Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County Announces Grand Opening of Simon Wiesenthal Center’s World-Renowned “Courage to Remember” Holocaust Exhibition

November 23, 2021

Long Island Dignitaries Honor World-Class Exhibit at Public Ceremony

L-R: Michael Cohen, Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; NYS Senator John E. Brooks; NYS Assemblywoman Gina L. Sillitti; Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean & Director of Social Action Agenda, Simon Wiesenthal Center; Andrea Bolender, Acting Executive Director, Chair of the Board, Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center of Nassau County; NYS Senator Anna Kaplan; Glen Cove City Council Member Marsha Silverman; NYS Assemblyman Charles Lavine. Click here for high-resolution photos, courtesy of Simon Wiesenthal Center.

New York, NY - November 23, 2021 – Senior leaders of the Simon Wiesenthal Center together with communal and political leaders at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County formally opened the “Courage to Remember” exhibit, a new and critical tool to increase Holocaust education and combat anti-Semitism and hate in Nassau County schools and beyond. 

“Courage to Remember” is Simon Wiesenthal Center’s 40-panel traveling exhibition on the Nazi Holocaust, which has been seen on six continents by millions of people and continues to be displayed in cities across the United States and across the globe. 

“Today when Holocaust Denial is rampant and Memory itself is under assault it is critical that we deliver the lessons of the Holocaust to young people wherever they are,” stated Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean & Director of Social Action Agenda, Simon Wiesenthal Center.

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) teaches the history of the Holocaust and its lessons through education and community outreach. They educate about the dangers of antisemitism, racism, bullying, and all manifestations of intolerance. We promote resistance to prejudice and advocate respect for every human being.

The exhibition presents a detailed and comprehensive chronicle of the Holocaust in six galleries, using multimedia displays, photographs, artifacts, archival footage, and testimonies from local survivors and liberators.

“The Simon Wiesenthal Center and HTMC have a long and powerful relationship that has brought the necessary tools to the front lines of fighting anti-Semitism and increasing necessary Holocaust education,” said Michael Cohen, Eastern Director, Simon Wiesenthal Center. “I am so proud to be here today to see us add another critical component to Nassau County’s assets toward forwarding those objectives.”

"HMTC is honored to be a home for the 'Courage to Remember' exhibition and looks to share its content throughout Long Island, both in our building and through partnerships with schools and community organizations. As the exhibition also emphasizes, we must have the courage to remember and study this disturbing and troubling history, for only informed, understanding and morally committed individuals can prevent such persecution from happening again," said Andrea Bolender, Acting Executive Director of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County. 

Quotes from Dignitaries who Attended the Grand Opening, Nov. 22, 2021:

• Assemblywoman Gina L. Sillitti: "We have seen Nazi symbols and Jewish stars being co-opted by those who preach hate, as well as those that don’t understand the true meaning behind these symbols. It is critical that Holocaust education, remembrance, and discussion continue and is strengthened and the Courage to Remember exhibit does just that.  Thankfully we have organizations such as the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center and the Simon Wiesenthal Center taking the lead."  

• NY State Senator Anna M. Kaplan: “At a time when disinformation is exploding, and anti-Semitism is on the rise, it’s never been more important to teach the lessons of the Holocaust to the next generation, to ensure that we aren’t doomed to repeat this devastating chapter of our history. With the opening of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s ‘Courage to Remember’ exhibition at the Holocaust Museum & Tolerance Center of Nassau County, we’re giving parents and educators more tools to help our kids learn about the Holocaust and providing even greater educational opportunities to ensure our community never forgets. I’m so grateful to the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the HMTC for bringing this vitally important exhibition to our community, and I urge every parent and teacher to bring their kids to see it.”

• Glen Cove City Councilmember Marsha Silverman: “We have to remember that all the time we have more in common and we should come together to stop the division and hate and that we should move forward while remembering the past.” 

• Assemblymember Charles Lavine: “We must never cease in our efforts to attack hatred through education which is why I so proudly lend my voice in support of this wonderful new traveling exhibit.  Education is our best tool to fight continuing senseless acts of hate against not just Jews, but any religion or way of life.”

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) teaches the history of the Holocaust and its lessons through education and community outreach. We teach about the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism, bullying, and all manifestations of intolerance. We promote resistance to prejudice and advocate respect for every human being.

The museum presents a detailed and comprehensive chronicle of the Holocaust in six galleries, using multimedia displays, photographs, artifacts, archival footage, and testimonies from local survivors and liberators. It also looks at genocides and acts of intolerance that have happened in the years since 1945, asking visitors to think about the actions an individual can take to prevent the spread of hate. Unlike any other museum, our 3,300 square foot exhibition links this history to Nassau County, Long Island, and artifacts from individuals who moved to Long Island factor prominently in the galleries. The Children’s Memorial Garden at HMTC is the first garden of its kind on public grounds in New York State. The garden memorializes the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered during the Holocaust and to all children who died during World War II.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe, and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

###