2023 30thAnniversaryCommemorativeBook SINGLEPAGES-small - Flipbook - Page 43
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE
Growing up, we didn’t
have much. I started
out working for the
Virginia State Board
of Pharmacy, which was part of the
state police. By 30, I had gone into the
pharmacy business and was making
some ‘gelt.’ Not a lot, but I had more
than I needed and realized that if you
have what you want now, you should
give some to other people.
As a Museum Visitor Services
volunteer for 26 years, I have seen
firsthand the critically important
education this institution provides.
The employees and volunteers are all
top-notch. The Museum is nonpolitical
and straightforward in presenting
information to visitors—roughly 90
percent of whom are non-Jewish. Many
volunteers are Holocaust survivors, and
some were liberators. When people
speak to these witnesses one-on-one
and hear their stories, it makes these
events more human. It’s much more
impactful than reading about them in a
book or listening to a speech.
A survivor and longtime volunteer,
Nesse Godin, always said she taught
her children to love—not to hate—and
her words stuck with me. You have to
be kind and care about other people,
not just yourself.
With only 15 million Jews globally,
others with no connection to this
history must know exactly what the
Holocaust was about. Young people
today should care about the Holocaust
because these things can happen
anywhere, to anyone. The Museum’s
work helps them learn from mistakes
in history. If there are individuals
with bad motives and ideas, but no
one takes action or says anything,
things get worse. You always have a
chance to do the right thing. You just
have to step up and do it.
This endowment gift was a stretch
for me, but I only have so much time
to make a difference. What happens
in 50 or 100 years? I won’t be around.
The survivors, the liberators, and the
perpetrators–none of them will be
around. And what if the Museum loses
its federal support? The education
this institution provides is critically
important, and I want the Museum to
positively impact generations to come.
I decided that I needed to take action
and felt compelled to do something
truly significant.”
SAFEGUARDING TRUTH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS l 41