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JOSEPH & MYRA BRANDMAN

VIRTUAL HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

The Joseph and Myra Brandman Virtual Holocaust Memorial Museum honors the lives of my grandparents and their families, provides a student-centered and differentiated educational resource on the Holocaust using some of the best primary and secondary sources available, and encourages our next generation to think about choices, actions, and consequences in our world today.

 

How can we use this story to inform us so as to combat bullying, antisemitism, and hate in our schools, community, and world?

MEET JOSEPH

Joseph, also known as Yosef, Joe, and Dominic, was a stellar joke-teller and a man with one of the most extraordinary memories people had ever met. He never imagined that becoming a barber would eventually save his life. At the end of your visit, you ought to view his Holocaust testimony.

MEET MYRA

Myra was born as Mira Melnik to a wealthy and secular Jewish Lithuanian family in Kovno. She was the lively spirit of that family with a strong personality and wit. Throughout the museum, you will learn her story.

THE EXHIBITS

Enter the museum galleries to learn about the Holocaust through videos, photographs, diary entries, and the testimony of Myra and Joe Brandman.

THE MUSEUM'S MISSION

The museum serves as a gateway for students to grapple with the central questions of the Holocaust. In this unique museum, you will engage with crucial facts, ideas, and questions about the larger Holocaust while also following the individual life stories of Joseph and Myra Brandman. Each gallery includes suggested background music to set the atmosphere as well as an audio read-along guide to help some readers follow the background texts. Throughout the museum, you will encounter a variety of sources that help you consider the lessons of this story: videos, photographs, diaries, articles, laws, eyewitness accounts, and historical interpretations.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE
COLLECTIONS
HISTORIOGRAPHY 
HOLOCAUST TIMELINE

VISITOR'S GUIDE

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin exploring the exhibits, look at the Visitor Info and make sure you've downloaded the Visitor's Guide to help record key information. Here are some big questions you should consider throughout your visit:

  • What caused the Holocaust?

  • Who was responsible for the Holocaust?

  • What choices did ordinary individuals have during the Holocaust?

  • How can we prevent another Holocaust?

  • Why are hate-speech, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial still dangerous problems today? What can we do?

TEACHERS GUIDE

A Note for Teachers: There is considerable information in this museum and you will need to think carefully about how to direct your students' time with the various exhibits.

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