2018 Fall Bearing Witness Magazine

FALL 2018, NO. 1

Under Construction World War II-era Railcar and Danish Rescue Boat Move Into Their Permanent Home | pg. 4 Gratitude Report | pg. 19

Chief Executive Officer Kelly J. Zúñiga, Ed.D. Editors Robin Cavanaugh Clare Legg Holocaust Museum Houston Morgan Family Center 9220 Kirby Dr., Suite 100 | Houston, TX 77054 Holocaust Museum Houston is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the Houston Museum District Association. HMH Bearing Witness is the official magazine of Holocaust Museum Houston. © 2018, All rights reserved. Board of Trustees FY18-19 Chair Benjamin Warren Vice Chairs DEVELOPMENT Heidi Gerger EDUCATION Carl Josehart FACILITIES Butch Mach MARKETING Tracey Shappro OUTREACH Inna Wizig SURVIVOR SERVICES Hyman Penn, M.D. Treasurer Steve Estrin Secretary Nancy Li-Tarim Immediate Past Chair Gary Markowitz Ex Officio Kelly J. Zúñiga, Ed.D. Chief Executive Officer | Holocaust Museum Houston Jack Kins Chair | Holocaust Museum Houston Foundation TEL: 713-942-8000 FAX: 713-942-7953 info@hmh.org

Letter From The Chair

Benjamin Warren, Board Chair

Dear HMH Family and Friends, It is my great honor to serve as Board Chair for Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) at this juncture in its history and at this promising time for our future. My parents, Naomi and Martin Warren, blessed are their memories, were Holocaust Survivors and this Museum holds both their life stories and their hopes for a brighter future. I am proud to honor them and their legacies by leading HMH’s renaissance, keeping the dreams and voices of our beloved Survivors and those who perished in the Holocaust very much alive as we transition to our new Lester and Sue Smith Campus. In this issue of Bearing Witness, you will learn about our new Museum in detail but what I want to emphasize is that not one new brick or slab of concrete would have been made possible without HMH’s generous donors and dedicated leadership, staff, Survivors, visitors, docents and volunteers. We have worked incredibly hard as a team to build our new Museum and I would like to say thank you to everyone for making a vision developed over many years into a beautiful new Holocaust Museum for our families, our community and learners everywhere to appreciate. Part of what makes HMH’s mission so meaningful is our dedication to our children’s futures through many powerful education programs. I want to recognize our Education Department for its tremendous accomplishment of educating so many students and adults over the past year - Engines of Change, Educator in Motion, the iPad Digital Trunk Program, Latin outreach initiatives, the Warren Fellowship for Future Teachers, the Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute and the East End outreach programs – each one offering the educational tools and encouragement for every individual to become an Upstander by fighting apathy and hate. Once we move to the new campus, I would encourage everyone to experience the extraordinary learning opportunities we make possible for our community by engaging in an educational program that resonates personally with you. Believe me when I say, you’ll come away with an energized sense of how we intend to have a growing impact on the community, challenging those who visit our Museum to become active participants in making decisions that will make the world more tolerant, respectful and inclusive. We will have expanded the Josef and Edith Mincberg Gallery space on the first floor and the 200- seat Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater and four classrooms equipped with state of the art technology on the second floor to utilize as new learning spaces. I couldn’t be more excited about HMH’s educational opportunities and future possibilities. In advance of our new Museum opening, there will be numerous opportunities for you, our most committed supporters and ambassadors, to be the first to see the new HMH. I look forward to welcoming you and having you be a part of these celebrations as Holocaust Museum Houston prepares to open to the public in June 2019. I’m counting on each of you to join me in warmly welcoming the Houston community to the Lester and Sue Smith Campus in the heart of the Museum District, and into our new home – the beautiful new Holocaust Museum Houston. Warm regards,

The Museum’s exterior construction is nearly complete, giving passersby a better picture of what the finished building will look like. Walls are being finished with brick, the World War II-era railcar and Danish Rescue Boat were moved inside to their permanent homes and the rotunda’s roof has been raised to emit light at night. ON THE COVER

IN EVERY ISSUE 7 Upcoming 10

Membership

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Affinity Groups

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Texas Liberators Texas Liberators and their families honored at medal ceremony 15

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14 The Butterfly Project at the United Nations The Butterfly Project exhibition travelled to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust in January 2018

In the Country of Numbers, where the men have no names Exhibit tells the story of Jewish men imprisoned in Sachsenhausen

LBJ 2018 Moral Courage Award Dinner Dinner honoring President George W. Bush raises record $4.2 Million

Education Learn about the HMH Education Team's impact

Trustees Crystal Ashby Tali Blumrosen Nancy Dinerstein Mindy Morgan Finger

Jerry Martin Alfie Meyerson Russell Molina Mark Mucasey Corey F. Powell Jerry Rochman Limor Smith David Solomon Jennifer B. Stockel Alberta Totz Chaja Verveer

Daniel P. Gordon Guillermo Guefen Shelly Hendry Laura Jaramillo

Mady Kades Evan H. Katz Gail Klein

Gratitude Report 19

Feedback Comments and suggestions are welcome and should be submitted to HMH Bearing Witness to news@hmh.org.

Benjamin Warren Board Chair

Press Requests news@hmh.org

FALL 2018 | 3

EXPANS ION

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World War II-era Railcar and Danish Rescue Boat Move Into Their Permanent Home

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n January 2018, construction began and two of the Museum’s most iconic artifacts, the 1942 World War II-era Railcar and the

In April, donors and board members ceremoniously tossed multiples of 18 pennies into the foundation of the new Museum. In Judaism, the number 18 is synonymous with the word “chai,” meaning “life” in Hebrew. The group was joined by Rabbi Brian Strauss who spoke of the significance of the Museum’s new building. In May, the boat and railcar were once again moved in a crane “flyover” into their permanent home inside the future Museum, currently under construction at 5401 Caroline Street. The artifacts, formally located outside of the Museum,

were moved indoors for preservation as construction of the new 57,000-square- foot building continued around them. The new building's exterior walls are finished with brick on the north, west and east elevations, giving passersby the first glimpse of what the completed building will look like. In early 2019, exhibition designers Ralph Applebaum and Associates will begin installation of the permanent Holocaust Gallery, Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers , the Human Rights Gallery and the Rhona and Bruce Caress Gallery, "And Still I Write" Young Diarists on War and Genocide.

Danish Rescue Boat, were moved in a crane “flyover” to a temporary location and housed under a 50’ X 60’ industrial canopy. The 1942 World War II-era Railcar, the type used to carry thousands of Jews and other innocent victims to their deaths during the Holocaust, was located by the Museum in Blankenburg, Germany in 2005. It was acquired, refurbished and opened as part of the Museum’s permanent collection in December 2005.

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This page: 1: The Museum’s exterior walls being finished with brick. 2: HMH Director of Collections and Exhibitions Carol Manley, HMH Assistant Curator JT Buzanga 3: The Danish Rescue Boat being moved by crane. 4: The WWII-era Railcar being moved to its permanent home. 5: Tamara Savage, Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga, Velva G. Levine

6: Gary Markowitz, Gail Klein, Mark Mucasey 7: Holocaust Survivor Chaja Verveer being interviewed about the first boat and railcar “flyover.” 8: Eileen Weisman and Shirley Morgan take part in a ceremony to bring good luck to the new building. 9: Gary Markowitz tosses 18 pennies into the foundation of the new building.

Top Photo: The WWII-era Railcar being moved to a temporary location for the start of construction.

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EVENT

UPCOMING

Top to Bottom: 7: Monica Fulton, Kimberly Cutchall 8: Alison Altenberg, Eileen Weisman 9: AJ and Katie Brass, Laura and Ned Davenport 10: Dylan and Jordan Seff, Jennifer and Jeb Ligums 11: Cheryl Byington, Beth Wolff, Dr. Mary Ann Wilkins

Americans and the Holocaust with Dr. Daniel Greene Thursday, December 6, 2018 6:30 PM - 8 PM Location: Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater Northwestern University history professor Dr. Daniel Greene curated the exhibition, Americans and the Holocaust , which opened earlier this year at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. The exhibition dispels some of history's myths and misconceptions, including that Americans "knew nothing" about the threat of Nazism during

2018 Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award Dinner George W. Bush 43rd President of the United States

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Dr. Daniel Greene

23 rd Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award Dinner Honoring President George W. Bush Raises Record $4.2 Million Smith family chairs largest dinner fundraiser in history of Holocaust Museum Houston

the 1930s and '40s. Greene will discuss the process of creating the exhibition, examine Americans' responses to Nazism and ask why rescue of Jews never became a priority for most Americans.

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Forced Into Genocide: Memoirs of an Armenian Soldier in the Ottoman Turkish Army with Adrienne Alexanian Thursday, April 4, 2019 6:30 PM - 8 PM Location: Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater The memoir, “Forced into Genocide,” was edited by Adrienne Alexanian, from her father Yervant Edward Alexanian’s handwritten chronicles. As an Armenian conscript in the Turkish army, Yervant was an unwilling eyewitness to the massacre and displacement of his countrymen in Ottoman Turkey Curator Talk with Dr. Astrid Ley Tuesday, January 15, 2019 6:30 PM - 8 PM Location: Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater Dr. Astrid Ley, deputy director of Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum will discuss curating the exhibit, In the Country of Numbers, where the men have no names. It is through interviews with family members of the 2nd and 3rd generation of those who survived the Pogrom Night of November 1938, that the idea for this exhibition was conceived. Upon visiting the Sachsenhausen Memorial, families

today’s pressing challenges. President Bush’s focus on our military servicemen and woman, veterans, and their families was most notably recognized in his recent book New York Times bestseller, Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors, which honors the courage and sacrifice of America’s veterans. TheeveningwaschairedbyLesterandSueSmith and Lester’s children and their spouses, Shelly and Brian Hendry and Limor and Stuart Smith. Honorary chairs included The Bush Family, Senator Joe Lieberman, Margaret Alkek Williams and City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. Mady and Ken Kades served as host committee chairs. In lieu of a keynote speech, The Honorable Fred Zeidman, Chairman Emeritus of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, facilitated an engaging conversation with President Bush discussing key events during his time as President and his life since leaving office. The VIP reception was generously underwritten by The Astros Foundation, with the general reception sponsored by Tenenbaum Jewelers. Special thanks also goes out to The Events Company, PaperCity, United Airlines and Vision Productions.

Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH) celebrated its 23rd Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award Dinner Thursday, May 24, 2018, by honoring George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States. One of Houston’s largest philanthropic events boasting 1,150 guests at Hilton Americas-Houston, the annual dinner raised a record-breaking $4.2 million to support the worldwide educational programs of the Museum. The prior record was $2.1 million raised at the 2005 LBJ dinner. Holocaust Museum Houston presents the Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award to individuals who have taken a stand against injustice, hatred and prejudice, and used their skills and influence to make a better world for all people. During his tenure, President Bush provided leadership and moral courage to keep Americans safe after the horrific September 11 attacks. Additionally, he used this same resolve to launch humanitarian initiatives to provide more than $3.3 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Today, President Bush’s attention is on the Bush Institute, the nonpartisan, public policy arm of the Bush Center, which engages communities in the United States and around the world by developing leaders, advancing policy, and taking action to solve

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Dr. Astrid Ley

were asked how their own lives had been affected by the events of 1938, their memories of parents or grandparents, and what they had been told about the arrests, imprisonment, violence, flight and exile.

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Top to Bottom: 1: President George W. Bush, Chairs Sue and Lester Smith 2: Chairs Stuart and Limor Smith, Chairs Shelly and Brian Hendry 3: Gary Markowitz, Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga, Benajmin Warren 4: Thomas Sloane, Jr., Crystal Ashby 5: Honorable Fred Zeidman, Mayor Sylvester Turner 6: Ron and Julie Finck

during WWI. Alexanian was forced to become an onlooker while he watched the atrocities unfold. His story of resourceful action and fateful turn is a suspenseful “insider’s account” of a Genocide survivor.

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he Education Team spent an incredible summer teaching and learning, doing Museum work, T Educators Abroad EDUCAT ION

EDUCAT ION

Our work with community partners continues to be fundamental to our outreach initiatives. On the morning of September 15, 2018, Holocaust Museum Houston and the Education Department presented three sessions to educators at the 2018 Houston Arts Partners Conference. The theme of the 2018 Conference, SYNERGY 2018: Highlighting Arts Partnerships for Students with Diverse Learning Needs, aligns well with HMH’s educational mission and vision. Sessions included: 1) Work with English Language Learners and children’s picture books to teach about Upstanders (presented by Wendy Warren, Laurie Garcia and Coach Sue Scheppele); 2) Using art as a tool with students affected by PTSD. During the session, participants learned from the experience of Friedl Dicker Brandeis an Austrian artist who worked with children in Theresienstadt and from Shane Koyzcan, a Canadian spoken word artist (presented by Dr. Hyman Penn, Rebecca Hopp/TUTS, and Mary Lee Webeck); and 3) Holocaust history (presented by Wendy Warren), working with musician and HMH community member Marci Sterling and her Klezmer musicians. Houston Arts Partners Conference

Drs. Emil and Anna Steinberger Teaching Excellence Award

traveling to historic sites and working with scholars to increase their understanding of the incredible, complex field in which they work. HMH CEO Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga, Dr. Mary Lee Webeck, Wendy Warren, Alyssa Weinstein-Sears and docent Jerry Rochman attended Yad Vashem’s international conference in Jerusalem. After the conference, Alyssa and her husband Joe Weinstein-Sears, a teacher at the Emery-Weiner School, stayed for the International Seminar for Educators. Mary Lee Webeck went to Germany with the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. Laurie Garcia went to Columbia University with the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous and Michelle Tovar attended the Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Teachers Program in Germany and Poland.

The Drs. Emil and Anna Steinberger Teaching Excellence Award was presented to HISD educator Coach Sue Scheppele for her incredible work promoting Holocaust education at the Wharton Dual Language Academy PK-8.

Kelly Webeck, Jerry Rochman, Dr. Mary Lee Webeck, Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga, Wendy Warren, Alyssa Weinstein-Sears, Joe Weinstein-Sears

Michelle Tovar visits Warsaw

Coach Sue Scheppele, Dr. Anna Steinberger

Engines of Change Student Ambassador Program Update

Laurie Garcia at Columbia University, fourth from right, bottom row

The HMH Engines of Change Student Ambassador Program had a successful second year. 40 students from 20 public and private high schools across the Houston area participated in the program. Student Ambassadors met monthly throughout the school year to examine, discuss and debate current issues in society. Students explored the

his summer in correlation with the exhibition, The Faces of Syrian Refugees , T Creating Inclusive Communities Teacher Workshop

activities, literature, and lessons that teachers can take back to their classrooms. These groups included, the Red Sand Project, Houston Public Library, Interfaith Ministries, Refugee Council USA, and PAIR Houston. Twenty-two educators who work directly with refugee students and wanted to learn more about the refugee experience, and/or how students can become active advocates joined HMH for this inclusive and informative workshop.

This fall, Holocaust Museum Houston celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with two events focused on the untold narratives of the Latino experience. In correlation with The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust , Historian Dr. Jesus Esparza lectured about the experience of several WWII Latino soldiers from the Houston area who contributed to the Allied victory Spanish Outreach and Latin American Initiatives

Holocaust Museum Houston hosted a one-day education workshop for teachers in the Greater Houston area. The workshop offered resources and information on refugee resettlement and awareness through collaborations with refugee advocacy groups that work in conjunction with the HMH Education Department to provide

historical themes of prejudice, discrimination, social cruelty and hate speech that were present during the Holocaust and still affect our lives today. As we begin the third year of the program, we welcome 85 ambassadors from 24 area schools into the program. The increase in Student Ambassadors includes a satellite group at the Cristo Rey Jesuit School to begin in January. In April, the Engines of Change Student Ambassadors participated in the citywide Yom HaShoah commemoration where high school senior Maisha Rahman, an Engines of Change Student Ambassador, received the 2018 Yom HaShoah Scholarship. Maisha wrote in her essay, “The constant reminder of the Holocaust’s effects should encourage us to value and respect each and every individual.” Maisha is currently a freshman at the University of Texas, San Antonio.

Teachers tour The Faces of Syrian Refugees exhibition

and played a role in ending one of the most heinous and atrocious crimes against humanity, the Holocaust. Also during Hispanic Heritage Month, HMH screened the documentary, "Cuatro Puntos Cardinales," followed by a Q&A session with the film's director, Javier Kafie. This documentary portrayed stories from El Salvador and shows the cultural, social and ecological diversity of the region. These events were geared to inform Houstonians of the Museum’s ongoing Latino outreach and initiatives.

lyssa Weinstein-Sears is the newest addition to the Education Department. She began her involvement with the A Meet Our New Educator

Alyssa has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing from the Pennsylvania State University, a certificate in Strategic Communication from The University of Texas and is completing her Masters in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Gratz College in Pennsylvania. Alyssa is married and has four amazing children—two of the human variety and two of the canine.

Museum as a 2017 Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute attendee, became a member of the Education Committee and was originally hired as an Educator in Motion in January 2018. Now working for the team full-time, Alyssa is the Summer Learning Experiences Manager for the Museum. She is responsible for creating and executing summer programs beginning in Summer 2019.

Dr. Jesus Esparza, Lauren Reyes, Carmen Reyes

Alyssa Weinstein-Sears

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MEMBERSHI P

ART CIRCLE

Become an HMH Member Today It is an exciting time to be an HMH Member! In June 2019, we will unveil the new Lester and Sue Smith Campus, which will be the fourth-largest Holocaust museum in the country. In our expanded facilities, we will be able to showcase more exhibits, host more community events and accommodate more visitors, enabling the Museum to welcome an even wider and more diverse audience. As an HMH Member, you will be invited for a first-look at the new building, receive free admission and reduced parking, as well as special discounts at the new café and bookstore for one full year. By becoming an HMH Member, you not only support our mission to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, you’re supporting our promise to Holocaust survivors to make our future different from their past.

It is with great pride and pleasure that I announce the new 2018/2019 Season for Art Circle! Please join me in supporting this special art affinity group whose mission is to connect Holocaust Museum Houston members and the Houston community with artists and collectors engaged in social, political and/or human rights issues. Through a membership in Art Circle, you may deepen your understanding of the purpose and function of art, as well as broaden your perspective on humanity by opening your eyes and seeing art in a variety of lights as one would ideally see mankind. Art Circle takes in exhibition or collection-centric events partnered with art education, cocktails, nibbles and more…an excellent opportunity to stay connected with other art enthusiasts in the area, all while supporting the creation of art exhibitions at the Museum and advancing upstanding convictions and positive actions. Please visit hmh.org to see the complete 2018-2019 Art Circle Program and become a member of Art Circle without delay!

Sandy Block at the preview for The Faces of Syrian Refugees

Be a part of the Museum’s future and become an HMH Member today! Contact Membership Services at 713-527-1616 or join on line at hmh.org/membership.

Mady Kades, Chair Art Circle 2018-2019 Holocaust Museum Houston

Leadership Circle Members at the $1,000 Patron level and higher become a part of the Leadership Circle, Holocaust Museum Houston’s upper-level patron group. Their significant and sustaining contributions provide one of the most important sources of annual operating income for the Museum. The Leadership Circle enjoys distinctive events and enhanced privileges while fostering a deeper engagement with the museum and its mission. Benefits: • Invitations to exclusive Leadership Circle events including exhibition openings • Invitations to Leadership Circle members’ talks with Museum curators and other guest speakers

Artist and Art Circle member Ava Cosey with her artwork

January At the art filled River Oaks home of Dan and Evelyn Leightman. Guest Speaker is a senior 20th century and contemporary art specialist from Phillips Auctioneers February At the picture perfect home of Mike and Mickey Marvins March Studio of Rusty Arena, textile designer, with guest speaker, Lee Wilde, leading textile and wallpaper designer 2018/19 Season Calendar

• Invitation to a Private Curator’s Tour of the Museum

Art Circle Chair Mady Kades, Wayne Gilbert

• Leadership breakfast in the Museum’s boardroom

• Discount on Museum rental spaces for celebrations or corporate events

• Hard hat tours exclusively for Leadership Circle members

• Exclusive sneak preview of the new Museum prior to re-opening in June 2019

Upgrade Your Membership online, in person at the front desk or call Membership Services at 713-527-1616.

Leadership Circle members enjoy a private reception and tour

April At the glamorous home of Ken Christie

May At the stunning and sublime high-rise of Sara and Bill Morgan

Art Circle takes a tour of Houston Graffiti Park with GONZO247

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LEGACY SOC I ETY

THE GUILD & NEXTGEN

nyone who has met Sandra Goldfine Weiner knows she has been a force for good, a beacon for change, and most definitely, a woman of action A Sandra Weiner – A Living Legacy Center’s “David H. White Memorial Award,” the Jewish National Fund’s “Woman of Valor,” the State of Israel Bonds “Eleanor Roosevelt

“The Museum quickly became a second home to survivors,” Sandra recalls. “We raised the money for the building and exhibits without any government funding. Our local community is outstanding, and I’m so proud we stood up for the right thing,” she adds. “I am so grateful to the many young people who continue to grow the Museum’s important mission. I believe the next generation should keep their ideas in the right place so I wanted to leave a bequest to demonstrate that it’s important to help good causes while you’re still alive. Also, it’s very important to die the way you lived, leaving what you have to causes that matter most.” “Humankind must learn to live together in peace and harmony, and the Museum fosters Holocaust remembrance, understanding and education. It stands as a symbol of hope that people will not forget the atrocities. We now have a place to preserve the memory of those who perished and the stories of those who survived.” A member of the Museum’s Generation to Generation Legacy Society, Sandra received the institution’s prestigious “Guardian of the Human Spirit Award” in 2006. “Being a part of founding the museum is one of my proudest achievements. I think

As part of Holocaust Museum Houston’s membership affinity groups, The Guild serves the Museum’s mission by building a community of like-minded supporters and uniting HMH members through social and educational programs, service and fundraising projects. This vibrant group offers unique, monthly events and programs ranging from interesting lectures to fascinating trips, in addition to private art tours, Hanukkah parties, film festivals and more. Membership funds support all aspects of the Museum, including free admission for all school children. Membership levels begin at just $25, or become a lifetime member for $500. Underwriting opportunities are also available for the whole season for $1,000. Recent Underwriters include Carl Josehart and Sam Jacobson (2016-2017) and Jonathan and Marcia Shear (2017-2018). If you would like to be a part of this special membership group, contact Membership Services at 713-525-1616.

Centennial Celebration Award,” and the American Jewish Committee’s “Woman of Achievement.” She and Leon established the Weiner Fellowship at The Kinkaid School, the Sandra and Leon Weiner Philanthropy Award at the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Leon Weiner Employment Fund at Jewish Family Service Houston. In 2014, Sandra fulfilled a life-long dream and became a Bat Mitzvah at Congregation Brith Shalom, which in turn, honored her impact on the community during its 60th anniversary celebration in 2017. Sandra’s roots with Holocaust Museum Houston are powerful and deep. She first learned of the Holocaust as a teenager. “I always felt guilty that I could not save the six million who perished, so I decided to work to make Israel strong, so Jews would have a safe haven to return to after the war,” she explains. “I gave business to survivors when I could, and always tried to show my empathy and compassion.” In 1981, when local Holocaust survivor Siegi Izakson approached her with the idea of a Holocaust education center and memorial in Houston, Sandra used her considerable influence as president of the Houston Jewish Federation to invigorate the project and help establish the Holocaust Education Foundation and Memorial Museum. In 1992, Sandra and the Center leaders organized “The Circle of Tolerance” to raise funds for a new museum, and in 1996, 13 years after Izakson first dreamt of the idea, Holocaust Museum Houston officially opened.

who gets things done. Time after time, in Houston and around the world, she has been a leader who makes important things happen. Born in 1933 in Duluth, Minnesota, Sandra had a warm Jewish upbringing as one of Abe and Fannie Goldfine’s three children. She was involved in Young Judea, becoming a dedicated Zionist as a teenager. She attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, where her roommate from Houston fixed her up with Leon Weiner. “We met in April and were married in August,” she recalls. “He said ‘marry me or something,’ and I responded, ‘marry me or nothing.’ The couple moved to Houston, where Leon managed operations for his father’s Weiner’s Department Stores. Over the course of their 60-year marriage, they raised four children, and today, the family includes 14 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, who are the light and life of their beloved matriarch. on the local, national and international level. One of the ten founding members of Congregation Brith Shalom, Sandra became the first female president of a local synagogue. At the Jewish Federation, she served as Board Member for many years before assuming the role of the first female Campaign Chair and President, and at the national level served as the first woman Major Gifts Chair, raising over $250 million for the annual appeal. She served as the Chairman for the Advisory Council to the National Conference on Soviet Jewry and as Co-Chairman for the March on Washington for Soviet Jews in 1987. The couple was instrumental in the growth and support of the Emery/Weiner School. Additionally, Sandra served as both President and Chairman of the Board of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and a Board member of the Jewish Museum of New York. Over the years, she received the American Jewish Committee’s “Max Nathan Human Relations Award,” the Jewish Community Leon and Sandra became active and dedicated members of the Jewish community

HMH Guild in action: Sandra Hedrick, HMH Docent leading a tour.

Rabbi Morgan at the GuildHanukkah Party

NYC trip: Yvonne Upchurch, Jerry Rochman, Claire Marshall, Mima Jackson,

Noreen Lewitton, Ron Grabois, Ilene T. Queton, Sherry Sinor.

it will contribute to our community for decades to come.”

NEXTGen is an affinity group for young professionals ages 21-39 who share a common passion for Holocaust Museum Houston and its mission. NEXTGen is dedicated to promoting inclusion among individuals through preserving the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides by cultivating awareness of these lessons in contemporary society. The goal of NEXTGen is to inspire inclusiveness by engaging young leaders of change and advocating on behalf of tolerance. NEXTGen Membership Includes: • Free Admission to the Museum for one year • Invitations to special NEXTGen events and programs • 10% Discount in the Museum Store • Discounted tickets for Museum programming • Subscriptions to Museum member magazine, Bearing Witness • Discounted tickets to HMH’s premier annual luncheon and dinner events • NEXTGen membership contributions are 100% tax deductible • Opportunity to serve on NEXTGen’s Leadership Committee

Join us on Facebook! @ HMHNextGeneration

Leadership Committee: David Berk, Lane Clelland, Miguel Hernandez, Rebecca Huechtker, Niki Lessig, Royee Phillips, Ben Proler, Liz Scott, Roslynn Velasquez, Joe Weinstein-Sears

For more information, please contact Rocio Rubio, NEXTGen Coordinator, at rrubio@hmh.org or 713-527-1613.

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TEXAS L I BERATORS

EXHI B I TS

Holocaust Survivors Honor Texas Liberators

In correspondence with the changing exhibition, The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust , which opened on September 7, 2018, Holocaust Museum Houston honored Texas Liberators of World War II and their families at a medal ceremony on Thursday, September 6, 2018 at HMH. Houston area Holocaust survivors presented more than 20 liberators with medals from the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission, honoring them as 1945 WWII Texas Veteran Liberators. The medal ceremony was followed by an opening reception for the exhibition. The Texas Liberator: Witness to the Holocaust exhibition tells the story of 25 U.S. soldiers who liberated the concentration camps in Europe at the end of the Second World War. Upon entering the camps, the soldiers were not prepared for the terror, torture and depravity they discovered. Although they were hailed as liberators by the prisoners, what the soldiers found haunted many of them for the rest of their lives. Curated by Texas Tech University in collaboration with the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission, the exhibition provided a context for World War II, a history of the Holocaust and the Liberation in an interactive, engaging environment. Visitors toured free-standing panels, each honoring a Texas Liberator featured in the project, including Houston liberators Johnnie Marino, "Chick" Havey, Jesse Reyes, Ben Love and A.I. Schepps.

The Butterfly Project at the United Nations More than 75 years after the young Czech poet Pavel Friedmann famously penned a farewell poem to "the very last" butterfly at the Terezin Concentration Camp, the children of the world have answered Friedmann with the largest migration of butterflies ever seen. The United Nations hosted The Butterfly Project exhibition, made by children from six continents over the last two decades to memorialize the 1.5 million mostly Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust. The display, which was on view January 23 – February 26, 2018 in the United Nations Visitors’ Lobby, represented a portion of the 1.5 million butterflies contained in Holocaust Museum Houston’s The Butterfly Project: Remembering the Children of the Holocaust and was presented as part of the United Nation’s observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The Butterfly Project has traveled the world, from the discovery of Pavel Friedmann's poem, "The Butterfly," during liberation of the Terezin camp in 1945 to Houston in 1995, when local teachers and Holocaust Museum Houston staff created a curriculum to teach schoolchildren about the Holocaust and launched it on the internet. From there, The Butterfly Project went viral, and soon the Museum was receiving box loads of butterflies from schools across the globe and even one created on the Space Shuttle. The enormous success of The Butterfly Project tells a survival story of another kind. Because of the unexpected volume of butterflies received, Holocaust Museum Houston had to overcome the risk of damage to the fragile artwork from Houston's heat, humidity and floodwaters. Today the butterflies are stored in 60,000-cubic feet of temperature controlled storage units with plans to encase the remaining butterflies within a vault on the southern campus boundary under construction for reopening in June 2019.

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Clockwise from Top: 1. Dr. Aliza Wong, Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga, Fran Berg 2. Survivor Edith Mincberg, Melita Abergo 3. Survivor Rosine Chapelle, Bill Kongable 4. Ed Reyes, Survivor Bill Orlin, Lauren Reyes 5. Gerald Powell, Kenneth Christopherson, Bill Kongable, Chick Havey

Clockwise from Top: 1. Nancy Li-Tarim and Soner Tarim 2. Dr. Anna Steinberger, Ruth Steinfeld, Chaja Verveer 3. Evan H. and Nicole Katz 4. Students from Hoboken Elementary School 5. Joy and Benjamin Warren 6. Mark and Judy Mucasey, Sunni and Gary Markowitz

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CURATORIAL DEPARTMENT

EXHIBITS

Survivor Bill Morgan's Story Added to Dimensions in Testimony

In the Country of Numbers, where the men have no names In the Country of Numbers, where the men have no names , on view through May 2019, tells the story of 6,000 Jewish men, most from Berlin, who were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen following the November Pogrom Night known as Kristallnacht. November 9, 2018, marks the 80th anniversary of the Pogrom Night in 1938 when Nazis went through the streets of Germany and set synagogues on fire, smashed the window fronts of Jewish businesses, attacked Jewish people and vandalized their apartments. Well over 1,300 Jewish women and men were killed during the riots or as a direct consequence of them. Much less attention, however, is given to the over 27,000 Jewish men throughout Germany who were arrested after the riots and taken to concentration camps. These mass arrests were intended to dramatically escalate pressure on German Jews to leave the country. The Gestapo targeted young and middle-aged Jewish men, and once in the camp, they were subjected to much harsher treatment and singled out for SS terror and abuse. Over 80 perished in Sachsenhausen, the rest were released by the spring of 1939 on condition they would leave Germany immediately.

USC Shoah Foundation continues to develop Dimensions in Testimony (DiT), a collection of interactive biographies that enable people to have a conversation with pre-recorded video images of Holocaust survivors and other witnesses to genocide. Recently added to the collection is Houston area Survivor William “Bill” Morgan.

Recorded in 2017, Bill Morgan answered hundreds of questions regarding his experience during the Holocaust. Bill Morgan was born in Czerniejów, Poland to very pious parents who struggled to put food on the table for their seven children. When Soviet troops arrived in Czerniejów in September 1939, most Jews looked at the Soviets as the lesser of two evils. Less than two years later Germany invaded, confirming their worst fears. “The first week I remember they drowned a religious Jew, cut his beard and drowned him, threw him in the water,” recalled Bill. Together with hundreds of other Jews, the family was forced into the ghetto of nearby Stanisławów. One day, the Germans ordered Bill to dig holes in the cemetery. Then they brought in a truckload of Jews, shot them and let them fall into the pits. Horrified, Bill returned to his family and told them he was going to flee. Bill spent the rest of the war posing as a Polish farm worker and moving from town to town. Thoughts of his family tormented him. After the war, he spent years searching for his family only to find that no one had survived. Bill Morgan’s interactive testimony will be available for viewing at Holocaust Museum Houston in late 2018.

"Photo-series: Professor Landra visits Sachsenhausen" December 19, 1938 Archive Social Democracy, Friedrich Ebert Foundation

Bill and Shirley Morgan with the USC Shoah Foundation Team

The Faces of Syrian Refugees Exhibition Included Stories of Houston Holocaust Survivors During the atrocities of WWII, Holocaust survivors were uprooted from their homelands and resettled in other countries. More than one half of all European Jews perished by the end of WWII; many who survived picked up the pieces of their shattered lives and moved forward. A special feature was included in The Faces of Syrian Refugees exhibition, depicting the images and stories of several local Holocaust survivors upon their arrival in Houston prior to 1955 and how they worked hard to achieve the American dream. Survivors and descendants took photos in the exhibition with their loved ones. 1. Edith Mincberg with the panel of her husband, Josef Mincberg, z”l 2. Dr. Anna Steinberger with the panel of herself and husband Dr. Emil Steinberger, z”l 3. Gail Klein with the panel of her mother, Renee Danziger, z”l 4. Kendall Kalmans with the panel of her great-grandmother, Naomi Warren, z”l

Call for Artifacts

Sunday, February 17, 2019 Noon – 5:00 PM 9220 Kirby Drive, Suite 100, Houston, 77054 Meet with one of the Museum's curators to discuss a possible artifact donation. Many of us have saved documents, photographs or personal items from the Holocaust era somewhere in our homes. Some may be stashed in a drawer or an old box in the attic or even hidden away in a closet. Each item embodies a life story that remains to be told. As time passes, these items are at risk of irreparable damage. Before they are lost forever, Holocaust Museum Houston calls on the public to donate these precious items so that they will be preserved for generations to come. We seek materials reflecting two theme areas; Jewish life before, during and after WWII and the Holocaust and its aftermath.

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Hand-Embroidered Silk Baby Dress, Netherlands, 1942 Donated by Chaja Verveer

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Volunteer Appreciation 2018 VOLUNTEERS

The annual Volunteer Appreciation celebration took place on April 25, 2018 at Evelyn’s Park Conservancy. More than 80 attendees were celebrated for sharing their time and talents with HMH. Sherry Sinor received the Volunteer Appreciation Award for her dedication and leadership service. She joined HMH through Junior League. As a docent, she participated in multiple roles including Docent Committee Chair. Sherry’s tenure as chair ended in January, however, she remains committed to the mission of the museum.

2018

Karen Thrall, Steve and Lilly Zakin

Mary Newton, Maria Itkin

Sherry Sinor, Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga

Hazel Bensky, Jeryl Schultz

Event Space Rentals Holocaust Museum Houston’s new Lester and Sue Smith Campus opens in June 2019 with rental spaces to accommodate from 35 to 200 guests. The unique 57,000-square-foot building features indoor and outdoor facilities including a theater, amphitheater, and classrooms available for receptions, events and meetings. HMH Facility Benefits: • Event spaces fully equipped with A/V capabilities, microphones and Wi-Fi for any meeting or event • Admission to the Exhibition Galleries, featuring English and Spanish materials, may be incorporated into your event contract • Private, Museum-led tours are available for groups upon request • HMH Membership discounts available for event attendees • Rental discounts for nonprofit organizations • Opportunity to purchase event favors from the HMH Store • Easily accessible on-site parking • Central location in the heart of the Houston Museum District Be among the first Houstonians to book an event at the Holocaust Museum Houston. For more information, please contact Rocio Rubio, Corporate Relations Officer at rrubio@hmh.org or 713-527-1613.

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INS IDE

LETTER FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dear HMH Family and Friends,

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LETTER FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The Butterfly Project: Remembering Children of the Holocaust within the United Nations Headquarters New York Visitor’s Lobby. It was a proud moment for all involved to showcase our beautiful butterflies for the world to see and ponder. Through this opportunity we made new friends all over the globe as The Butterfly Project was reflected in 15 unique posters that were mailed to over 60 UN offices across the globe in six different languages. Many of you experienced our 2018 Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award Dinner and expressed gratitude in meeting George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States. Thanks to the generosity of Lester and Sue Smith, it was the highest grossing fundraising dinner in the history of the Museum. Finally, I wish to thankeachandevery oneof our donors formaking2018 such an exceptional one for the Museum. It is only with your generosity that our future growth and ability to serve the Houston community are positioned for success. I look forward to seeing each of you in June 2019 walking through the new museum - with gratitude.

It is my privilege to share with you the Holocaust Museum Houston 2017-2018 Gratitude Report. Gratitude has been our central theme this year at Holocaust Museum Houston as we were fortunate enough to have relocated into our new temporary location in early August 2017 , prior to Hurricane Harvey’s arrival with our staff being impacted minimally. We were most grateful to locate and support our Houston Survivors and HMH family members during Harvey’s aftermath, making us stronger as a community. Houston schools reopened and on October 20th the Museum was once again fully functioning with the sounds of students discovering our exhibition spaces. With gratitude, we have watched our new Lester and Sue Smith Campus take shape and become a tangible reality. We look forward to our Grand Opening in June 2019 and all of the new friendships and collaborations that the beautiful new space will make possible. I was personally filled with gratitude when over 80 Houstonians traveled to New York City in January 2018 to celebrate the opening of

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FINANCIAL SUMMARY

OUTREACH

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24

EDUCATION

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GENERATION TO GENERATION LEGACY SOCIETY

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BOARD + STAFF

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TRIBUTES FROM JULY 1, 2017 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2018

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CAPITAL CAMPAIGN DONORS

Sincerely,

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DONORS

40

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

42

PRIMARY MEMBERSHIP

KELLY J. ZUÑIGA, Ed.D. Chief Executive Officer

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GRATITUDE REPORT 2018

FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDING JUNE 30, 2017 AND JUNE 30, 2018

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

OUTREACH

29,392 1,557 2,698 4,537

1,001 TEACHERS REACHED THROUGH TRAINING

STUDENTS IN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Established in 1996, Holocaust Museum Houston is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Internal Revenue Service has classified the Museum as a Section 509(a)(1) publicly supported charity. Holocaust Museum Houston strives to adhere to the highest standards of financial management, and the result is a healthy balance sheet that allows the Museum to consistently provide for programs and initiatives important to our community. Holocaust Museum Houston is one of only four Houston-area museums to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The financial information on this page was summarized from the Museum’s comparative audited financial statements for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2017 and June 30, 2018, which are available upon request and online at hmh.org.

July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 Revenue

July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017 Revenue

MEMBERSHIPS

Contributions and Donations

COMMUNITY REACHED THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

$4,383,602

$4,032,022

Contributions & Donations, Capital Campaign

$10,076,687

$23,909,642

COMMUNITY REACHED THROUGH GENERAL PROGRAMMING

Membership

$359,980

$314,979

Admissions, Tours & Program

STUDENTS IMPACTED THROUGH TRAINING 100,100

$119,048

$305,633

Gift Store Sales

$48,488

$107,833

Rental and Other Income Investment Return, Net

$127,538

$234,160

77 Artifacts in the Permanent Exhibition

24 Public

3 Changing exhibitions 406 Research projects supported by library staff

$537,610

$949,171

Total Revenues

$15,652,953

$29,853,440

programs

4 Traveling

492 Library loans

July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018 Expenditures

July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017 Expenditures

exhibitions

Program Services

$3,293,798

$6,079,061

Management and General

$1,104,415

$1,085,674

TOTAL ATTENDANCE 43,774

Fundraising

$1,942,784

$1,950,195

SCHOOLS TAKING TOURS

Total Expenditures

$6,340,997

$9,114,930

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Building Impairment Loss

$0

$492,420

colleges

elementary schools

Active Holocaust Survivors for Speaking Engagements

Students on Scheduled Tours

Increase in Net Assets

$9,311,956

$20,246,090

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WALK-IN Visitors

Net Assets, Beginning of Year

Volunteers

8,119

$39,227,109

$18,981,019

35,541

Net Assets, End of Year

$48,539,065

$39,227,109

Docents

23

middle schools 143

high schools 145

87

346,032 INDIVIDUAL VISITORS

426,851 WEB VISITS

690,118 PAGE VIEWS

1,728

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GRATITUDE REPORT 2018

Educator in Motion

Spanish Outreach and Latin Initiatives

EDUCATION

school year, our educators have enjoyed engaging students in powerful conversations on the dangers of prejudice, discrimination, hatred and apathy and the importance of using our voices to create positive change in our communities. This programming was funded by

We are thrilled to report that in the 2017-2018 school year, our Educator in Motion educators reached over 29,000 students across 20 school districts in the greater Houston region. This upcoming school year, we will continue to expand our outreach by building connections with new school districts and partnering with local organizations to increase our impact within the community. Throughout the

Last spring, upper elementary and high school students from East End Houston schools participated in two separate one-day outreach sessions focused on literacy, social justice activism, the arts and financial literacy. Fifth grade students from Bonner Elementary learned about the unsung heroes of social justice

Skype session with students in Louisiana

The 2018 Warren Fellowship took place May 21 – 26, 2018. This year, the May Fellows were joined by nine students from Syracuse University who were not able to attend the Spector/Warren Fellowship in January when it was cancelled due to severe weather in New York. Momentous. Riveting. Stimulating. Challenging. These were some of the words Fellows used to describe their experiences. The Warren Fellowship for Future Teachers and how they could be an upstander in their own communities through the use of picture books. These students received their own copy of The Whispering Town , a picture book based on being an Upstander during the Holocaust. Students from Austin High School learned about the importance of using their own voices in their communities through a poetry session lead by local poet Marlon Lizama. This programming was funded by

Alyssa Weinstein-Sears, Laurie Garcia, Wendy Warren, Dr. James Waller, Dr. Mary Lee Webeck, Michelle Tovar

Educator in Motion at Hearne Elementary

Educator in Motion at Horn Elementary

The Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute

In 2018, 34 Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute participants represented Texas, Wisconsin, Washington D.C. and Poland. This year’s Gerald Kaplan Endowed Lecture was presented by Dr. James Waller, who spoke about the Holocaust and genocide prevention. We were privileged to pre-screen the film, “Who Will Write Our History?” based on the book by the same title, written by Dr. Samuel Kassow about Oneg Shabbat, the Ringelblum Archive, kept in the Warsaw Ghetto. Using “Who Will Write Our History?”, several exciting and engaging projects have been created by educators in the Houston area for use in their classrooms.

Wendy Warren leads Booker T. Washington students on a tour

Wendy Warren, Paula Miller, Joan Wicks, Marcin Folta, Alicja Grochowska, Amy Frake, Dr. Mary Lee Webeck

Engines of Change student ambassadors prepare for a group discussion on media literacy

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GRATITUDE REPORT 2018