RISE: Life Choices After the Holocaust

The Ghetto Fighters’ House in Israel, established in 1949 by Holocaust survivors, is the world's first Holocaust Museum. It has been a symbol of resilience for over 75 years. The founding generation emphasized the educational mission, which was centered on transforming despair into creation and viewing the events of the Holocaust as a moral commitment to future generations. RISE: Life Choices After the Holocaust will trace the journeys of Holocaust survivors from their immediate post-liberation period of loss, despair, and pain, highlighting the core of their strength: the struggles, dilemmas, fears, motivations, and the choice of life. RISE will connect personal survivor stories to universal human themes and serve as an educational hub that invites second and third generations to share their experiences. As a bridge between the legacy of the past and the healing process in Israel following the events of October 7, RISE will offer tools to navigate crises on personal, communal, and national levels. At the same time, it will draw inspiration from the resilience of Holocaust survivors to strengthen Jewish identity and foster Jewish pride worldwide. Our educational philosophy, which has guided us over the years, has established the museum as a central anchor in building national resilience in Israel and in the reconstruction of the Galilee. RISE belongs here, in the Western Galilee, at a time when recovery and hope form the foundation for rebuilding.