Two-year residency at Central Library begins for Holocaust exhibit

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Remember Us The Holocaust (RUTH) is entering an exciting new chapter with a new exhibit slated to open on September 29 at the San Diego Central Library downtown, new leadership and a renewed commitment to establishing a permanent Holocaust museum in San Diego.

Since 2020, RUTH has presented exhibits throughout San Diego County, including Chula Vista, Rancho San Diego and most recently the La Jolla/Riford Library. The new Board of Directors aims to make the Central Library RUTH’s final temporary exhibit location and establish its own permanent museum in San Diego within two years.

The downtown exhibit will be San Diego’s only dedicated public Holocaust exhibit giving visitors the opportunity to experience rare, authentic Holocaust-era artifacts, World War II historical objects, survivor testimony, photographs and personal items, many connected to survivors who rebuilt their lives in San Diego and Southern California.

What makes RUTH’s exhibit unique is the combination of rare, authentic artifacts from concentration camps including Auschwitz-Birkenau, preserved by survivors and by the children of those who perished. The survivor testimonies and personal stories include those with direct ties to San Diego County. The exhibit tells the stories of Jewish survivors as well as others persecuted during this time.

Several survivors connected to the exhibit live in San Diego County and remain actively involved with RUTH, giving visitors a rare personal and direct connection to living history. Through these stories and artifacts, RUTH invites visitors to reflect on the consequences of antisemitism, bigotry, indifference and historical denial, lessons that remain relevant today.

“We are very grateful to the San Diego County and the Downtown Central Library for giving RUTH a home for the next two years, but we already know this cannot be our final destination,” said Dr. Moises Salinas Fleitman, RUTH’s new Executive Director. “Memory needs an address. San Diego needs a permanent place where Holocaust history can be preserved, studied and passed from one generation to the next. Our goal is to make that permanent museum a reality within two years.”

To help make the permanent museum a reality, Dr. Fleitman has been appointed RUTH’s new Executive Director. The former President of ORT University and author of numerous books and publications, Dr. Fleitman brings extensive experience in education, leadership and Holocaust awareness to RUTH as the organization enters its next chapter to establish a permanent museum.

RUTH’s new Board of Directors brings together leaders with experience in Holocaust remembrance and education, advocacy, business, the arts and public service. The Board is led by Founder and President Sandra Scheller, and includes Barry Soper, former attorney and author of “A Bum Deal: An Unlikely Journey from Hopeless to Humanitarian”; Ashley Levy, Associate Director of StandWithUs Southwest; Max Scheller, artist and RUTH contributor; David Beck Brown, internationally exhibited artist and World War II collector; Myssie McCann, real-estate broker and business leader; Jonathan Morales, recognized for his response during the 2019 Chabad of Poway synagogue attack; Jack Morgenstern, former chair of San Diego’s Yom HaShoah Committee; Liz Talpalatsky, daughter of Holocaust survivor Edith Palkowitz; and Alex Shah, San Diego real-estate developer and property-management professional.

At a time when Holocaust denial and historical distortion continue to spread, RUTH emphasizes the role of artifacts as concrete evidence, testimony, and witnesses of history. These objects are not abstractions. They are material proof of persecution, survival, loss, and memory. Together with survivor stories, they help visitors confront the Holocaust through evidence that can be seen, studied, and remembered, which is becoming increasingly important as firsthand survivor history is lost.

“History must be preserved and told, never forgotten,” said Sandra Scheller, founder and curator of RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust. “As part of our mission, we are dedicated to collecting and preserving very rare Holocaust and World War II artifacts, documents, photographs, and personal belongings that provide a tangible connection to the people and communities who lived through this history. Each artifact tells a story and represents a piece of history that may otherwise be lost forever. To continue this important work, we urgently need a permanent home where these artifacts can be safely preserved, displayed, and made accessible to the public.”

The RUTH exhibit will open on September 29th at the Central Library, located at 330 Park Boulevard near Petco Park. The downtown location will make the exhibit more accessible to students, families, educators, and visitors from across the region because of the Central Library’s central location and access to public transportation, including trolley and bus routes.

RUTH is seeking community support through donations, grants, matching gifts and other funding sources to help make a permanent museum a reality. Several potential sites in San Diego County are under consideration, while the organization focuses on building the financial support needed to secure and develop a permanent location.

“We are so grateful to be exhibiting at the beautiful downtown library and welcome past and future patrons,” added Scheller. “We welcome the community to help and want the county to help us make this journey a reality and create a permanent Holocaust museum in San Diego that will be revered for generations.”