Section 2.5: Remembering & Reflecting: Holocaust & Jewish Heritage Museums


A symbol of remembrance and reflection honoring Jewish history and heritage.

In the mainland Southwest Florida city of Naples, a dark period of history is remembered and reflected upon at the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center, whose mission statement includes teaching “the lessons of the Holocaust to inspire action against hatred and to promote mutual respect.” The museum houses over a thousand original photographs and artifacts related to the Holocaust, donated or permanently loaned to the museum by local Holocaust survivors and liberators. 

Those heading to Miami Beach will find the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, the only museum dedicated to telling the story of more than 250 years of Florida Jewish history, arts and culture, with a growing collection of more than 100,000 items. 

Sponsored Content

A Unique Visitor Experience in Naples

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center in Naples is one of the unique visitor attractions available in the Southwest Florida (SWFL) “Paradise Coast” region. Inspired by a local 7th grade classroom project on the Holocaust, the Museum provides SWFL students and the public with accurate Holocaust history and shares the moving personal testimonies of SWFL residents who were Holocaust survivors.

Since its founding, the Museum has hosted thousands of visitors from every state and more than 45 countries and territories. Its permanent collection contains over 5,000 unique artifacts, documents, and photographs, donated by Holocaust survivors and World War II Liberators, among others. Each year the Museum offers special exhibitions on Holocaust

history, film and discussion series, speaker presentations, and special programs of interest to the SWFL community. It also has a unique traveling Holocaust-era Boxcar Exhibition, PopUp Museum exhibits, and a Speakers Bureau. This past school year, its wide variety of age-appropriate Holocaust Education programs impacted over 93,000 SWFL students and teachers in ten SWFL counties.

Self-guided audio tours are complimentary with admission. Public Docent-led tours, Private Group Tours, and Student Field Trips are available by reservation. As it celebrates 25 years of history inspiring action, the Museum remains committed to building a community grounded in truth, empathy, and courage.  Open Tuesdays through Sundays from 1:00pm – 4:30pm with last guests admitted at 3:30pm. Closed major U.S. holidays. Visit hmcec.org for more information and calendar of current and upcoming programs, exhibits, and events.

Address: 975 Imperial Golf Course Blvd., Naples, Florida 34110

Phone: 239-263-9200

Previous Topic
Back to Chapter
Next Topic