Holocaust Museum reacts to lethal DC taking pictures
A pair was simply days away from getting engaged, however final evening, their lives have been minimize brief. The 2 Israeli Embassy workers members have been gunned down outdoors the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington DC. The killings are being investigated as a hate crime, and they’re having an affect on the Jewish neighborhood. Genevieve Curtis experiences.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Florida Holocaust Museum has been closed for almost a yr, present process in depth renovations. Whereas the reopening this September guarantees modernized reveals and expanded academic packages, there’s a deeper motive driving the overhaul: security.
What they’re saying:
“In a really, very unhappy approach, you say, ‘I’m shocked, however I’m not stunned,’ as a result of we’ve seen this earlier than,” stated Mike Igel, CEO of the Florida Holocaust Museum.
Igel’s phrases come within the wake of a tragic incident in Washington, D.C., the place two Israeli embassy staff have been shot and killed outdoors the Capital Jewish Museum after attending an occasion. Authorities say the shooter shouted “Free Palestine” through the assault, which is now being investigated as each an act of terror and a hate crime.
“These people had nothing to do with international politics,” stated Igel. “They usually have been killed. That’s not proper.”
Dig deeper:
The taking pictures echoes a troubling rise in antisemitic violence throughout the nation—one thing the Florida Holocaust Museum has felt even throughout its closure. Regardless of locked doorways and building indicators, threats have continued.
“We might love to have the ability to spend that greenback as a substitute of bulletproof glass on educating the following era,” Igel stated. “However the world isn’t permitting that. It’s unhappy and irritating that antisemitism forces museums associated to Jews and Judaism to spend on safety when each greenback ought to fund schooling, commemoration, delight, and advocacy,” he stated.
The museum’s renovation venture consists of superior safety upgrades—some seen, many not. Igel emphasised that the brand new facility goals to create an area the place guests can really feel secure, even amid escalating threats.
“We make it so individuals don’t must be anxious about their security,” he stated. “However it’s as a result of we’re vigilant.
On Thursday, Igel stated he was in communication with administrators of different Jewish museums nationwide concerning security and response.
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At a press convention Thursday evening, federal officers confirmed the D.C. taking pictures is being handled as a hate crime. U.S. Lawyer  Jeanine Pirro spoke solemnly: “These sorts of instances remind us of what occurred prior to now—and that we can’t return.”
That philosophy underpins every little thing the Florida Holocaust Museum stands for. Extra than simply preserving historical past, it teaches the important classes of the Holocaust—classes which might be more and more related as we speak.
“I do know my household’s story,” stated Igel. “It includes non-Jewish individuals who have been executed for hiding my grandparents and never giving up their whereabouts.”
Regardless of the concern, regardless of the threats, the museum presses on.
“We’ve to press on,” stated Igel. “As a result of we’ve to make a world the place this isn’t taking place.”
What’s subsequent:
Police in D.C. say the suspected shooter acted alone however have elevated patrols round synagogues and Jewish-affiliated establishments as a precaution.
The Supply: FOX 13’s Genevieve Curtis gathered the data for this story.
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