The received a $1 million pledge this week from the .
The donation from the foundation, which funds education efforts by St. Louis nonprofits, will support the new museum鈥檚 impact lab 鈥� a hands-on space where visitors will grapple with contemporary manifestations of hate and bigotry.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a classroom. It really is a lab 鈥� a lab of self,鈥� said Director of Education Helen Turner. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place for self-exploration and to challenge, to maybe change one鈥檚 thinking. And to practice what we do when we confront hate or bigotry or bias.鈥�
The impact lab will be part of a new facility due to open in Creve Coeur this fall. The lab will build on ideas promoting tolerance that are included in the museum鈥檚 permanent collection, with an eye toward applying them practically.
鈥淎 lot of times Holocaust museums, or museums in general, leave visitors with the feeling that you鈥檝e learned about this difficult history, and now can go forward and change the world,鈥� Turner said. 鈥淏ut that's a heavy weight to put on a student or an adult. And so the lab is really designed to practice what it means to stand up in the face of hate or bias or stereotyping.鈥�
The museum has now raised $24 million in its.
The new, 35,000-square-foot museum will triple the organization鈥檚 space for permanent and changing exhibitions, and education programs. Before temporarily closing its doors at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, the museum served about 30,000 visitors annually, two-thirds of whom were high school students.
鈥淭his expansion will give us the opportunity to engage tens of thousands more,鈥� said Michael Litwack, a former board chair of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis who is assisting with the capital campaign.
The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum quickly reached the initial campaign goal of $18 million it announced in 2020. Leaders are discussing how much of the surplus funds to devote to the organization鈥檚 endowment.
Even with that recent record of fundraising success, the gift from the Tilles Foundation stands out.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not that many million-dollar opportunities,鈥� Litwack said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not something that happens that often.鈥�
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