Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center

In the late 1990s, Golden Gate Middle School students created a classroom project on the Holocaust called “Out of the Ashes.” Led by teachers David Bell and Michelle Lee, the seventh graders did more than just review their history textbook. They interviewed with local residents who were Holocaust survivors and concentration camp liberators. Learning the personal stories of these eyewitnesses to history changed the students. Going forward, they vowed to share with everyone the crucial importance of treating each other respectfully and stepping up to help someone in need. “Out of the Ashes” would turn out to have a lasting impact on the SWFL community – the project inspired the 2001 founding of the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center in Naples, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026.

The museum carries on the students’ mission to educate the next generation and the public. It teaches the lessons of the Holocaust to inspire action against hatred and to promote mutual respect. To date, the museum has impacted almost 1,000,000 individuals with its community presence and programs. As a trusted steward of Holocaust history, it is committed to preserving history with accuracy, care, and integrity, and sharing that history through the stories of individuals who experienced it.

The museum’s Oral History Project preserves the important testimonies of survivors, liberators, and eyewitnesses. Its permanent collection of over 5,000 unique documents, photographs, and artifacts safeguards these items to ensure that history is taught accurately and responsibly. Now, more than 80 years since the end of World War II, saving these unique testimonies and items is more important than ever. The world needs to hear their stories.

If you are a survivor, liberator, or eyewitness, interested in recording your testimony or donating materials, please contact the Museum at 239.263.9200 or by email (info@hmcec.org). If you are a survivor or the descendant of a survivor and considering donating original materials to the museum, the time is now – while those who know the stories and history of those materials are still here to share them.  The museum collects and preserves photographs, documents like diaries and correspondence, three-dimensional artifacts like toys or other materials, and textiles like clothing or armbands. It ensures they can be shared with future generations to tell the stories of individuals who suffered or died in the Holocaust.

By sharing the unique personal stories of the period, the museum hopes to make a personal connection between those who experienced the Holocaust and a visitor today. It’s that personal connection that builds empathy and leads to responsibility and action and inspires the next generation of upstanders.

The museum also offers docent-led, student and private group tours, pop-up museum exhibitions, and a speakers bureau. More information is available at hmcec.org.

Today, thanks to the initial inspiration provided by the “Out of the Ashes” project, the museum is a thriving cultural institution and a beacon of hope, teaching history to inspire action.