From the Director: "It's Tuesday it must be
When I came
to Michigan, one
of my goals was
to raise the profile
of the HMC at
every level from
local to interna-
tional. Working
Stephen M. Goldman
toward this goal,
we have become active members of the
American Association of Museums, the
Council of American Jewish Museums
and the Association of Holocaust
Organizations.
In January, the AHO held its
annual gathering La Memorial de
la Shoah in Paris — for the first time
outside of the United States. This was
the first truly international gathering; I
was among colleagues from the United
States, Italy, China, Germany, Austria,
South Africa, Poland, and Canada.
We traveled to the Museum of
Jewish Art and History, were wel-
comed at both the City Hall of Paris
and the Ministry of Defense, and
toured the site of Drancy, the main
transit camp in France, where a
memorial archive is being developed
by the SNCF (National Railway
Company, whose new CEO recently
apologized and acknowledged the
company's responsibility for its role in
the Holocaust). During the post-con-
ference trip, we visited Normandy, the
museum at Caen and Omaha Beach.
The following week, I took advan-
tage of being in Europe and traveled
Have You Considered Including the Holocaust
Memorial Center in your Will?
A planned gift can benefit you and your family as well as the Holocaust
Memorial Center. The benefits are multifold. You will know that you
are making a lasting impact in our community. You will have the satisfac-
tion of contributing to our mission of educating the community about
the Holocaust, honoring those who suffered and perished, and celebrating
those who took a stand against the forces of evil. Indeed, donors will be
recognized during their lifetime as individuals committed to leaving a last-
ing legacy of remembrance.
In addition to your personal satisfaction, the tax benefits of a planned
gift are meaningful, especially if you donate appreciated assets while you
are living. Whether your gift becomes effective while you are living or at
your death, you can achieve estate tax and income tax savings by contrib-
uting to the cause. In some cases, you can even retain a stream of income
for yourself or a loved one from the contributed asset, yet still benefit the
HMC.
To learn more about planned giving opportunities and options, please
contact David Moss at 248.553.2400, ext. 23.
Judy Fertel Layne
Dickinson Wright PLLC
Megan Dziekan: Why !Volunteer
The decision
to volunteer at
the Holocaust
Memorial Center
was easy to make;
I wanted to volun-
teer there because
I have a strong
Megan Dziekan
interest in World
War Two, especially the Holocaust.
Studying such a sensitive subject
matter gets difficult at times, but it is
rewarding to be able educate others in
the hope of preventing it from happen-
ing again.
I was worried because I had so little
time to offer; I'm a student at Central
Michigan University and I hoped to
volunteer a few days a week for three
weeks over the winter holiday break.
To my relief, the HMC staff was happy
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to allow me to volunteer and was ex-
tremely flexible with the limited hours
I had.
My time spent at the Holocaust
Center was very enlightening and I
enjoyed every moment of it. I spent
most of my time in the offices en-
tering data and doing other clerical
work, but I especially enjoyed my time
working alongside Dr. Guy Stern. He
introduced me to the Ritchie Boys,
a specially trained unit with Military
Intelligence during World War II. I
appreciated his stories about the details
of the camp.
My experience at the Center was
definitely worth my time and I am
certainly looking into returning dur-
ing the summer. Volunteering at the
HMC has been a very rewarding op-
portunity and I am very grateful.
to Berlin, where I met the Director
of Cultural Affairs to discuss project
funding, visited the Associate Director
of the Jewish Museum, the Holocaust
Memorial, and the new Topography
of Terror Museum at the former SS
headquarters.
In Poland, I visited the Galicia
Jewish Museum and later toured the
new conservation labs at Auschwitz
with Deputy Director Pawel Sawicki,
where a staff of eight is working to
preserve the thousands of artifacts
that stand as testimony to the atroci-
ties there. In Vienna, I met with old
friends and the new director at the
Ji_idisches Museum Wien (Vienna
Jewish Museum) to discuss exhibit
loans. The director of the Nazi Party
Rally Grounds in Nuremberg gave
me a tour of the fabulous facility and
I paid a visit to the German Railroad
Museum. In Frankfurt, I met with the
staff that had assembled an exhibit
for me in Florida and now express a
willingness to work with us here in
Michigan.
In every instance, I was welcomed
as a colleague, and I gave each a folio
about the HMC and our activities. I
look forward to working with these
institutions and their esteemed staff
and hope to have each of them visit
Michigan.
We can all be proud that our
Holocaust Memorial Center has
become a citizen in the international
community of Holocaust memorials.
President's Message
Each year
brings new chal-
lenges and oppor-
tunities for every
organization. At
the Holocaust
Memorial Center,
we also adapt in
Gary Karp
order to lay the
foundation for addressing needs and
ensuring institutional growth. To that
end, the HMC's bylaws were recently
updated and continue to maintain the
HMC's core values and mission.
Ultimately, the success of the
HMC is dependent on the unwavering
commitment of our loyal and dedi-
cated staff, volunteers, docents, Board
members and YOU! As we anxiously
anticipate the arrival of Spring, the
annual time of renewal, new oppor-
tunities to become involved in the
HMC are blooming. Indeed, there
are countless ways to be part of what
was just recently described to me by a
longtime docent as "the most reward-
ing and gratifying thing that I've done
in my life outside of my family." We
are always evaluating how to take full
advantage of our uniquely talented and
passionate group of volunteers, docents
and staff, who represent the bedrock of
our foundation and are the link to the
thousands of visitors that pass through
our doors.
Our nominating committee is in
place for the Board term commencing
July 1, 2011. We are actively seeking
people to be involved who have a pas-
sion for "illuminating the past and en-
lightening the future." We have much
work to do and welcome those who
have been involved, those who have
wanted to be involved and those who
haven't thought about it before and
want to make a contribution. Please
contact the HMC office if you'd like
to be an integral part of shaping the
HMC's future. Your dedication will
help ensure our continued relevance,
viability and sustainability!
Oral Histories:
"The Holocaust Memorial Center honors as Survivors any persons,
Jewish or non-Jewish, who were displaced, persecuted, or discriminated
against due to the racial, religious, ethnic, social, and political policies of
the Nazis and their collaborators between 1933 and 1945. This definition
includes, among others, people who were refugees or were in hiding."
If you or a member of your family could be defined as a Survivor, we
invite you to arrange an appointment for a videotaping. There is no charge
and appointments are arranged at mutually convenient times and dates.
Trained interviewers will make the process as comfortable as possible and
each person interviewed will receive a complimentary copy of the video.
We urge our members and readers to encourage those eligible for our Oral
History Program to preserve their legacy for future generations by calling
Selma Silverman 248.553.2400, ext. 12.