Due to the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, the Holocaust Center will be closed until further notice.

Our staff will be working remotely and will have the capability to receive emails and voice messages. We are happy to answer any questions you haveMaitland, FL — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s traveling exhibition Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race examines how the Nazi leadership, in collaboration with individuals in professions traditionally charged with healing and the public good, used science to help legitimize persecution, murder, and ultimately, genocide.

The exhibition opens at the Holocaust Center on June 17 and will be on display through August 31, 2018. We will celebrate with an opening reception on June 24 from 2-4 pm, with guest speaker Robert Tanen, director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Southeast region. Mr. Tanen will be available for phone interviews before June 24, and for in-person interviews on June 24. Members of the exhibit committee will be on hand to answer questions and engage in relevant dialogue. The committee is comprised of local leaders in areas of: anthropology, genetics, medicine, law, and spiritual leaders. This is a unique experience to have these experts on hand and available for discussion as we explore these themes throughout the exhibition.

“Deadly Medicine explores the Holocaust’s roots in then-contemporary scientific and pseudo-scientific thought,” explains exhibition curator Susan Bachrach. “At the same time, it touches on complex ethical issues we face today, such as how societies acquire and use scientific knowledge and how they balance the rights of the individual with the needs of the larger community.”

Eugenics theory sprang from turn-of-the-20th-century scientific beliefs asserting that Charles Darwin’s theories of “survival of the fittest” could be applied to humans. Supporters, spanning the globe and political spectrum, believed that through careful controls on marriage and reproduction, a nation’s genetic health could be improved.

The Nazi regime was founded on the conviction that “inferior” races, including the so-called Jewish race, and individuals had to be eliminated from German society so that the fittest “Aryans” could thrive. The Nazi state fully committed itself to implementing a uniquely racist and antisemitic variation of eugenics to “scientifically” build what it considered to be a “superior race.” By the end of World War II, six million Jews had been murdered. Millions of others also became victims of persecution and murder through Nazi “racial hygiene” programs designed to cleanse Germany of “biological threats” to the nation’s “health,” including “foreign- blooded” Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), persons diagnosed as “hereditarily ill,” and homosexuals. In German- occupied territories, Poles and others belonging to ethnic groups deemed “inferior” were also murdered.

This exhibition from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum was made possible by the support of The David Berg Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Temporary Exhibitions Fund established in 1990, and The Dorot Foundation.

Our exhibits and programs are sponsored in part by the Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program, United Arts of Central Florida, home of OrlandoAtPlay.com and UAArtsEd.com, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

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ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST CENTER:

The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center is a non-profit organization and museum that seeks to build a more compassionate and inclusive society through its thought-provoking exhibits, innovative programming, and the highly acclaimed UpStanders: Stand Up to Bullying initiative. The museum is free and its hours are Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm; Friday, 9am-1pm; and Sunday, 1pm-4pm. Visitors may schedule group tours by calling 407-628-0555. To learn more about the Holocaust Center’s mission to create a more inclusive and caring community, visit www.holocaustedu.org.

ABOUT THE U.S. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM:

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. For more information, visit www.ushmm.org.

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