Child refugees from Nazi Germany arrive in New York Harbor, 1939. US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Based on the exhibition that opened in April 2018 at the Museum in Washington, DC, the 1,100-square-foot Americans and the Holocaust traveling exhibition addresses important themes in American history, including Americans’ responses to refugees, war, and genocide in the 1930s and 1940s. This exhibition will challenge the commonly held assumptions that Americans knew little and did nothing about the Nazi persecution and murder of Jews as the Holocaust unfolded. Americans and the Holocaust examines various aspects of American society: the government, the military, refugee aid organizations, the media, and the general public. It aims, like all of the Museum's exhibitions, to motivate audiences to think critically about the history as individual citizens, as a country, and as members of a global community.
This traveling exhibition is made possible by the generous support of lead sponsor Jeannie & Jonathan Lavine. Additional major funding was provided by the Bildners—Joan & Allen z”l, Elisa Spungen & Rob, Nancy & Jim; and Jane and Daniel Och.
The Museum's exhibitions are also supported by the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund, established in 1990.
Substantial support was also provided by:
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
Ruth Miriam Bernstein
Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation
Gary and Cathy Jacob
In Memory of Simon Konover
Philip and Cheryl Milstein Family
Benjamin and Seema Pulier Charitable Foundation
David and Fela Shapell Family Foundation
Laurie and Sy Sternberg