Henri’s Hope

On January 18, a new exhibit called Hope & Humanity opened at the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida in Maitland. This redesigned core exhibit reframes how the Holocaust is presented, using a storytelling methodology that will be utilized further at the future Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity in downtown Orlando. Henri’s is one of the 10 Central Florida survivor stories shared in the exhibit.

Rather than focusing on the perpetrators of the Holocaust, Hope & Humanity centers on the survivors’ narratives.

“It really is from their perspective, what they knew at the time, what they didn’t know at the time, letting them tell the story,” says Suzanne Grimmer, senior director of museum experiences at the Holocaust Center of Florida and the Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity. “We encourage you to walk alongside them. The text is all in active voice, so it feels like you’re following a story.”

To honor Henri and his philanthropy, The Holocaust Center also built out a temporary gallery for Give Kids the World that opened March 7 at the Founder’s Day 40th anniversary event.

Because Henri’s story is so dark, says Suzanne, the center was “very mindful to not provide more opportunities to deal with trauma and hardship, but we want to honor what a Holocaust experience is.”

What the exhibit does focus on are the moments of hope Henri had: a secret bar mitzvah in the Krakow ghetto, reuniting with his sister, being nursed back to health.

“We’re really focused on those hope angles and how Henri put so much into the Florida community,” says Suzanne. “We’re really energized and excited to be able to help Give Kids the World tell Henri’s story and collaborate on this for their 40th. These hope moments are very important for the new museum buildout.”