conclude with an author book signing and light refreshments.
Sept. 18, 6-7 p.m. | at Agecroft Hall & Garden
Don’t miss our special tour, Judaism in Early Modern England and 20th Century Virginia. This tour begins with the expulsion of the Jews in 1290, exploring the secrecy, forced conversions, and discrimination faced by the Jewish community in England.
The focus will be on the 16th and 17th centuries, including their eventual re-entry, professions held, stereotypes associated with their work, and the portrayal of Jews in literature, such as William Shakespeare’s Shylock. Megan Ferenczy, Director of Education at the Virginia Holocaust Museum, will then lead a discussion in the Williams Library, connecting past events with a uniquely Richmond story.
She will discuss 20th-century antisemitism and the response of a local Richmond family to the events in 1930s Europe.
Sept. 22nd, noon- 5 p.m. | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (starting location)
Initiates of Change’s International Peace Week celebration concludes with a special 4th annual Intersecting History Museum Crawl based on the theme “US: A Belonging Beyond Borders.”
Attendees will be able to visit 9 area museums free of charge (including VHM!) while exploring exhibitions and gaining a more inclusive, peace-focused understanding of our city’s history. Charter buses will offer rides between museums at no cost to attendees, thanks in part to sponsorship from Richmond Region Tourism.
The participants include: the American Civil War Museum-Historic Tredegar Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU The Poe Museum The Valentine Museum, the Virginia Holocaust Museum Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Sept. 29, 2-4 p.m. | Weinstein JCC
GIADO: Directed by Golan Rise & Sharon Yaish
Co-presented by the Embassy of Israel, Moderated by Efrat Hochstetler, Counselor for Public Diplomacy, Hosted by the Holocaust Museum & Weinstein JCC at the JCC
At the young age of 20, Yosef Dadosh was among 3,000 Jews sent from their homes in Benghazi to the Giado concentration camp nestled in the heart of the Libyan desert. Amidst extreme conditions, he bravely chronicled life within the camp through a secret diary.
For seven decades, his diary remained locked away in a closet, concealed from the world, until after his passing. Yosef’s diary provides an extraordinary and rare window into the harrowing routine at Giado. It captures the atrocities endured by its inhabitants in real-time, offering an intimate and chilling account of their suffering.
Despite his dedication to raising awareness about the Holocaust of Libyan Jews and fighting for its recognition by the State of Israel, Yosef chose to keep his ordeal hidden from his children.
For more details and to register for all the events listed above, please visit https://www.vaholocaust.org/events/
Upcoming Exhibit:
Dimensions in Testimony Theater
This September, we’re also putting the finishing touches on our new Dimensions in Testimony Theater from the USC Shoah Foundation.
This groundbreaking exhibit uses advanced recording and display technologies, along with next-generation natural language processing, to allow visitors to engage in real-time conversations with two-dimensional representations of Holocaust survivors.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to connect personally with Survivors and gain a deeper understanding of their experiences.
The exhibit, featuring Survivors Halina Zimm, Pinchas Gutter, Eva Kore, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, and US Liberator Alan Moskin, and will open on Oct. 30th, just in time for our Annual Meeting.
