In these unprecedented times, we are facing challenges that were once unimaginable. Holocaust denial and antisemitic conspiracy theories are reaching vulnerable young people at an astonishing scale and speed. The Museum’s educational mission is critical in this fight. Together, we can and must do more.
The program will feature a conversation moderated by Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield between Auschwitz survivor and Museum volunteer Ruth Cohen and Musealia CEO Luis Ferreiro, director of the internationally acclaimed exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. The Museum will host the exhibition starting in January, the first time it will be free to the public. It includes 400 artifacts from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and 15 other lending institutions around the world.
For questions or information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Southeast Regional Office at southeast@ushmm.org or 561.995.6773. Thank you for supporting our vital mission.
Featured Guests
Speakers
- Ruth Cohen
Holocaust Survivor and Museum Volunteer
Ruth was born on April 26, 1930, to Herman and Bertha Friedman in Mukačevo, Czechoslovakia, (today Mukachevo, Ukraine). She had an older sister, Teresa, and a younger brother, Aharon. In 1938, Ruth’s hometown became part of neighboring Hungary, an ally of Nazi Germany. Antisemitic laws restricted the country’s Jewish population. In 1944, Ruth and her family were forced to live in a ghetto and one month later deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center.
Upon arrival, Nazis selected Ruth, then 14, her sister, and their father for forced labor. Ruth’s mother, brother, and cousins were immediately murdered in the gas chambers. Ruth and Teresa were sent to other concentration camps before the US Army liberated them in spring 1945. The two sisters made their way back home where they reunited with their father, who had been liberated from a different camp. She spent a year recovering in a hospital from tuberculosis of the spine caused by inhumane conditions in the camps. The family immigrated to the United States in 1948. Ruth volunteers at the Museum and speaks to visitors and other audiences about her Holocaust experiences. In 2025 at age 94, Ruth returned for the first time to Auschwitz, compelled to revisit her past to improve our future.
Photo: Wojciech Grabowski for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (taken in 2025 at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland)
- Luis Ferreiro
CEO of Musealia
Luis Ferreiro Aguirre is the CEO of Musealia and director of the exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. produced in partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. Ferreiro conceived the exhibition in 2009 and has continued to lead the project throughout its international tour, bringing the history of Auschwitz and its historical repercussions to new audiences and presenting, for the first time, an extensive collection of original objects from the camp.
With more than 20 years of international experience and a background in humanities, Ferreiro has been committed to creating and managing traveling exhibitions that educate, raise awareness, and inspire reflection on our past, present, and future. Since beginning his work on Titanic. The Exhibition in 2000—a project that has since reached more than four million visitors worldwide—he has led the development of major historical exhibitions presented in museums and cultural venues around the world, including Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. and The Berlin Wall. A World Divided. His projects are characterized by strong storytelling, historical rigor, educational depth, and emotional impact.
In June 2021, Ferreiro received the Light of Remembrance Award, the highest distinction granted by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. He is also the coeditor of the books Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. and The Berlin Wall. A World Divided, which serve as the official catalogs and companions to the exhibitions.
As CEO of Musealia, Ferreiro continues to develop and lead international exhibition projects together with a team of professionals, bringing historically rigorous and meaningful stories to audiences around the world.
Photo: @Musealia
- Sara J. Bloomfield
Museum Director Moderator
Sara J. Bloomfield has led the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for 26 years. She serves on the International Auschwitz Council and International Treblinka Council, has been named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French Republic, and is a recipient of the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland and six honorary doctorates.
Event Leadership
Event Chairs
- Bob and Evyan Koenig
Bob and Evyan Koenig are dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and ensuring that its history and lessons are taught to future generations. Members of Bob’s extended family were murdered in Włodzimierzec, occupied Poland (today Volodymyrets, Ukraine), on August 28, 1942. His cousins Mendel and Goldie escaped with their two children, Rachel and Moshe, and survived by living in the forest for 11 months. Their extraordinary story of courage and survival has had a profound and lasting impact on Bob throughout his life.
Bob has been involved with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum since its inception. Bob, Evyan, and their children attended the Museum’s dedication and opening in 1993, and Bob has volunteered with the Museum for almost three decades. Bob and Evyan strongly believe in the Museum’s mission to educate the public about the history and lasting consequences of the Holocaust, particularly at a time when awareness and understanding of that history cannot be taken for granted.
Their commitment to Jewish life and humanitarian causes extends to their support of the Jewish National Fund, American Friends of Magen David Adom, Yad Vashem, Hadassah, and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Evyan is also an active life member of Hadassah.
Bob grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, and graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. A pharmacist registered in five states, he owned and operated a drugstore business and later a hardware business with his longtime business partner, Stanley Smith. Evyan grew up in Washington, DC, and attended the University of Maryland. She has a lifelong appreciation for the arts and is an accomplished ceramicist.
Married for 53 years, Bob and Evyan divide their time between Bethesda, Maryland, and Delray Beach, Florida. They are the proud parents of Hilary Beynon and Ross Koenig and have five grandchildren. Bob enjoys scuba diving, golf, skiing, and supporting wildlife conservation, while Evyan remains actively engaged in the arts.
Event Sponsors
Gifts as of October 6, 2026
Lead Sponsor ($250,000 or more)
Bank of America Charitable Foundation⬩ Marsha and Henry Laufer
Premier Sponsor ($100,000–$249,999)
The Sidley Austin Foundation⬩
Donors Wall Sponsor ($50,000–$99,999)
Anonymous⬩
Leadership Circle Sponsor ($25,000–$49,999)
In memory of Susi Annes David Coppa, Chief Executive Officer of Konover South Development Corporation, in loving memory of Simon Konover Sunny and Jim Kincaid Sherri Samuels Sue E. Wilder
Table Sponsor ($10,000–$24,999)
Gayle & Paul Gross and Lauren Andrea Gross for The Gross Family Center for the Study of Antisemitism and the Holocaust Evyan and Bob Koenig
In Memory of the 6,000,000 ($6,000–$9,999)
Robert and Gail Edelstein Foundation, Inc. Elizabeth Friedman
Wings of Memory Society Sponsor ($5,000–$5,999)
Jane and Robert Coppa
In-Kind Contributions
Boca Raton Observer go2events Wellington Florist
⬩National Corporate Partner
Southeast Regional Office
The Southeast regional office serves Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Learn more about past events and how to contact us.
Thank You to Our National and Regional Partners and Donors
National Corporate Partners Founders Society Legacy of Light Founders Society National Patrons United States Holocaust Memorial Council