If you’ve been to the Auschwitz exhibit at Union Station, you know that it has brought visitors from around the world. Now area residents have more opportunities to view the record-setting exhibit. Originally scheduled to end in January, it is being extended through March.
“An additional seven weeks is truly a gift to our community,” said Jerry Baber, Union Station executive vice president and COO. “We didn’t expect this nor plan for it, but when we started seeing the overwhelming response early in the run, we put in our request. So many international authorities had to agree to these additional weeks that it really feels like it was meant to be in order to reach as many people locally and across the United States as possible before it must return to Europe. We are humbled and honored that our request was granted.”
Since opening, the exhibition has been seen by nearly 260,000 guests who have either visited or secured tickets to visit. Officials forecast a total attendance of more than 300,000 by the time the tour closes at Union Station. Nearly 20,000 middle and high school students already have visited, thanks to scholarships. More than 30,000 students are expected in total.
Union Station officials announced how they intend to extend their commitment to Holocaust education well after the exhibition closes.
“This is our highest attended exhibition in Union Station history,” said Ramón Murguía, Union Station board chairman. “When the exhibit leaves Kansas City, it will have impacted hundreds of thousands of lives. But for us, that’s not enough. It’s important to our organization to create an enduring legacy and continue educating our younger generation.
“Toward that commitment, we will be donating $25,000 to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation, which will be partnering with the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education to send Kansas City area high school teachers on a fully-funded trip to Poland, including Warsaw, Krakow and an intensive three-day workshop held at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. This new educational program will allow teachers to visit Auschwitz in person and bring the lessons of Auschwitz back to our students and communities.”
Tickets are available online.
–Anita Widaman | Metro Voice
