First Look: Holocaust Museum’s new Impact Lab

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum

Published April 19, 2023

The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum announced the launch of the much-anticipated Impact Lab, a space which explores the themes of rejecting hate, promoting understanding, and inspiring change through practical exploration of historical and contemporary moments of bias, hatred, and genocide.

The Lab seeks to empower visitors to explore historical moments and occasions when they themselves may be confronted with hateful rhetoric and encourages them to act as Active Allies to stand up and speak out against injustice. The Museum defines an Active Ally as a person who took action in instances of injustice, discrimination, and hate.

“The Impact Lab is the answer to the question of ‘what to do now that we know about the Holocaust,’” said Helen Turner, Director of Education. “All too often, visitors are charged with standing up and speaking out after they learn about history of the Holocaust. The Impact Lab is the space where they can put that idea into action. It is designed to call everyone into the conversation of discovering what it is to be an active ally, and explore how we as individuals, as communities, and as a nation, move towards positive change. Truly, change begins with us, right here, right now, at the Museum.”

Several funders made this project possible including the Estate of John D. and Sally S. Levy, The Tilles Foundation, and the Dana Brown Charitable Trust, U.S. Brank Trustee.

For further information, visit STLHolocaustMuseum.org. Those interested in attending the public preview can sign up here: https://stlholocaustmuseum.org/impact-lab-preview/