Plans Moving Forward For Genealogy Center at Museum of Jewish Heritage

(New York, N.Y.)— Plans are moving ahead to create the Peter and Mary Kalikow Genealogy Research Center at Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust following a visit by Peter Kalikow and his daughter, Kathryn Kalikow, with Museum President and CEO Jack Kliger. The three reviewed plans for the Center, a new facility that will allow Museum visitors to access Jewish genealogy resources and discover their own unique Jewish history.

Kathryn Kalikow, a Principal at the real estate firm HJ Kalikow & Company, stated, “When you look out from Museum and see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, you think about the generations of people and families who came before, looking for freedom and opportunity. My family is creating this Center to connect Jews with their own heritage, helping them gain a better appreciation of the hardship and challenges past Jewish generations overcame to allow them to create a better life for their descendants."

The new facility will use the Museum's respective collections and JewishGen, the Museum's wholly owned affiliate and the world's largest and most significant resource for Jewish genealogy, to give visitors the opportunity to preserve their Jewish family history and heritage for future generations.

Peter Kalikow observed, “My family believes that knowing and embracing one’s family history is one of the most powerful connections we have to our heritage. By utilizing the latest technology, coupled with the enormous data resources of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, this new research center will have the means of connecting Jews with their own personal history that would have otherwise been lost to time or the infamy of the Holocaust.”

The space will contain hundreds of Yizkor (Memorial) Books and print materials, multiple computer stations where people can access JewishGen’s genealogy resources and the Museum’s vast collection of records and data, along with printers for individuals to bring their research home. There also will be on-site volunteers and content experts to assist inquiring visitors.

About JewishGen

JewishGen was founded in 1987 and serves as the global home for Jewish genealogy. Featuring unparalleled access to more than 30 million records, it offers unique search tools, along with opportunities for researchers to connect with others who share similar interests. There is no charge to access JewishGen’s resources. JewishGen is an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

For more information, visit www.jewishgen.org.

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 , 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 almost 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’s current offerings include The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do, a major new exhibition offering a timely and expansive presentation of Holocaust history, now on view in the main galleries. Also on view is Survivors: Faces of Life After the Holocaust, featuring photographer Martin Schoeller’s portraits of Holocaust survivors on view through June 18, 2023.

Each year, the Museum presents over 60 public programs, connecting our community in person and virtually through lectures, book talks, concerts, and more. For more info visit: http://mjhnyc.org/events. Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

For more information, visit: https://mjhnyc.org

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