A Cool, Meaningful Summer Visit for the Whole Family

By Sam Asher, President & Executive Director, Virginia Holocaust Museum

Summer in Virginia means heat and humidity—and a constant search for cool, meaningful places to spend time with the people you love. 

This July, I’d like to invite you to step out of the sun and into our cool, comfortable galleries at the Virginia Holocaust Museum, where there is something new to discover for every member of your family.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived in Richmond your whole life and never made it through our doors, or if you’ve visited us many times before. Each visit offers a fresh opportunity to learn, reflect, and be enriched. 

Our permanent exhibits, survivor stories, and interactive experiences reveal new details and perspectives every time you walk through the Museum.

Across the Commonwealth, this summer is buzzing with VA 250 commemorations - a statewide salute to Virginia’s crucial role in the founding of this country 250 years ago. What many people don’t realize is that Jewish Americans were part of that story from the very beginning.

Tucked in a quiet corner of our historic Choral Synagogue is one of the Museum’s hidden treasures: the Jewish American Hall of Fame. 

This exhibition is not part of our core chronological Holocaust galleries, but it is an equally vital story—one you can only experience here at the Virginia Holocaust Museum. Through a series of medallions and interpretive panels, the Jewish American Hall of Fame introduces you to 50 Jewish Americans whose courage, creativity, leadership, and faith helped shape this nation.

You’ll recognize some names immediately—people like Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, entertainer and philanthropist Barbra Streisand. Others may be new to you, but their impact is woven into the fabric of American history.

For example, did you know that Haym Salomon, a Jewish immigrant and financial broker, played a critical role in financing the American Revolution? 

Working behind the scenes, he helped secure vital funds that kept George Washington’s army supplied and in the field. Without his efforts, the outcome of the war might have looked very different.

Or that in the 1600s, Jewish settlers were among the early founders of New Amsterdam—what we know today as New York—laying roots that would grow into one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the world? 

These stories remind us that Jewish history in America is not just a story of refuge; it is also a story of contribution, leadership, and shared responsibility for the ideals we still wrestle with today.

The Jewish American Hall of Fame is a perfect complement to the broader VA 250 conversation happening across Virginia. As you explore the medallions and the stories they represent, you’ll see how Jewish Americans have helped build, defend, and challenge this country over the past 250 years—on the battlefield, in the courtroom, in classrooms, in laboratories, and in the arts.

This summer, I hope you’ll make time to visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum with your family, your friends, or your congregation. Come cool down in our galleries, explore our core Holocaust exhibits, and then spend a few extra minutes in the Jewish American Hall of Fame. Talk together about the names you recognize, the stories that surprise you, and the values these lives call us to uphold today.

Whether you are returning or visiting for the very first time, you are welcome here. 

We look forward to seeing you at the Museum this summer and sharing these powerful stories with you. The Museum is open 7 days a week with free parking.

For more information, visit www.vaholocaust.org/