Holocaust stories from Florida added to global Shoah Foundation archives

Hearing history from those who lived through it is one of the best ways we can all learn to be better people.

More than 2,300 testimonies collected by the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center in Dania Beach are now being added to Steven Spielberg’s USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive®.

For decades, both groups have had the mission to preserve oral testimonies that document life before, during and after the Holocaust.

HDEC President and CEO Rositta E. Kenigsberg said the VHA will provide a valuable opportunity for use by all researchers and scholars in many disciplines — educators from schools and universities, curators from museums and institutions, and filmmakers — from countries around the world.

“This incredible partnership opportunity for the HDEC was made possible by the extraordinary generosity of The Jim Moran Foundation for which all of us at the HDEC are tremendously grateful,” Kenigsberg said.

“This gift, which funds the integration of the 2,300+ HDEC eyewitness testimonies, will ensure that the HDEC Collection will be preserved and available throughout the world in perpetuity.”

The collection will be digitized, indexed, catalogued, and made available through USC Shoah Foundation’s worldwide network of access points at more than 170 institutions used by more than 100,000 registered educators.

Also, HDEC will be a VHA “full access site” meaning that all USC Shoah Foundation’s 55,000+ testimonies, including the latest 2,300+, will be accessible at the Dania Beach location. Students, teachers, researchers, scholars, visitors, HDEC staff and volunteers can access the content.

HDEC has thousands of artifacts, documents and memorabilia, and the museum at HDEC has an authenticated Holocaust Railcar from Poland, which took victims from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp. The railcar, shipped from Gdynia, Poland, arrived at Port Everglades on Jan. 25, 2007.

Guests can also see a World War II U.S. M-4A3E8 Sherman tank, on permanent loan from the U.S. Army. Added to the museum in 2016, the tank is the type that was involved in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.

“The HDEC Oral History Library Collection is one of the world’s most extensive compilations dedicated to Holocaust testimony and its addition to the VHA, and deploying this collection globally within the VHA, will help amplify the collective voice that states ‘Never Again,’” said Kori Street, Finci-Viterbi interim executive director of USC Shoah Foundation.

“Our partnership with the HDEC will save and share the stories of thousands of Holocaust survivors, who themselves name hundreds of relatives, friends and others in their testimonies, many of whom did not survive.

“Together we are bringing all this history to light so researchers, educators and students can use them for learning and building empathy and respect in the world.”

Learn more and plan a visit at www.hdec.org and for more about the USC Shoah Foundation, visit https://sfi.usc.edu

Youth Symphony concert at Fairchild

The Gold Medal and Emmy Award-winning South Florida Youth Symphony will perform at 2 p.m., Feb. 27, at Fairchild’s Garden House. The concert is sponsored by Fairchild and the Kiwanis Club of Homestead-South Dade.

“This event, which will feature an indoor/outdoor setting, is the perfect venue,” said SFYS Executive and Music Director Marjorie Hahn.

“Concertgoers will have the option of being indoors at the Garden House or — because the doors to the Garden House will be open — people can bring their lawn chairs and sit outside and enjoy the music and the beautiful surroundings. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Masks are required inside and performers will also wear masks. The concert is free with admission to Fairchild. Write to MakeMusic@sfys.net or call 305-238-2729. Tickets at fairchildgarden.org or call 305-667-1651.

Race to raise funds for Huntington’s research

Help improve the lives of people affected by HD at the 30th annual fundraiser set for 7 a.m., Feb. 27 at 12451 SW 184 St. (Larry & Penny Thompson Park).

You can race the sprint or Olympic triathlon distance, sign up for aqua bike (swimming and biking), or do the duathlon (run, bike, run).

HD is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of brain nerve cells. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities usually during their prime working years and has no cure. Register at https://southflorida.hdsa.org

Correction

A story in my Feb. 6 column about Jennifer Warren Medwin’s new book, “Strategies and Tips from a Divorce Coach: A Roadmap to Move Forward,” incorrectly described her as a Pinecrest attorney.

Medwin is a Certified Divorce Coach, Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator, and a Certified Marital Mediator. Her book is available through Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Contact jen@seekingempowerment.com or visit www.seekingempowerment.com

Contact Christina Mayo at christinammayo@gmail.com

This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 9:00 AM.