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Holocaust Museum Boston to open in 2026
"This museum is not just for the Jewish people. It is for everyone. Because, when you think about the lessons of the Holocaust, they are universal lessons."
Holocaust Museum Boston, opening in late 2026, will bring immersive exhibits and cutting-edge technology that encourage critical thinking, said Jody Kipnis, co-founder of the museum.
Kipnis and Todd Ruderman, who founded the museum together, were present during the recent groundbreaking at 125 Tremont St. in downtown Boston. They bought the building on Tremont Street for $11.5 million in 2022 and decided to build a new 33,000 square-foot museum.
“This will be New England’s first dedicated Holocaust education museum,” said Kipnis. “We’re looking to not just tell the story of the Holocaust, but really elevate the lessons of the Holocaust.”
Kipnis is co-founder, president and CEO of the nonprofit Holocaust Legacy Foundation, which preserves the memory and lessons of the Holocaust. She began the foundation in 2018 after a life-changing trip to Eastern Europe where she made a pledge to a Holocaust survivor on the grounds of Auschwitz. The following year, she launched the Holocaust Legacy Fellows program, an immersive educational experience for high school students.
Holocaust Museum Boston is needed in our society right now, Kipnis said. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported in 2024 a 344 percent increase in anti-semitism in the U.S. over the past five years, she said.
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“For me, that’s what makes this museum’s mission more urgent than ever,” Kipnis said.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah and Sarah Milgrim, a young couple who worked for the Israeli Embassy, were fatally shot last month outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
“The Holocaust illustrates the dangers of prejudice, indifference, and dehumanization,” Kipnis said. “The lessons are still vital today. So if you’re talking about what just happened in Washington, this museum will help visitors understand these lessons and their connection to the fragility of Democracy and inspire vigilance against hate and promote equality.”
The museum will preserve the legacy of Holocaust families, but also encourage critical thinking, said Kipnis.
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“This museum is not just for the Jewish people,” she said. “It is for everyone. Because, when you think about the lessons of the Holocaust, they are universal lessons.”
Exhibits will include an interactive holographic experience where visitors engage with video interviews of Holocaust survivors, an authentic Nazi-era historic railcar, and personal artifacts such as the 1940s teddy bear of a Boston Holocaust survivor.
It is located near the Freedom Trail, Embrace Statue, State House, Park Street Church, and the burial ground of our founding fathers, Kipnis noted.
“The museum is going to build on the city’s legacy as a symbol of Democratic ideals and collective action,” Kipnis said. “So being located near these historic landmarks, it’s going to challenge the visitors to confront the past and reflect on their role in safeguarding justice and equality.”
Boston’s New England Holocaust Memorial, located in Carmen Park near Faneuil Hall, was dedicated in 1995.
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