When the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened 20 years ago, few people imagined that it would have the impact it has had. No one expected it to be inundated with visitors. Or that 96 heads of state and ten million children from around the globe would stream in through our doors seeking evidence of the Holocaust and knowledge from the survivors.
Now, as we commemorate the Museum’s 20th anniversary, we find ourselves in a radically different world. Dramatic changes in technology and globalization have brought new opportunities and new challenges. Extremism, Holocaust denial, antisemitism, and genocide are far too common today. And soon the survivor generation will no longer be with us to speak for themselves.
The Museum is uniquely positioned to address these challenges now and long into the future, but this requires a robust endowment. While the federal government guarantees the Museum’s permanent place on the National Mall, only your gift to the endowment can ensure that our outreach programs will continue to educate and motivate future generations.
You can support the endowment through a gift during your lifetime or through your estate plans. A bequest in your will to the Museum’s endowment—a gift that costs you nothing today—is the easiest way to create an enduring legacy.
If you have already left the Museum a bequest, please let us recognize your generosity with membership in the Legacy of Light Society.
If you have made a bequest but would like to learn more about designating your gift to the Museum’s endowment, please contact the Planned Giving Office.
