tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70213867878544034792026-05-20T05:06:14.688-04:00Insights and Inside Stories by David G. Marwell, Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the HolocaustDavid G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-11674860391317685782015-10-09T10:01:00.000-04:002015-10-09T10:01:57.084-04:00

This is a letter that I sent yesterday to the Museum community: Dear Friends, I write to share some news with you – I have decided to step down as Director & CEO of the Museum at the end of December. After fifteen years, it is time to move on and pursue other activities, including a book project that details my involvement with the Josef Mengele investigation. As I was reaching

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-739529403407813202015-01-27T17:10:00.002-05:002015-01-27T17:18:54.867-05:00

NASDAQ Video Wall in Times Square My remarks at the Closing Bell Ceremony at NASDAQ this afternoon: Seventy years ago today, Allied forces entered the Auschwitz Concentration camp and discovered evidence of unparalleled crimes – crimes that would shock the conscience of the world and would forever change our notion of the power of humans beings to commit evil acts

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-59571617162921818582014-09-11T11:16:00.003-04:002014-09-11T11:16:40.254-04:00

 The new Freedom Tower alongside the Tribute of Light This is a repost of a piece I did for the London Jewish Chronicle last year: The World Trade Center was an anchor for our neighborhood, a north star to help one navigate the warrens of New York’s streets, a beacon for all who could catch a glimpse of its twin towers.  The date of its

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-9614901437982845962014-09-09T14:06:00.000-04:002014-09-09T14:31:50.196-04:00

 Wolf Blitzer Visits Auschwitz Jewish Center Wolf Blitzer recently visited our Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oświęcim. The institution he visited has changed dramatically over the past year.  Among the changes are a brand new permanent exhibition, which chronicles Jewish life in Oświęcim, and Café Bergson, which occupies the Kluger house, the home to the last Jewish

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-75761802749062503762014-02-23T14:51:00.001-05:002014-02-23T14:51:24.445-05:00

I called John Judis Friday afternoon and invited him to join me at the Museum for a public discussion of his new book, Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origin of the Arab/Israeli Conflict.  Readers of the Forward, and some recent blogs, may very well be surprised by this statement. They might ask, didn’t you just disinvite him? What’s going on? Here is what happened:  Our public

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-90490362983358578432013-11-18T17:13:00.000-05:002013-11-18T17:13:22.205-05:00

UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon at our Center   We were honored to receive a visit from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, at our Auschwitz Jewish Center.  Here is the note he left in our guest book:     

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-61240104018313871622013-09-11T14:57:00.000-04:002013-09-11T14:59:10.039-04:00

 View of 9/11 Towers of Light Memorial from My Apartment   I submitted the following comment on 9/11 to the London Jewish Chronicle, which published a version of it in their September 4th issue: The World Trade Center was an anchor for our neighborhood, a north star to help one navigate the warrens of New York’s streets, a beacon for all who could catch a

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-40766098517428500452013-08-19T19:03:00.000-04:002013-08-20T09:25:54.112-04:00

Jacques Vergès The controversial French attorney, Jacques Vergès, died last week, and the news brought me immediately back to a chilly February evening in Paris.  It was February 2007, and I was in Paris working on the documentary film, Elusive Justice.  I arrived at Vergès's beautiful apartment a bit later than my colleagues, and the film's director,

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-85551692379207205712013-04-09T16:25:00.001-04:002013-04-09T16:25:40.159-04:00

Our Kickstarter Campaign for the Auschwitz Jewish Center's project to save the home of the last Jewish resident of Oswiecim (Auschwitz) is well underway.  We just received our 50th contribution and crossed the $4000 mark.  Please take a look at the project and give whatever you can to support it.

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-48270681306395304402013-04-08T11:21:00.000-04:002013-04-08T11:21:15.532-04:00

Photo: Melanie Einzig Yesterday, we observed Yom Hashoah at the Annual Gathering of Remembrance, which is held each year at Temple Emanu-el in New York City. More than 2,000 people were in attendance, including Holocaust survivors and their families.   And Today, at the Museum, we have our day-long observance, which features Holocaust survivors in our galleries talking

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-34252716248929406692012-12-03T17:38:00.000-05:002012-12-03T17:38:21.489-05:00

Vladka Meed at the Museum in 2007 (photo by Melanie Einzig) Vladka Meed, a powerful voice for Holocaust memory and education died on November 21.  Her obituary in the New York Times recounts the fascinating details of her life. She and her late husband, Ben, were strong supporters of the Museum and entrusted us with the responsibility of organizing and

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-57399771948629312152012-09-21T13:51:00.002-04:002012-09-21T19:35:08.107-04:00

We marked the centennial of Raoul Wallenberg's birth in a program at the Museum this week. With our partners, the United NationsOutreach Programme and the Permanent Missions of Hungary and Sweden to the United Nations. Deputy Secretary of the United Nations Jan Eliasson (above) addressed the overflow audience, which included senior representatives of 33 nations.

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-91219069120121616912012-07-05T15:31:00.002-04:002012-07-05T15:32:50.375-04:00

Photo: Don Honeyman I learned recently of the death of Gitta Sereny, a great personality and a remarkable journalist and writer.  I first met Gitta Sereny in the mid-1980's, when she arrived at our office in the Justice Department with certain documents that, if genuine, would have described the use by US intelligence of the notorious war criminal, Odilio Globocnik. 

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-35877227025098365012012-06-14T17:17:00.002-04:002012-06-14T17:23:24.046-04:00

Early this week, we visited the Gerda III, our Danish Rescue boat, which is moored at Mystic Seaport.  A gift from the Danish Parliament, Gerda was a lighthouse tender that ferried Jews to Sweden during the rescue in 1943.  The conditions in New York Harbor (traffic, wake, etc.) make it impossible for us to have Gerda nearby as origniially

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-34371962021508127522012-06-07T10:21:00.000-04:002012-06-07T10:22:45.767-04:00

Space Shuttle Enterprise Passes by the Museum (Photo: Frank Camporeale) You never know what you will see outside our windows.... Yesterday, the space shuttle made its way up the Hudson River to its new home on board the USS Intrepid.

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-80403334370307379112012-06-06T14:56:00.000-04:002012-06-06T14:56:10.924-04:00

 DGM and Dr. Ruth (Photo: Tim Boxer) Last night we (along with more than 200 guests) celerated Dr. Ruth Westheimer's 84th birthday at the Museum.  As part of the festivities, we had a screening (the US premier) of the Dr. Ruth episode from the BBC series, Extraordinary Women.  In case anyone had any question of her having earned inclusion in

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-3278073368864204612012-05-31T10:25:00.000-04:002012-05-31T10:25:29.870-04:00

 President Obama in the East Room Following His Remarks I was invited to a reception for American Jewish Heritage Month at the White House yesterday.  President Obama addressed a large crowd in the East Room with remarks centered on Grant's infamous Order Number 11, which banned Jews from the Territory of the Tennessee.  The order was

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-76841167993871435192012-03-29T17:53:00.002-04:002012-03-29T23:41:42.646-04:00

An incredible week..... Tuesday: At Columbia, Claude Lanzmann (with Charlie Rose) discussing his newly published (in English) memoir, The Patagonian Hare. As always, Lanzmann, charming and disarming, took the conversation in his direction.  I first met Claude in Paris in 1998 and have seen him often since then, in Paris, Stockholm, Washington, and New York. We hosted him for a week at

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-25799668440371921972011-11-15T17:30:00.002-05:002011-11-15T17:30:57.518-05:00

I will be in two major documentary films, both premiering this evening at 9:00 pm.  One, Elusive Justice, by Jonathan Silvers, will be on PBS (check you local listings) and was the subject of a glowing review in last Friday's Wall Street Journal.  The other, a project of Creative Differences, was reviewed in this morning's New York Times and will air on 

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-21915196283900477982011-10-04T12:38:00.000-04:002011-10-04T12:38:00.474-04:00

Knight's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland I was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland last week by the Predisent of Poland at the Polish Consulate in New York City.  Needless to say, this was a high honor and big surprise.  The award was the result of my work with the Museum's Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oswiecim and

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-19529880203607409772011-09-11T13:34:00.002-04:002011-09-11T14:05:10.236-04:00

At least two of the dwarf chestnut oak trees in Andy Goldsworthy’s Garden of Stones, the Museum’s Memorial Garden, produced their first acorns recently.  I discovered them late last week while giving a tour to a visitor.  We had been told that the trees would produce acorns years earlier, and for several autumns, I searched carefully.  After a while, I

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-26648912462549847302011-08-30T17:55:00.000-04:002011-08-30T17:55:15.994-04:00

The impact of Irene was predicted to be especially threatening for us – arguably one of the most vulnerable buildings in lower Manhattan.  Meetings at Battery Park City Authority on Friday morning  imparted the warning of an 8 to 12 foot surge combined with the effects of heavy rain, high tide, and a full moon, which led us to take significant precautions against the storm.

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-61489792522756699702011-05-02T18:50:00.000-04:002011-05-02T18:50:37.866-04:00

Annual Gathering of Remembrance, Temple Emanu-El  (photo by Melanie Einzig) Yesterday we held our annual Holocaust commemoration day with more than 2000 people in attendance.  The following are the remarks that I delivered: Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, I welcome you to this annual

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-18404648308614695702011-03-27T12:08:00.000-04:002011-03-27T12:08:59.311-04:00

Two books which we were involved in arrived at the Museum last week, hot off the presses.  Last Folio: Textures of Jewish Life in Slovakia, published by Indiana University Press in record time --  less than two months -- accompanies our newest exhibition, which opened this week.  Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival, a wonderful cookbook by June Hersh and

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021386787854403479.post-77121055243382842252011-03-17T15:05:00.000-04:002011-03-17T15:05:17.986-04:00

Excerpt from Document Reproduced in Justice Department Report on Mengele Yesterday we held our 12th Annual Fanya Heller Conference for Educators on the subject, The Medical Profession and the Holocaust. The two hundred or so teachers had the opportunity not only to hear Fanya Heller discuss her own experience during the Holocaust, but also to listen to two scholars on the

David G. Marwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848880047088604108noreply@blogger.com1