Clearwater Florida
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Rod Wilson, Foundation for California
562-505-5600
Clearwater Welcomes the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s World-Renowned “Courage to Remember” Holocaust Exhibit with Opening Ceremony, September 5
Westfield Countryside Mall hosts the exhibit and this special event
Clearwater, Florida (August 30, 2012) — As the state of Florida continues to reel from the death of Trayvon Martin, as well as a reported increase in anti-Semitic vandalism, harassment and bullying in South Florida’s neighborhoods, schools, and Jewish institutions, many are left wondering, how can we best combat the dangerous impact of discrimination and hatred?
The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s “The Courage to Remember: the Holocaust 1933-1945” traveling exhibit strives for just that, empowering generations to resist ignorance and fight discrimination, as it comes to Clearwater September 5 through September 27.
A special opening ceremony will be held on September 5 at 4 p.m. on the upper level of the Westfield Countryside Mall, outside of Sears (27001 U.S. Highway 19 North, 33761), featuring special guest speakers, Holocaust survivors, local officials, and representatives from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Foundation for California.
Following the opening ceremony, the exhibit will be on display through September 27, free and open to the public during regular mall hours.
“Two decades after we first designed this exhibit, its lesson is still vital to peace at home and abroad,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “Its timeless messages reflect the words of Simon Wiesenthal: ‘Hope lives when people remember.’”
“The Courage to Remember” traveling exhibit, produced by the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance, presented by the Foundation for California, and made possible by a grant from SNCF, has celebrated 20 years of international acclaim and a highly successful tour throughout California and Florida. More than 400,000 people have seen the exhibit in California alone.
The exhibit, which is always free and open to the public, features more than 200 exclusive photographs that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world, offering amazing insight into the Holocaust through four distinct themes: Nazi Germany, 1933-1938; Moving Toward the “Final Solution,” 1939-1941; Annihilation in Nazi-occupied Europe, 1941-1945; and Liberation, Building New Lives.
“We are proud to bring ‘The Courage to Remember’ to Clearwater and encourage everyone to make time to view this powerful piece of history,” said Rabbi Cooper. “We believe this exhibit will encourage much-needed respect and tolerance in the Clearwater community. The impact and inspiration that comes from seeing the exhibition lasts long after you leave.”
For more information on “The Courage to Remember,” its partners and schedule, and to see photos and videos from opening events, please visit www.couragetoremember.com, find the exhibit on Facebook, or follow twitter.com/courageremember.
About the Foundation for California:
Incorporated in 1986, the Foundation For California, a non-profit 501(c)3 educational corporation, was established to perform educational programs on issues of importance to the public. Over the past 25 years, the Foundation has hosted conferences on public policy issues, sponsored educational lecture series and unveiled traveling exhibits, bringing the important issues of our society to the forefront of discussion on these important topics.
