Holocaust Memorial Center to Host Survivor Ela Stein Weissberger for Members-Only Event, March 12

The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus (www.holocaustcenter.org) will host a special members-only event on March 12 featuring survivor Ela Stein Weissberger and a performance by the Michigan Opera Theatre Children's Chorus.

Beginning at 7 p.m., at the Holocaust Memorial Center located at 28123 Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills, Weissberger will discuss her experience as a prisoner at the Theresienstadt concentration camp and an original cast member of the children's opera Brundibár, which tells the story of a brother and sister who join forces with a sparrow, cat and dog to outwit an evil organ grinder. The performance is appropriate for middle school students and older. Member event chairs are Elyse and David Foltyn.

The Nazis allowed artistic activity in the Theresienstadt concentration camp to help support their false claim that it was a benign haven for Jews. Brundibár, which was performed 55 times, was the centerpiece of the Red Cross visit to the camp that was prominently featured in the Nazi propaganda film The Führer Gives the Jews a City. The composer and most of the camp were among the 20,000 people transported from Theresienstadt to death camps in September and October 1944. Weissberger, who played the cat, survived the war.

Following Weissberger's presentation, the Michigan Opera Theatre Children's Chorus will perform an excerpt from Brundibár, which they present in its entirety on March 16 with an appearance by Weissberger.

For membership information to attend this and future exclusive performances and presentations, please contact the Holocaust Memorial Center at 248-553-2400 or go to https://www.holocaustcenter.org/membership. This tax-deductible membership entitles users to a year of complimentary museum admission and library usage, a subscription to our newsletter, advance notice of special events/exhibitions, and a 10 percent discount in the Holocaust Memorial Center's museum shop. It also supports museum programs and operations, teacher education, and training for museum staff and docents. Prices start at $18 for college students, $36 for individuals and $50 for families.

About the Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus
The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus opened in 1984. Local Holocaust survivors, with community support, founded the museum to teach about the senseless murder of millions, and why everyone must respect and stand up for the rights of others if the world is to prevent future discrimination, hate crime and genocide. As Michigan's only Holocaust museum, the Holocaust Memorial Center annually touches the lives of more than 85,000 individuals, who leave the museum profoundly affected with a newly acquired sense of history, social responsibility and morality. The Holocaust Memorial Center's exhibits create a call to action, teaching visitors through the examples of those who risked their lives to save others, and asking its guests to react to contemporary challenges such as racism, intolerance, bullying and prejudice.

The facility is wheelchair accessible and free parking is available at both the North and South entrances.

For more information on the Holocaust Memorial Center, visit www.holocaustcenter.org, or call 248-553-2400.