The Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis has established a Task Force to renovate and expand the Holocaust Museum & Learning Center (HMLC).
This is a significant point in the future of the 25-year-old Museum as it will re-envision its role in connecting the lessons from the Holocaust to contemporary times. The Task Force will provide oversight to the planning for the project and the execution of a Campaign.
The proposed project would represent another significant investment made in upgrading the facilities on the Millstone Campus (Jewish Community Center Staenberg Family Complex, Covenant Place, and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis) over the past several years. Its location would also take advantage of the proposed economic development in the western portion of the St. Louis region.
One of the key challenges during the planning and construction of the new facility will be to ensure a dual focus on the long-term vision of the “New” HMLC and the continued success and operations of the current HMLC.
The Museum serves 30,000 visitors annually, including 20,000 students from across the Midwest. We are committed to continue serving schools and students as a vibrant part of their curriculum. In addition, the HMLC will continue to provide important programming and educational opportunities to the community, including its training program for law enforcement.
To accomplish this, the long-serving Museum Director, Jean Cavender, will focus on continuous operations of the current Museum. Concurrently, the Task Force will launch a search for an Executive Director to run the new Museum.
This is an exciting time as we improve, for the region, one of only 22 Holocaust museums across the U.S. These special places give vital context to past events and remind us how fragile freedom can be so that we can create a future where human potential is revealed, with respect for all people.