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n an early tour I 
took last month of 
the reimagined The 
Zekelman Holocaust Center 
(The HC), I was touched to 
find a panel in one gallery 
that showed my late father, 
Zyga “Zygie” Allweiss. I read a 
statement extracted from his 
own recorded testimony at the 
museum in which he shares 
a frightening experience he 
witnessed in a concentration 
camp. 
The memories of Holocaust 
survivors like my dad, whether 
living or deceased, have been 
taken out of the museum vaults 
and brought front and center 
in an extensive reshaping of 
how The HC explains the 
Holocaust. We hear portions 
of the survivors’ testimonies in 
their own voices. We consider 
their words displayed on panels 
and gallery walls or projected 
on floors. Sometimes we realize 
we even know the people we are 
seeing and hearing. By shifting 

the focus from the perpetrators 
to the Jewish victims, The HC 
is preserving the legacy of our 
precious survivors to benefit 
generations to come.
The public will have its first 
official opportunity to explore 
the thoughtfully designed and 
more relevant The Zekelman 
Holocaust Center when its 
doors open at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, 
Jan. 28. (See box.)
After World War II, Michigan 
was home to 4,000 Jewish 
Holocaust survivors, including 
Hidden Children and others 
who barely escaped the coming 
Nazi threat. The arrivals built 
forward-looking lives during 
decades of safety and security in 
the United States. 
These special individuals 
evoke our respect for the losses 
they experienced and survived 
before joining our Michigan 
Jewish community. 
Many of the Detroit-based 
residents found friendship 
in Shaarit Haplaytah (“The 

Remnant”). They actively 
supported the late Rabbi 
Charles H. Rosenzweig’s 20-year 
quest to build a museum 
dedicated to their experiences. 
The founders achieved their 
goal by 1981 on the grounds of 
the Jewish Community Center 
in West Bloomfield. When it 
opened officially in 1984, theirs 
was the first free-standing 
Holocaust museum in the 
United States. 
Motivated survivors, 
including Zygie, joined elected 
officials and other dignitaries 
in 2001 for the groundbreaking 
of the current museum in 
Farmington Hills, which 
opened four years later. The 
Zekelman Holocaust Center, 
honoring a major donor family, 
became the museum’s new 
name two years ago in January. 
After Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld 
became the chief executive 
officer about seven years ago, 
various stakeholders at The HC 
— including staff, volunteers, 

survivors, docents and board 
members — started working 
with him on a strategic plan to 
develop the museum’s priorities. 
One was updating the core 
exhibit from 2004.

Details
Grand Opening Jan. 28
The grand opening of the 
new permanent exhibition 
at The Zekelman Holocaust 
Center will be from 9:30 
a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday, 
Jan. 28, in observance of 
International Holocaust 
Remembrance Day. 
Admission is free.
A dedication ceremony 
will be at 11 a.m. At noon, 
local Holocaust survivor 
Irene Miller will share her 
life story. Also scheduled 
are “Conversation with the 
Curator and Designer” at 
1:30 p.m. and “Spotlight on 
Women in the Holocaust” at 
2:30 p.m.
The Zekelman Holocaust 
Center is at 28123 Orchard 
Lake Road in Farmington 
Hills. For details, visit 
holocaustcenter.org or call 
(248) 553-2400, ext. 140.

Facing page: A docent 
tours part of the timeline. 
This page: A renovated 
hallway pairs actions 
imposed on Jews with 
personal reflections 
about the impact of those 
actions. 

OWEN KAUFMAN