Opening Reception: “Escape Denied: The Frank Family’s Struggle for Freedom”
"Escape Denied" reveals the Frank family's heartbreaking struggle to emigrate from Nazi-occupied Europe, highlighting their failed attempts to find refuge in the U.S. and Cuba, and the broader impact of immigration policies during that time.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: I Am Anne Frank
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Commemorations: Holocaust Remembrance Day
Join us for a solemn commemoration of International Holocaust Memorial Day, where we will honor the memory of the six million Jews and countless others who perished during the Holocaust. The event will feature moving testimonies, reflective readings, and a candle-lighting ceremony, offering a space for remembrance and reflection.
Crucial Conversation: Department of Justice "United Against Hate"
Department of Justice “‘United Against Hate’ Initiative: Identifying, Reporting, and Preventing Hate Crimes” with the US Attorney Roger Handberg
Join us for an evening with US Attorney Roger Hanberg as he discusses the DOJ’s United Against Hate Community Outreach Program, which educates community members on identifying, reporting, and preventing hate crimes while fostering trust with law enforcement. United Against Hate offers valuable resources and promotes dialogue between law enforcement, community organizations, and the public, emphasizing the importance of reporting all hate-fueled incidents.
Film Screening: "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days”
This powerful film portrays the last six days of Sophie Scholl, a young member of the anti-Nazi resistance group, the White Rose. The film follows her arrest, interrogation, and ultimate execution, capturing her unwavering courage and moral conviction in the face of tyranny.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: I Choose to Speak Up
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Book Club: My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me by Jennifer Teege
This year’s book club explores published works by and about women during the Holocaust, delving into their unique experiences and perspectives. Each session includes in-depth discussions that provide historical context and foster reflection on the impact and legacy of these narratives.
In this memoir, Jennifer Teege uncovers the shocking truth that her grandfather was Amon Goeth, the infamous Nazi commander depicted in Schindler's List. This discovery leads Teege, a Black German woman, on a deep and personal journey to face her family's history and navigate her own sense of identity.
Dismantling Hate Workshop: Pt. 1: “Understanding Antisemitism”
"Dismantling Hate: Tackling Antisemitism Together" is a comprehensive four-part workshop series that equips participants with the knowledge and tools to confront antisemitism in all its forms. Through interactive activities, presentations, and discussions, participants will explore its historical roots, contemporary manifestations, and effective strategies for addressing it in various contexts, while emphasizing the importance of allyship and collective action. Session speaker information to come.
Session 1 will explore the historical roots, manifestations, and contemporary forms of antisemitism.
Fundraiser: White Rose Benefit Gala
Marking its 37th year, the White Rose Benefit Gala celebrates visionary leaders who promote inclusivity in Central Florida. Named after the Center’s founder and honoring the legacy of The White Rose resistance group, the Tess Wise White Rose Award recognizes individuals and organizations for their contributions to education, arts, culture, and community service, while also supporting the Center’s educational initiatives to inspire students of all ages.
Sundays at the Center: Exclusive Docent-Led Tour of “Escape Denied” Exhibit for Kids
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Community Connections: Young Professionals Night
This after-hours program offers the public unique events and learning opportunities at the Center. Participants gain special access to collections, engage with guest speakers, and enjoy networking opportunities, creating an enriching environment for deeper exploration of Holocaust history and its contemporary relevance.
Join us for Young Professionals Night, a lively evening of networking and socializing while exploring the museum's exhibits. Enjoy drinks, light snacks, and engaging conversations in a relaxed, fun atmosphere.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: “Be a Tree” + Earth Day Planting
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Commemorations: Yom HaShoah Commemoration Event
The Holocaust commemoration series honors the memory of victims and survivors while encouraging reflection on how to prevent such atrocities in the future. By fostering dialogue and engagement, these commemorations underscore the enduring importance of remembrance and promote tolerance, empathy, and justice.
Join us for an afternoon of remembrance and reflection in commemoration of Yom HaShoah, a day dedicated to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Speaker details to come.
Community Connections: Behind the Vault: Special Collections Night
This after-hours program offers the public unique events and learning opportunities at the Center. Participants gain special access to collections, engage with guest speakers, and enjoy networking opportunities, creating an enriching environment for deeper exploration of Holocaust history and its contemporary relevance.
Join us for "Behind the Vault: Special Collections Night," where guests can explore rare museum artifacts not typically on display, with curators on hand to answer your questions. Enjoy an evening of discovery accompanied by light snacks and drinks in a unique and intimate setting.
Dismantling Hate Workshop: Pt. 2: “Combatting Stereotypes and Myths”
"Dismantling Hate: Tackling Antisemitism Together" is a comprehensive four-part workshop series that equips participants with the knowledge and tools to confront antisemitism in all its forms. Through interactive activities, presentations, and discussions, participants will explore its historical roots, contemporary manifestations, and effective strategies for addressing it in various contexts, while emphasizing the importance of allyship and collective action. Session speaker information to come.
Session 2 will address common stereotypes, misconceptions, and myths about Jewish people and Judaism.
Summer Youth Series: “Fighting Spirit: Krav Maga and Jewish History” | Session 1
This year's summer youth series uniquely engages young people in Holocaust education through interactive activities and discussions, with a special focus on Krav Maga and its connection to Holocaust history. Hosted in partnership with Shaan Saar Orlando, this series inspires the next generation to embrace values of respect, awareness, and social responsibility.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: “Curious George ”
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Opening Reception: “Margret Rey and the Making of Curious George”
Margret Rey and the Making of Curious George
This exhibit uncovers the incredible story of Margret Rey, a Jewish woman who, with her husband, escaped Nazi-occupied France on handmade bikes, carrying the manuscript of Curious George. This exhibit highlights their resilience and creativity, offering a unique look into the origins of a beloved children's classic.
Film Screening: “Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George’s Creators”
This documentary explores the extraordinary lives of Hans and Margret Rey, the Jewish couple who created the beloved children's character, Curious George. The film highlights their escape from Nazi-occupied France, their creativity, and how their adventures shaped the iconic series.
Professional Development: Dr. Norman M. Wall Teacher’s Institute
Every June, the Center hosts a professional development institute focused on Holocaust education, offering teachers across all grade levels and disciplines tools to incorporate this crucial subject into their curriculum as required by Florida law. Participants can earn up to 20 professional development credits while engaging with lectures, survivor testimony, and resources that emphasize the importance of tolerance and good citizenship.
Monday – Thursday, 9 AM – 3 PM
Summer Youth Series: “Fighting Spirit: Krav Maga and Jewish History” | Session 2
This year's summer youth series uniquely engages young people in Holocaust education through interactive activities and discussions, with a special focus on Krav Maga and its connection to Holocaust history. Hosted in partnership with Shaan Saar Orlando, this series inspires the next generation to embrace values of respect, awareness, and social responsibility.
Sundays at the Center: Exclusive Docent-Led Tour of “Curious George” Exhibit for Kids + Scavenger Hunt
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Book Club: Jews in the Garden by Judy Rakowsky
This year’s book club explores published works by and about women during the Holocaust, delving into their unique experiences and perspectives. Each session includes in-depth discussions that provide historical context and foster reflection on the impact and legacy of these narratives.
Author Judy Rakowsky delves into her family’s Holocaust history after discovering a mass grave in a Polish garden. This memoir traces her quest for justice and truth, as she uncovers long-buried secrets and confronts the lingering impact of the Holocaust on survivors and their descendants.
Summer Youth Series: “Fighting Spirit: Krav Maga and Jewish History” | Session 3
This year's summer youth series uniquely engages young people in Holocaust education through interactive activities and discussions, with a special focus on Krav Maga and its connection to Holocaust history. Hosted in partnership with Shaan Saar Orlando, this series inspires the next generation to embrace values of respect, awareness, and social responsibility.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: “The Whispering Town”
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Community Connections: “A Night at the Catskills” Comedy Show
This after-hours program offers the public unique events and learning opportunities at the Center. Participants gain special access to collections, engage with guest speakers, and enjoy networking opportunities, creating an enriching environment for deeper exploration of Holocaust history and its contemporary relevance.
Join us for a night at the Catskills, featuring local comedians, cocktails, and light snacks. Come dressed in your best retro Catskills attire and enjoy an evening of laughter, nostalgia, and community fun!
Dismantling Hate Workshop: Pt. 3: “Digital Literacy and Online Hate”
"Dismantling Hate: Tackling Antisemitism Together" is a comprehensive four-part workshop series that equips participants with the knowledge and tools to confront antisemitism in all its forms. Through interactive activities, presentations, and discussions, participants will explore its historical roots, contemporary manifestations, and effective strategies for addressing it in various contexts, while emphasizing the importance of allyship and collective action. Session speaker information to come.
Session 3 will address the rise of online antisemitism and promote digital literacy skills to identify and combat hate speech online.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: “The Secret of the Village Fool”
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Film Screening: “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story”
This documentary uncovers the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr. The film explores her groundbreaking contributions to technology, including her role in developing a frequency-hopping spread spectrum that laid the groundwork for modern wireless communication, alongside her Hollywood career.
Opening Reception: “Hedy Lamarr: Actress, Inventor, War Hero”
Hedy Lamarr: Actress, Inventor, War Hero
This exhibit showcases the extraordinary life of Hedy Lamarr, a Jewish Hollywood actress who secretly co-developed a technology that aided Allied forces in World War II and became the basis for modern wireless communication. Discover how Lamarr balanced her glamorous Hollywood career with her groundbreaking
Crucial Conversation: Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess: “Fighting Hate Crimes with Early Education”
Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess: “Fighting Hate Crimes with Early Education”
"Crucial Conversations for a Unified Florida" is a programming series addressing antisemitism and discrimination in Florida through engaging panels and keynotes. The events aim to unify communities by fostering dialogue, awareness, and strategies to combat intolerance statewide.
Join us for an engaging lecture by Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, a survivor of the Bosnian Genocide and associate professor of practice at Teachers College, Columbia University, as she discusses the “Fight Hate Crimes with Early Education” Program. Originally developed by Columbia University's International Interfaith Research Lab, this program centers on creating and sharing training methods to help educators promote inclusiveness and combat divisiveness, especially among young students.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: “Rosie Revere, Engineer”
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Book Club: Memories of my Life in a Polish Village by Toby Knobel Fluek
This year’s book club explores published works by and about women during the Holocaust, delving into their unique experiences and perspectives. Each session includes in-depth discussions that provide historical context and foster reflection on the impact and legacy of these narratives.
Author Toby Knobel Fluek recounts her childhood in a small Polish village before and during the Holocaust. Through her vivid memories and illustrations, Fluek preserves the rich traditions of Jewish life in Poland and the devastation that followed, offering a poignant tribute to a lost world.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: “The Patchwork Torah”
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Dismantling Hate Workshop: Pt. 4: “Historical Remembrance and Memorialization”
"Dismantling Hate: Tackling Antisemitism Together" is a comprehensive four-part workshop series that equips participants with the knowledge and tools to confront antisemitism in all its forms. Through interactive activities, presentations, and discussions, participants will explore its historical roots, contemporary manifestations, and effective strategies for addressing it in various contexts, while emphasizing the importance of allyship and collective action. Session speaker information to come.
Session 4 will use the Holocaust and other instances of antisemitism in history to reflect on and honor the memory of victims and prevent future atrocities.
Commemorations: Kristallnacht Commemoration Program
The Holocaust commemoration series honors the memory of victims and survivors while encouraging reflection on how to prevent such atrocities in the future. By fostering dialogue and engagement, these commemorations underscore the enduring importance of remembrance and promote tolerance, empathy, and justice.
Gather with us to observe Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass), also called the November Pogrom, marking the intensification of terror against the Jews in the Third Reich. Speaker details to come.
Community Connections: Founders’ Day Community Night
This after-hours program offers the public unique events and learning opportunities at the Center. Participants gain special access to collections, engage with guest speakers, and enjoy networking opportunities, creating an enriching environment for deeper exploration of Holocaust history and its contemporary relevance.
Join us for a family-friendly Founder’s Day Community Night as we celebrate the founding of the Holocaust Center with food, activities, and a chance to reflect on our shared commitment to remembrance and education. Bring your loved ones for an evening of connection, learning, and community spirit.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: “I Will Come Back for You”
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Film Screening: “999 - The Forgotten Girls”
This documentary sheds light on the untold stories of female Holocaust survivors, focusing on those who were imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. The film explores their harrowing experiences, resilience, and the struggle to have their stories recognized and remembered.
Sundays at the Center: Junior Reading Club: “Hanukkah Bear”
Sundays at the Center is a free, family-friendly program series for kids in grades K through 6. Beat the summer heat and join us indoors for a fun and educational experience, featuring engaging story times and creative arts & crafts.
Holocaust By Bullets Opening
Holocaust by Bullets will open September 19th, 2024 at the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center. The opening night reception will be held at 6:30 pm. Holocaust by Bullets discusses the often forgotten part of the genocide, where over 2 million Jews were shot by the Einsatzgruppen, or mobile killing units, and local collaborators and police units. There will be graphic photos, as well as interactive panels. There are six panels that explain the steps to the massacres: the arrest, the road, the undressing, the shooting, the looting, and an informative introduction. This exhibit is created by the organization Yahad-In Unum, who work to uncover the evidence and mass graves left behind from these terrible massacres. The exhibit runs through December 13, 2024.
RSVP here.
Defiant Requiem
Opera Orlando is proud to present the Orlando premiere of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín, a concert-drama that combines the magnificent music of Verdi’s Requiem with video testimony from survivors of the original Terezín chorus and footage from the 1944 Nazi propaganda film about Theresienstadt. The work tells the story of the courageous Jewish prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp (Terezín) during World War II who performed Verdi’s Requiem while experiencing the horrors of the concentration camps. With only a single score, they performed the celebrated oratorio sixteen times amidst the most horrendous conditions.
In addition to a full orchestra and 120-member chorus, the work also weaves in actors who speak the words of imprisoned conductor Rafael Schächter, who organized the performances in the camp and others. The piece was conceived and created by The Defiant Requiem Foundation president Murry Sidlin, who will be on stage conducting the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opera Orlando Chorus, and members of Orlando Sings.
Florida Kids & Family Expo
Join us at the 9th Annual Florida Kids & Family Expo on August 17 & 18 at the Orange County Convention Center! The Holocaust Center will be part of the largest kids and family expo in the United States, which features entertainment, character meet-and-greets, animals, educational centers, community programs, attractions, food, fun, and so much more. Visit our booth to experience our all-new VR tour of Anne Frank’s annex, talk with our educators, and pick up some fun HMREC merchandise. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to explore everything Central Florida has to offer while supporting the important work of the Holocaust Center. We can’t wait to see you there!