Holocaust Museum educates the community against hate

By Antonio Miguel Escorzon •

To honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, students can visit the Craig and Barbara Weiner Holocaust Museum of South Florida in the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center, room 2005.

“The Holocaust Museum does a phenomenal job of highlighting stories of both Holocaust victims and survivors and engages local students in tours, classroom sessions and dialogue surrounding these stories,” Gena Meroth, university archivist, wrote in an email to The Current.

Craig R. Weiner, the museum’s founder along with his wife Barbara Weiner, are co-founders of the Holocaust Learning and Education Fund Inc. non-profit. Craig has been educating people about the Holocaust for 12 years.

“Our mission is to teach students and the general public how dangerous hate and prejudice can be,” Craig said.

NSU had been conducting the Holocaust Reflection Contest three years prior to the Craig and Barbara Weiner Holocaust Museum of South Florida’s opening in 2016. This inspired NSU and the Weiner family to host the museum in the Alvin Sherman Library.

“It was natural to continue working with this university, keeping in mind that a core value of NSU is community,” Weiner said.

The Holocaust Museum is a resource on campus that shows the historical experiences, which led to the Holocaust.

“We wanted to show how hate and violence built up initially in German society and spread through Europe, which was through the effective use of propaganda,” Weiner said.

The museum houses artifacts from the Holocaust, which illustrate what happened during the time.

“The museum is an emotional and overwhelming experience due to the witness testimony and artifacts that are on display,” Meroth wrote in an email to The Current.

Students have used the Holocaust Museum to understand the dangers of anti-Semitism and bigotry.

Johnathon Vsetecka, assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Politics, expressed the significance of the Holocaust Museum for HIST 3140: The Holocaust, a course he taught in fall 2024.

“For the course, there is a Holocaust object analysis assignment. I have students visit the museum to find an object in the collection and research its history for a paper,” Vsetecka said.

Aside from highlighting the history leading up to the Holocaust, the museum looks to educate and inspire visitors.

“Every educational institution, whether they be universities or school systems, have both the obligation and responsibility to educate beyond basic courses and textbooks,” Craig said. “We feel that it is incumbent upon educational institutions to help our students leave their school one day as better people, as compassionate and empathetic people, and as leaders that stand up against all forms of hate and prejudice.”

“We host several thousand students who come here each school year for this education. Teachers are so appreciative of having this facility and educational resources within the community. They rebook their field trip dates several months in advance each year to be sure their students can have this opportunity,” Weiner said.

In addition to middle school, high school and college students, the Holocaust Museum conducts Holocaust education programs for the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Miami FBI.

The museum also has a mission to encourage students and the general public to research things rather than accepting everything they see on social media as fact.

“Much like the propaganda during the Holocaust, social media has become a widespread phenomenon making it very easy to spread propaganda,” Weiner said. “Do not fall into the trap of hate and prejudice if you want to have a successful career one day.”