Why Membership Matters

It's spring in
Michigan, too ear-
1y yet for Passover,
but hopefully
you're awaiting a
huge tax refund!
In this season
of renewal, we
David M. Moss
hope you'll con-
sider a membership to the Holocaust
Memorial Center. Maybe you've
allowed your membership to lapse.
Maybe you've never been to the mu-
seum, or you feel that you came once,
and "that's enough."
Our Holocaust museum is one of
metro Detroit's iconic cultural ven-
ues. It's more than just a place to see
artifacts: the HMC is brimming with
energy and spirit. Trained docents
guide visitors through the timeline of
Jewish history to explore the richness
of European Jewish culture. They
follow history as they descend toward
Nazism, where visitors confront the
horrors of the Holocaust. They engage
in a dialogue about ethics and altru-
ism in the Institute of the Righteous,
where they learn about brave men and
women of all faiths, who risked their
own lives to save the life of a Jewish
stranger.

Compact Shelving Maximizes Archive Capacity

Why become a member?

Membership is an endorsement of
our mission and demonstrates a com-
mitment to remembering the 6 million
Jews and 5 million other victims of the
Holocaust. Membership honors the
courageous Survivors whose vision and
dedication helped found this Center.
Membership provides essential funding
for our programs and operations - we
can't do it without you.

Thanks to our members:
• A Holocaust Survivor describes her
life story to a group of impression-
able high school students.
• Scholars lead discussions about
racism, genocide, political oppres-
sion, ethics, discrimination, human
rights and more.
• Educators learn new ways to effec-
tively incorporate this challenging
topic into their classrooms.
• Engaging new exhibits from around
the globe frame the Holocaust in
new ways, reaching new audiences.

We are very pleased that compact
shelving has been installed in our
temperature- and humidity-controlled
Archives Room. With a grant from
the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, we were able to
purchase new shelving, allowing us to
more than double the storage capac-
ity of our special collections. Chris
de Bear of Library Design carefully
planned the layout to maximize the
area's capacity to its fullest. The newly-
acquired space allows us to house our
holdings more efficiently.
When our building opened in
2004, ample space was devoted to
housing our archives, artifact, photo-
graph, rare book, coin and currency
collections, \Nrith room for expansion.

Membership has privileges, too.
Members receive free admission, a quar-
terly newsletter, event notices and invita-
tions to special programming.
Please let us welcome you to our mu-
seum family by becoming a member.

However, the acquisition rate of new
materials was underestimated.
As seniors downsize or children
discover "treasures" in their parents'
and grandparents' homes, we are asked
to accept and preserve materials for
educational purposes. This transfer
of property is often the catalyst for
revelations or a cathartic experience.
Survivors and eyewitnesses have di-
vulged personal narratives never before
articulated. Sometimes the donor pre-
fers to remain anonymous or attaches
conditions to the release of informa-
tion. In all instances, we carefully
record requests and honor them.
All of the materials support and
reflect the museum's mission. These
collections allow us to rotate our core
exhibits and make reproductions for
publications, exhibitions and educa-
tional purposes. It is with pride that
we are able to provide such services to
our community.
With the shelving in place, we are
adding lighting and finishing the new
flooring - and beginning the process
of moving back into the spacious area.
Improvements such as these ensure
that our commitment to preserving
our legacy is carried out with the high-
est standards.

Congratulations New Docents!

The staff and Board of Directors extend a warm welcome to seven new docents, who have completed a rigorous train-
ing process with distinction. We are proud that Jim Berk, Scott Cooper, Celia Livermore, David Tutor, Norm Lampi,
Howard Heicklen, and Heather Siegel have joined our docent family and look forward to many years of cooperative work.

Guy Stern: A Ritchie Boy Remembers

During World War II, why did the
United States Army mobilize a unit
consisting mostly of Jewish soldiers?
And why was so little known of them
until more than 60 years later? Why
was a German — not American — film-
maker the first to document their
activities? The Holocaust Memorial
Center will answer those questions
and more on July 28 through its pre-
miere exhibit, The Ritchie Boys.
The Ritchie Boys borrowed their
nickname from their training center at
Camp Ritchie, Maryland. They were
selected from all branches of service to
see duty with US Military Intelligence
for this top-secret assignment on
the basis of linguistic skills and their
knowledge of the enemy's psychology
and culture.
Their work began in earnest
with Germany's declaration of war
on the United States. The Ritchie

Boys conducted their own type of
warfare in Africa and Italy, most
extensively during and after the inva-
sion of Normandy. They continued
their work until Victory-Europe
Day — and some then joined Military
Government and war crimes tribunals.
Ritchie Boys interrogated prison-
ers, intercepted enemy communica-
tions, broadcasted propaganda mes-
sages via radio — even from
the front lines — and a few
did espionage work behind
enemy lines. Several of
their outfits received unit
citations and many indi-
viduals were decorated.
The exploits and
achievements of the Ritchie
Boys will be demonstrated
through their war-time
photographs, reports,
letters, their medals and

uniforms, and even their weapons. In
addition, the Ritchie Boys appear in a
film by the same name, produced and
directed by the Munich filmmaker
Christian Bauer.
Many Ritchie Boys, now in their
eighties and nineties, will be on-site
for the exhibit's opening and the first-
ever reunion of the surviving members
of the outfit.

Newsletter Editor & Coordinator:
Rebecca Swindler

Contributors:
Megan Dziekan
Stephen M. Goldman
Gary Karp
Judy Fertel Layne
David M. Moss
Dr. Guy Stern
Feiga Weiss

Design, Layout & Assistant Editor:
Joshua Nowicki

The Holocaust Memorial Center
newsletter is printed four times
a year. Comments or questions
about his publication may be
directed to Rebecca Swindler at
248. 553. 2400, ext. 13.

Questions about the programs
and events described in this pub-
lication may be directed to Gail
Cohen at 248. 553. 2400, ext. 10

Left to Right: Guy Stern, Walter Sears, Fred Howard

2011 no.1

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ZEKELMAN PAM 1 Y CAMNIS

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