Never Forget
Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away
Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave.
Through April 12.
Tickets and group sales information at cincymuseum.org/Auschwitz.
Exhibit created by Musealia in cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and curated by an international panel of experts, including world-renowned scholars Dr. Robert Jan van Pelt, Dr. Michael Berenbaum and Paul Salmons, in an unprecedented collaboration with historians and curators at the Research Center at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, led by Dr. Piotr Setkiewicz.
With the endless barrage of bad news right now, it may not seem like the ideal time to confront one of the most harrowing episodes in history. But the stories of resilience found throughout the “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away” exhibition at Cincinnati Museum Center illustrate the best of us, giving all of us hope in a world that seems to have gone mad.
The exhibition showcases the profound humanity of those who perished and the extraordinary resilience of those who survived one of the Holocaust’s most notorious camps.
“Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” offers a poignant and sobering glimpse into the devastating reality of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz, and the enduring significance of its history. Featuring more than 500 original objects from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and more than 20 other international museums, the exhibition traces the rise of Nazi ideology that during World War II and the German occupation transformed an ordinary Polish town known as Oświęcim into a place where unimaginable atrocities and extraordinary human resilience intersected.
“This exhibition shares the real artifacts and evidence of what happened in Auschwitz, connecting guests with objects, photos and stories that reveal the lives of those who lived, and died, in Auschwitz,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president & CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Understanding these moments in history helps us understand how to make our world better now and in the future. It renews our commitment to our shared humanity.”
Among the exhibition’s more than 500 artifacts and 400 photographs are hundreds of personal items that belong to survivors and victims of Auschwitz, including suitcases, eyeglasses and shoes. Some of the key artifacts include concrete posts that were part of the fence of the Auschwitz camp, fragments of an original prisoner barracks from the Auschwitz III-Monowitz camp and objects from the perpetrators, the SS guards, including a gas mask. All bear witness to the lives, and humanity, lost at Auschwitz.
In addition to the international artifacts, the exhibition includes specially curated stories and select artifacts of local Holocaust survivors who came to Cincinnati to rebuild their lives after the war. These stories are presented by the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, which was founded by survivors and moved to Union Terminal in 2019. Many of those survivors and refugees arrived through Union Terminal, as did many of the American soldiers who liberated camps in Europe, making the Holocaust & Humanity Center the only Holocaust museum in the United States with a positive, authentic connection to its site.
In commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, admission to the Holocaust and Humanity Center is free throughout January, with $5 off admission to “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” Once a place of arrival and refuge for Holocaust survivors rebuilding their lives in Cincinnati, Union Terminal remains a powerful space to gather, learn, and reflect together.
“We are honored to partner with Cincinnati Museum Center to bring this landmark exhibition to Union Terminal,” said Jackie Congedo, CEO of the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center. “This exhibition builds on the powerful legacy of our local Holocaust survivors, whose courage and stories continue to shape our community and guide our mission.”
The opportunity to bring this impactful exhibition to Cincinnati has been generously supported by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati; H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee; Jacob G. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee; Helen G., Henry F., Louise Tuechter Dornette Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee; The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati; Western & Southern Financial Group; Les and Renee Sandler; The Kanter/Knue Family; The Neil Bortz Family; Rosenthal Family Foundation; Beth and Louis Guttman; and Ginger Warner.