Florida Holocaust Museum to reopen in September after renovations

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Florida Holocaust Museum will reopen on Sept. 9 after more than a year of renovations.

The museum first opened in 1992 and has been located at its current St. Petersburg location since 1998.

The last time the community was able to come into the Florida Holocaust Museum was in July 2024.

They now have many new safety features plus new exhibits.

Florida Holocaust Museum President and CEO Eric Stillman said the layout highlights both their new exhibits, like Thor, the Danish fishing boat, and old exhibits, like the boxcar that transported Jews during the Holocaust.

“The boxcar represents fear and death,” he said. “Thor represents hope and future. Their juxtaposition is very intentional and creates contrast between the two.”

The renovation wasn’t only about the exhibits; it was also about adding new safety features like a ballistic glass barrier.

From the deadly shooting outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in D.C. to the firebombing of demonstrators in Colorado, Stillman said there have been numerous attacks on the Jewish community.

They want both visitors and employees of the museum to be safe. 

“We know that there are folks out there who are looking to do bad things, and we want to make sure that we take all these security precautions so that our environment is a safe and secure one,” he said.  

One of the other major additions to the museum will be an exhibit dedicated to Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor most known for his book “Night,” a memoir covering his time in Nazi concentration camps.