The Florida Holocaust Museum announced a major cultural and educational initiative that will bring scholars, humanitarians and business leaders to St. Petersburg for a two‑day symposium honoring the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel.
Wiesel Symposium
“We really want to introduce the world to Professor Wiesel the human being,” said Michael Igel, Chair of the Wiesel Archive & Legacy Council. The symposium, titled We Are Living Lessons: The Wiesel Symposium, is scheduled for November 15‑16 at the Vinoy Resort. Speakers include former Eckerd College visiting professor Elie Wiesel, American studies professor Carolyn Ross Johnston, and Elisha Wiesel, chairman of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.
Day 1 will feature an opening reception followed by discussions on Wiesel’s role as a teacher and father at Eckerd College. Day 2 will focus on Wiesel’s business ethics and the practical lessons his life offers for daily decision‑making. The event will conclude with a museum tour.
Expansion Plans
In conjunction with the symposium, the museum is moving forward with a $10 million expansion called The Wiesel Experience, slated to open in 2028 on the museum’s third floor. The new space will house Wiesel’s original desk, office library, personal book collection, papers and artifacts, including his Nobel Peace Prize.
President and CEO Eric Stillman described the project as “just a fraction of the total collection,” noting that the third‑floor exhibit will be far more expansive. Planned features include a pair of curved, giant touchscreen walls shaped like quotation marks, a writing workshop for visitors to reflect on Wiesel’s words, and a “Dynamic Dialogue” area for community discussions on ethical dilemmas.
The State of Florida has already contributed $2.5 million toward the expansion, with additional private donations supporting the project.
New Theater
Alongside the exhibit, a new first‑floor theater is being built at an estimated cost of $5 million. The 68‑seat venue will host an expanded edition of the museum’s Dimensions in Testimony program, which uses technology from the USC Shoah Foundation to allow audiences to interact with video interviews of Holocaust survivors. The theater, expected to debut in 2027, will also screen documentaries, including a film on Elie Wiesel’s life.
The State of Florida has contributed $1.5 million toward the theater expansion.
Community Impact
Igel emphasized that the acquisition of the Wiesel archives and the expansion represent a “game‑changer” for the museum and the broader St. Petersburg community. “We have an opportunity here to take things to the next level—not only for the museum, but for our city, our county, the state,” he said.
By digitizing the collection and making it accessible through interactive displays, the museum aims to provide educational opportunities for adults, school groups and visitors of all ages, reinforcing the importance of remembering the Holocaust and its lessons for today.
For registration and more information about the symposium, visit the museum’s website.
Original reporting: St. Pete Catalyst — read the source article.
