In Midst of Dramatic Worldwide Rise of Antisemitism Holocaust Museum LA Breaks Ground on Largest Expansion in Famed-Institution’s History

First U.S. Holocaust Museum and Oldest Survivor-Founded Museum to Double Size of Its Award-Winning Campus

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Holocaust Museum LA, the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust Museum in the United States, broke ground today on a major expansion of its Pan Pacific Park campus.

Government officials joined Holocaust Museum LA CEO Beth Kean and Holocaust survivors at the ceremony. Attendees included Los Angeles City County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, California State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel and California State Senator Ben Allen.

Named the Jona Goldrich Campus and designed by award-winning architect Hagy Belzberg, the new facility will feature spectacular outdoor reflective spaces; dramatic expansive galleries and classrooms; a theater for survivor talks, film screenings, concerts, conferences and public programs; a pavilion to house an authentic boxcar found outside the Majdanek death camp in Lublin, Poland; and a dedicated theater for the holographic exhibition featuring a conversation with a virtual survivor.

The “Flame of Courage,” recently unveiled during a presentation honoring Arnold Schwarzenegger for his stands against antisemitism and hate, will also have a permanent home at the sprawling new campus.

Kean said, “Holocaust Museum LA is digging in with its shovels and our hearts to continue building an institution dedicated to eradicating all forms of antisemitism and hate through education and enlightenment. We will continue to honor both the memories of those who perished and our beloved survivors, whose courage, determination, strength and resiliency remind the world that we must never forget the critical lessons of the past.”

The expansion will double the museum’s existing footprint and provide an increase in visitor capacity, including additional student visitors. The growth includes new cutting-edge technology to preserve Holocaust survivor testimonies and areas to include temporary and traveling exhibits.

The new campus is expected to be finished in 2025.

Holocaust Museum LA received a lead gift from Andrea Goldrich Cayton and Melinda Goldrich, daughters of museum founder and survivor Jona Goldrich, to name the new campus. The museum also received gifts from the Stanley and Joyce Black Family Foundation to name the pavilion that will house the original boxcar obtained and donated by the family and from the S. Mark Taper Foundation to name the theater. In addition, the museum received a gift from the Smidt Family Foundation, the largest ever contribution from a family or foundation whose members are not descendants of Holocaust survivors or victims.

For more information, visit hmla.org.

About Holocaust Museum LA

Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust Museum in the United States and houses the West Coast’s largest collection of Holocaust-era artifacts. Since 1961, the museum has carried on the mission of the founding survivors to commemorate those who perished, educate future generations about the Holocaust, and inspire a more dignified and humane world. Museum admission is free for all teachers, students and children under 17 and is also free for visitors all day Sunday. A mobile guide to the museum that can be used both on-site and off-site and can be accessed through the Bloomberg Connects app or downloaded on Google Play or the App Store. https://holocaustmuseumLA.org/