Jewish leaders vie for Holocaust museum but local officials won’t sign off

Jewish leaders in West Palm Beach, Fla., are pushing local officials for answers amid a years-long effort to build a permanent Holocaust museum.

Advocates have been pushing for roughly two years to acquire a 100-year-old vacant downtown building that would be the site for the memorial.

“I told the mayor, as I’m telling you, and I told the commissioners, this is your legacy. You have the power to help fight antisemitism,” Herut North America’s Ira Jacobson told Fox News Digital.

The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has been trying to dispose of the vacant building, but no decision has been made regarding the space at 314 Clematis Street. 

“There’s many good reasons to open a facility on Clematis Street,” Ari Fixler, director of Amud Aish in Palm Beach County, told Fox News Digital. “So we put in a bid, and…it was…what we believe…a slow-walked process for over two years. So, still no answer.”

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Champions for the museum attended a city commission meeting on Jan. 8 to again promote their cause. They say the museum would be similar to the Amud Aish Memorial Museum in Brooklyn, New York. 

Since that meeting, the “staff is currently reviewing proposals and an analysis is being conducted. Next steps and date will be forthcoming at this time,” the site web page says.

Fixler said the next meeting is scheduled for February 5.

“We’re going in front of the mayor of West Palm Beach and the city commissioners of West Palm Beach and we’re trying to obtain this piece of property that they have for sale. And unfortunately, it’s been going on forever, it seems. We go in front of them. They’re very nice, they don’t say much, and then, no result,” Jacobson explained. 

The city’s District 3 Commissioner Christy Fox confirmed to Fox News Digital that the City Commission has not yet received submissions for the building from the CRA. The CRA did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Jacobson said having a Holocaust museum would be far more important for the community than another restaurant.

“I know that building is down to two people, us and a restaurant. And just what Florida needs is another place that sells hamburgers and french fries.”

While the push for the museum began prior to the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, they have increased in urgency given the surge in antisemitism across the U.S. 

“There’s no question that we need a Holocaust museum here to educate this kind of population. But in addition to that, we also see an alarming rise of antisemitism,” Fixler said. 

“There’s no question we’re seeing a rise that is unprecedented. Antisemitism used to be quiet. But it’s no longer that way. Now it’s out in the open.”

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According to the most recent data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Florida, the Sunshine State saw a historic surge in antisemitism cases in 2022. There were 269 incidents reported in Florida in 2022, up 42% from 2021 and more than double from 2020. 

“You can see what’s going on in America. You can see what’s going on in the world,” Jacobson said. 

“A lot of people blame this on October 7th, what’s going on in Israel. And OK, it has increased through there, but antisemitism has been present in our country, our state, town for dozens and dozens of years, hundreds of years, if you really want to go back, even before Nazi Germany. And again with Nazi Germany, nobody spoke out. Nobody was educated. And that’s what’s starting to go on here.”

Nationwide, antisemitic incidents have dramatically increased over the past several years. Data from the ADL revealed, however, that since October 7, 2023, cases have been up 360% with 3,291 reported incidents across the U.S in the three months since the attack.

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Another alarming reality in the rise of antisemitism is the shifting attitudes towards Jews and Israel among younger Americans, as well as a gap in basic understanding about the Holocaust. 

On college campuses throughout the U.S., there has been a sharp increase in anti-Israel and antisemitic activity particularly in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, 73% of Jewish college students say they have experienced or witnessed some type of antisemitism. 43.9% of non-Jewish students reported the same reality. 

Looming behind the rise in incidents is a change in beliefs among young Americans. According to a December poll from The Economist/YouGov, one in five Americans between 18 and 29-years-old believes the Holocaust is a “myth.”

Jacobson emphasized the need to educate Americans on the Holocaust to keep future generations from committing the same atrocities.  

“What’s the best way to get to these kids? Educate. Yes, there’s some Holocaust courses. They’ll have a conference or an art show or a speaker, but we need a building that’s there seven days a week, that children and their families and their neighbors to go to learn about what antisemitism is, what racism is, and what has occurred to the generations, to the Jewish people.”

The city’s silence on the proposal has left Jewish leaders to question the motives behind the indecision. 

“They don’t have it on their agenda or in their minds like other cities around America, that they further Jewish causes. They’re not used to doing that. And that’s maybe the issue here,” Fixler said. 

“And that has to change because the time is different… they have to rise to the same level as you see L.A. County and Orange County and many other counties around the country that are putting money – not just statements of support, they’re putting money in it … to make sure that the Holocaust museums have what they need.”

“If the mayor and the city commissioners are not on our side, we’re doomed, because there’s no education,” Jacobson added. 

Mayor Keith James’ office declined to comment on the matter, referring to the Jan. 8 meeting on the subject.  

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