ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Florida Holocaust Museum is honoring the legacy of founder Walter Loebenberg and his mission to educate the next generation of Floridians about the Holocaust.

  • Loebenberg passed away in January
  • Celebration of Life will take place on Wednesday, May 22
  • Call 727-820-0100 ext. 301 to reserve your seat
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Loebenberg passed away in January. His celebration of life will take place on Wednesday, May 22, on what would have been his 95th birthday.

The Florida Holocaust Museum is a place where young people meet holocaust survivors, create art, and crowd around docents to learn about the Holocaust.

The idea of this place began long before Loebenberg bought one of its first artifacts – a railway boxcar similar to the kind Nazis used to transport Jews to death camps.

The idea began when Loebenberg was a child after escaping Nazi Germany, twice saved by the help of strangers.

“Walter says it was one of things that stayed with him,” said Elizabeth Gelman, the museum’s Executive Director.

Gelman says Loebenberg wanted a place where children could not only learn about the atrocities of the Holocaust, but could also learn about and emulate “the strangers” — the kind of people who interceded and saved his life.

“That when we see something, when we see injustice, it’s really important that we stand up and say something, that we act,” said Gelman.

The celebration will be from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The museum asks that your reserve your seat. The number is 727-820-0100, ext. 301.

In honor of Wednesday's celebration of life, admission to the museum is "Pay as you will."