Last updated on .
The Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg is an important place to visit if you’re in the area. One of the largest holocaust museums in the country, it’s a moving and educational experience for all.
Visiting
The museum, which was founded in 1992 by Holocaust survivors Walter and Edith Lobenberg, is located in downtown St. Petersburg. Adult admission is US$20 (as of February 2024) and includes an audioguide. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm except for major holidays.
History, Heritage, and Hope
The first floor of the museum is dedicated to its permanent collection, “History, Heritage, and Hope”. It starts with a history of antisemitism around the world. Next, it delves into the daily lives of Jews in Germany before World War II, the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, and the increasing systematic persecution.
The exhibit continues with a section about concentration camps and killing centers, and another section about current genocides occurring in the world. There’s also a room where you can watch moving interviews with Holocaust survivors.
In the end, the exhibit finishes with an actual boxcar from Gdynia, Poland, resting on original tracks from the Treblinka extermination camp. Interpretive panels tell stories about how Jews were transported on boxcars to concentration camps. On the wall behind the boxcar are hundreds of photos of those who perished in the Holocaust.
Temporary Exhibitions
The upper floors of the museum are used for temporary exhibitions on various subjects. During my visit, the second floor of the museum displayed haunting artwork by Murray Zimiles depicting the Holocaust, and his Book of Fire.
On the third floor, a few important items from the permanent collection were on display. There was also an exhibit of woodcarvings called “Kadish in Wood” by Dr. Herbert Savel. Dr. Savel took photos of children killed in the Holocaust and created colorful woodcarvings of them. Only 130 are on display in the Florida Holocaust Museum, but he has created hundreds of these woodcarvings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I highly recommend spending a couple hours at the Florida Holocaust Museum. It’s extremely well done and informative. I also believe that anyone visiting the museum will walk away with a better understanding of the Holocaust and why we can never forget the terrible things that happened.
