2012–13 Annual Report

ONE2012–13 Annual Report BY ONE With the survivors at our side, Leadership Message 4 Rescuing the Evidence 8 for two decades this sacred Advancing New Knowledge 10 place has challenged leaders Educating New Generations 12 Preventing Genocide 14 and citizens, teachers and The Power of Our Partnership 16 students—one by one—to 20th Anniversary National Tribute 18 International Travel Program 22 look inside themselves, Campaign Leadership Giving 24 to look beyond themselves, Donors 26 Financial Statements 46 and to wrestle with some of United States Holocaust Memorial Council 47 the most central issues of human behavior in modern society. So to the question: Does memory have the power to change the world? 20 years on, our answer is a resounding YES. —Sara J. Bloomfield, Director 39 million 90,000 446 50,000 10% 143,000 Since 1993, 39 million people More than 80,000 national Representing diverse Over 50,000 educators—from Our website ushmm.org— Inspired by the Museum’s have had an in-person encounter and local law enforcement academic disciplines, 446 those at the beginning of their now available in 15 languages contemporary genocide with our most important message: professionals and 10,000 scholars from 30 countries careers to the most advanced— including Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, installation FROM MEMORY The Holocaust could have been members of the US court have completed resident have been trained by the Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and to ACTION: MEETING THE prevented. Over 35 million people system have participated in fellowships at the Museum’s Museum in the most effective Urdu—has become the leading CHALLENGE OF GENOCIDE, have visited the Museum on the Museum training programs, Center for Advanced ways to teach this history. online destination for information more than 143,000 people National Mall and nearly four putting the lessons of Holocaust Studies, generating Collectively they reach millions on the Holocaust and among worldwide have answered million have visited Museum the Holocaust into action new research and ensuring of young people and can empower the top 10 percent most visited the Museum’s call to action, traveling exhibitions in 272 with those responsible for this history is taught at the them with the truth about the websites in the world, with writing a personal pledge to locations nationwide. safeguarding society in highest levels on campuses Holocaust and the lesson that visitors annually from every help meet the challenge of communities nationwide. worldwide. what they do matters. country except North Korea. genocide today. Cover: Survivor volunteer Emanuel “Manny” Mandel and University Leadership Summit participants. Above: New recruits of the Philadelphia Police Department train at the Museum. how DO WE KEEP MEmorY ALIVE FOR A constantLY CHANGING worLD? ONE BY ONE. Dear friends, In the 1979 President’s Commission on the Holocaust report, Elie Wiesel put into motion an ongoing challenge for this living memorial: “Our wish is to reach and transform as many human beings as possible.” Our founders, many of them survivors, knew that the only way to make the future different from the past was to empower people, one by one, with the truth: The Holocaust happened because it was allowed to happen. By any measure, we have exceeded even the most ambitious aspirations of our founders. Thanks to your support, this past year was no exception. Yet we cannot afford complacency, for our 20th anniversary comes at a turning point. As we look forward, we rededicate ourselves to this bold purpose but we do so in a radically changed world. With the accelerating loss of the survivors, we are entering uncharted territory. How can we ensure the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding, and relevance when assaults on the truth are rising even with the eyewitnesses still at our side? And fueled by new technologies, hate—and the indifference that enables it—can be more dangerous than ever. The global problems the Museum addresses, such as hate, antisemitism, genocide, and threats to democratic values will remain vital issues in the 21st century. The challenge for us, for all who care about humanity’s future, is securing our future over the next 20 years. If the museum’s greatest impact is to inspire people to think and act differently, how can we realize our full potential in a constantly changing world? At a time when the power of the individual is magnified and technology is connecting people in ways unimaginable, we stand at a juncture of extraordinary challenges and possibilities. Our founders understood the enormous potential of a living memorial to the Holocaust in the heart of American democracy. At this turning point, our generation owes it to both the future and the past to be as bold and visionary as they were. That is why we launched a comprehensive campaign to ensure the permanence of what we have built together and to build something new—a global enterprise that not only reaches people everywhere but also actively engages them in new ways to ensure the Holocaust becomes APRIL 28, 2013 During the 20th a vital part of the global conversation. We are pleased to report that we have raised more Anniversary National Tribute than half of our campaign goal of $540 million. Each of you who we recognize in this report has contributed to our success. Dinner, our pledge to both the future and the past illuminated the We hope the Museum can count on your continued support as we write our next chapter Hall of Remembrance as more than and inscribe Holocaust memory across the map and conscience of the world. 3,500 guests joined in the launch of a comprehensive campaign to secure the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding, Tom A. Bernstein Joshua B. Bolten Sara J. Bloomfield and relevance. Under the banner Chairman Vice Chairman Director NEVER AGAIN: What You DO MattERS and the leadership of Honorary Campaign Chair Elie Wiesel, this ambitious campaign seeks to raise $540 million in annual, capital, and endowment commitments. 4 | UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM ushmm.org ILLUSTRATION what Rescuing the evidence WE DO Building the collection of record on the Holocaust— accessible anywhere, AND anytime—to ensure we can teach this history with authenticity and relevance WHY to every new generation Advancing Educating new knowledge new generations Increasing the productivity Ensuring that learning why and impact of the field of the Holocaust happened is part Holocaust studies globally— of the education of citizens as to continually generate new well as professionals responsible understanding of how the for life and liberty—to strengthen OUR WISH Holocaust was possible critical thinking about their roles in society IS TO REACH AND TRANSFORM Preventing AS MANY genocide HUMAN Ensuring that the US government BEINGS AS has institutionalized structures and tools to prevent and respond to genocide and other mass POSSIBLE. atrocities—to make the future —1979 President’s Commission Report, different from the past Elie Wiesel, Chairman 2012 IMPact Rescuing the evidence of the “crime of all crimes” is one of the 1,884 Museum’s highest priorities. We The Museum helped 1,884 survivors are grateful to our many donors and their families discover documents and information about loved ones who made exceptional gifts in 2012 because of your support. to support this work—like Jennifer RESCUING Loew Mendelson and her husband, Daniel Mendelson. “Tangible THE EVIDENCE 200 evidence is core to the mission of Two hundred oral history interviews were the Museum, and now is the critical Accelerating efforts to gather evidence worldwide produced—158 of which were interviews time to collect this evidence. We Shortly before he was deported to Auschwitz in April 1944, Fabian with non-Jewish witnesses—as part Bruner wrote to a friend, “. there may come a time when it will of “Witnesses, Collaborators, and decided to give an unrestricted gift be good that someone be at least somewhat informed about what Perpetrators: The Jeff and Toby Herr Testimony Initiative,” which will change the situation is here.” Bruner and his wife were killed but their sons because we are confident that the our understanding of this history. Museum will optimize the use of survived. Decades later his grandchildren donated the fragile letter to the Museum—one of more than 40 new individual collections our gift so that undeniable proof acquired by the Museum at the 20th anniversary national tour of the Holocaust will be preserved stop in Boca Raton, the first of four cities the Museum visited to for generations to come.” commemorate this milestone. What of the countless fragments 1,064 of Holocaust history decaying in long-forgotten boxes? A primary Museum conservators prepared 1,064 goal of the national tour was to alert the public to the urgency collections for display at the Museum, of identifying collections still in private hands—one part of in a traveling exhibition, or to loan to the Museum’s relentless effort in over 50 countries to rescue another institution. irreplaceable evidence while we still can. A Museum curator inspects one of the more than 200 new collections acquired during the 20th Anniversary National Tour, the first step in assessing each artifact’s unique value and the Securing the Museum’s most precious asset conservation challenges in ensuring that it can tell its story for generations to come. This year we made significant progress toward building a new state-of-the-art facility to secure the Museum’s massive and growing collection of evidence. Adding some 350 new personal collections BUILDING THE DIGitaL foundation FOR A 21st-CENTURY MUSEUM each year, the Museum collection is expected to double over the next decade. The new Collections and Conservation Center will serve as The future of Holocaust education the collection that is digitized to over more than 300,000 items were made the hub for acquisition, preservation, conservation, and educational and scholarship will depend on our 20 percent.

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