(New York, NY)—The following is a statement from Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust President and CEO Jack Kliger and Chairman of the Board Bruce Ratner in response to the Supreme Court’s decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision to uphold the DACA program that has granted safety and opportunity to so many DREAMers is a profound relief to all of moral conscience.
Our Museum, which is located at the southern tip of Manhattan, looks out at the Statue of Liberty, a poignant reminder to honor the humanity of those of who arrive seeking refuge from poverty, persecution, and violence, and to welcome the stranger.
Yet those protected by DACA are not even strangers; they are already integrated, productive, caring, and cared about, members of our community. Today, we celebrate their ability to remain so.
As an institution committed to preserving the lessons of the Holocaust, we have a moral obligation to stand up against the scapegoating of vulnerable, disenfranchised groups. We will not remain quiet when the American-ness of our valued neighbors, classmates, and colleagues is called into question.”
About the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The third largest Holocaust museum in the world and the second largest in North America, the Museum of Jewish Heritage anchors the southernmost tip of Manhattan, completing the cultural and educational landscape it shares with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains a collection of more than 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, a resource center for educators, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The Museum is the home of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.
Currently on view is the acclaimed exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. This is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust ever presented in North America, bringing together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world.
Also on view are Ordinary Treasures: Highlights from the Museum of Jewish Heritage Collection and Rendering Witness: Holocaust-Era Art as Testimony.
The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.
While the Museum’s building is currently closed in accordance with COVID-19 safety measures, an array of programs and educational resources is being presented online.
For more information, visit mjhnyc.org.