When the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center’s electricity malfunctioned, nobody expected it to turn into a new exhibition. But after several months of careful planning and design, it became just that.
The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center unveiled its newest exhibit, “Righteous Among the Nations,” on Wednesday, Aug. 7. The exhibition displays four upstanders throughout history that saved Jews in Nazi occupied-Europe.
Agottha Adler, an HMTC volunteer, has a direct connection with Raoul Wallenberg, one of the featured upstanders. This connection makes the exhibition all the more impactful for the center’s staff and visitors.
Bernie Furshpan, a HNTC board member, said the exhibit began as a renovation project.
After a chandelier malfunctioned over the main stairway, the HMTC began looking for a replacement.
Furshpan was inspired by a chandelier project at the Louvre Museum, in which photos of paintings were displayed on each side.
The HMTC wanted to use its new fixture to highlight upstanders in history, Furshpan said. The four plexiglass panels are 8 x 4 feet, with a different upstander displayed on each side.
“As we’re developing it and designing it, we’re realizing that it is becoming an exhibit,” Frushpan said. “So it became an exhibit to honor those who rescued Jewish people.”
The panels feature four non-Jewish upstanders who rescued Jewish people during the Holocaust, including Oskar Schindler, Irena Sendler, André Trocmé and Raoul Wallenberg.
“These are non-Jews,” Furshpan said. “These are the likes of Muslims and Christians, and even atheists and even those in the Nazi party, who went out of their way and risked their lives to rescue Jews.”
The four upstanders displayed over the staircase saved thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland, France, and Hungary.
“The light [shines] through their souls,” Frushpan said. “These good souls illuminate the past as you climb up the stairs to high moral grounds.”
“It is to illuminate. It does that literally and figuratively,” Furshpan said. “It illuminates and it elevates.”
This project was extremely personal for the HMTC, Furshpan said.
Agota Adler, a Holocaust survivor and HMTC volunteer, lived in one of Wallenburg’s safe houses in Budapest. Adler now shares her story with adults and students at the center.
“It was a very moving experience for her to see his picture,” Furshpan said.
Adler and other HMTC presenters spoke to almost 31,000 students and adults this past academic year, up from the previous academic year’s 12,000.
Furshpan said the increase was due to student lectures, continued education courses, and tolerance training offered by the HMTC.
“We look forward to continuing fulfilling our mission this year,” he said.
Furshpan said the center hopes visitors are inspired by the portraits displayed. The exhibition aims to highlight the courage and honor that these upstanders displayed.
“It’s not just about a Jewish story,” Furshpan said. “It’s about humanity.”
