Our Mission

The Zekelman Holocaust Center Family Campus was founded in 1984 by local Holocaust survivors with community support, to teach about the senseless murder of millions, and why each of us must respect and stand up for the rights of others if we are to prevent future discrimination, hate crime and genocide. As Michigan's only Holocaust museum, we touch the lives of more than 85,000 individuals each year who leave here profoundly affected with a newly acquired sense of history, social responsibility and morality. Our exhibits create a call to action, teaching visitors through the examples of those who risked their lives to save others, and asking our guests to react to contemporary challenges such as racism, intolerance, bullying and prejudice.

We have a temporary exhibition gallery wherein we host 3-4 exhibitions per year. Our Library Archive is one of the country's largest libraries specializing in the Holocaust and European Jewish history, with an important repository of testimonies of Holocaust survivors, liberators, eyewitnesses, and rescuers. We host numerous public programs (films, lectures, symposia, conferences, etc.) over the course of the year, many in partnership with other community institutions.

Our visitors come from throughout the state as well as from Ohio and Ontario, with the majority from Southeastern Michigan, and they reflect the diverse racial and religious composition of this region. When school groups and families arrive, they are met by caring, knowledgeable educators who guide them through our exhibits, providing an overview of Jewish history and the Holocaust. Additional exhibits and stories about the righteous individuals who resisted the Nazis or saved Jewish lives encourage visitors to become forces for positive change in their own lives. The highlight of each visit is a live presentation by a local Holocaust survivor.