His dream . . . and his legacy
"I have received many honors in my lifetime. When I die, these honors will die with me. But the Simon Wiesenthal Center will live on as my legacy."
“In 1977, a group of people visited me in Vienna, led by Rabbi Marvin Hier. And they proposed to me that they will build a center with my name for Holocaust studies - - a center with the work to prevent a repetition of a human disaster. I agree with this.”
[Watch the short video "Simon Wiesenthal" by Louise Palanker, or read excerpts from the documentary]
The Simon Wiesenthal Center's new direction
The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance is expanding in an entirely new direction - - emphasizing commerce over compassion, entertainment over education, and revelry over remembrance.
In 1984, Rabbi Marvin Hier said: “In cultured societies, we must remember the Holocaust . . . and that’s why we created the Simon Wiesenthal Center in the United States, which is today the largest Holocaust center in North America, and it’s dedicated to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust.”
In 2007, only two years after Simon Wiesenthal’s death, Rabbi Hier is leading the drive to “reposition” (the Center’s own word) the Museum of Tolerance as a cultural center, in order to raise revenue. Of the additional 30,839 sq. foot indoor / outdoor area, less than 2% is designated as exhibit space.
We support the MISSION of the Simon Wiesenthal Center,
and that is why we OPPOSE the proposed expansion. The Center is planning to destroy the Memorial Garden, which has long served as a place of quiet reflection for museum visitors, and as a memorial to the many millions of victims of the Holocaust and other genocides - - and to replace it with a “cultural center” and banquet facility, which it plans to rent out for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs and other parties and receptions. This is a disgrace to the legacy of Simon Wiesenthal. He agreed to let Rabbi Marvin Hier use his name for an institution that would work “to prevent a repetition of a human disaster” - - not for a function hall and catering facility where people will drink alcohol, dance and party until midnight! We need YOUR help to prevent the destruction of Simon Wiesenthal’s legacy.
What the Simon Wiesenthal Center wants to do is just WRONG, on both MORAL and LEGAL grounds. Whatever your reason may be for opposing the proposed expansion, we hope that you will read the information on this website and join our cause.
Help preserve Simon Wiesenthal's legacy by urging your friends and family to sign the petition, make a contribution to our Legal Defense Fund, and send letters to the L.A. City Planning Department and our elected officials.
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The Moral Reasons |
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The Legal Grounds
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The SWC is reneging on a very explicit agreement made in 1986, to leave the Memorial Garden as a 100 foot buffer, protecting the adjacent single-family homes, in exchange for being allowed to exceed the height limit and add a 4th story. This agreement was memorialized in several L.A. Times articles.
The SWC’s plans are a disgraceful desecration of a memorial to the millions of victims of the Holocaust.
The SWC’s representatives have intentionally misled the public, Museum members, and our elected officials, regarding their true plans.
See SWC's "sign and send" letter.
For many years, the museum ignored community complaints about bus traffic, parking, noise and other nuisances. But when they encountered strong opposition to the proposed expansion, they hired public relations consultants and suddenly became "concerned."
The serious environmental impacts of the proposed "cultural center" will endanger the lives of neighborhood residents, especially those who are elderly and in poor health, including - - ironically - - three Holocaust survivors, now in their 80's, who live within 500 feet of the Museum.
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The proposed expansion will have many very serious adverse environmental impacts on the adjacent community.
(See letter from Chatten-Brown & Carstens).
The SWC wants to revoke all of the conditions which were put in the 1986 Conditional Use Permit to protect the neighborhood. See chart comparing the 1986 CUP to the 2008 Project Description
The fact that the SWC is seeking so many exemptions and discretionary approvals from the City is evidence that this project is not appropriate for the location.
Although other museums in L.A. are also cultural centers, NO OTHER museum in L.A. is immediately adjacent to a residential neighborhood. In fact, the other museums are in far more suitable locations, in either densely commercial or park-like settings, with ample parking and access. In addition, no other museum in L.A. has hours of operation even close to what the SWC is proposing (see chart of museum hours).
The SWC has flagrantly violated many conditions of the 1986 Conditional Use Permit governing its operations. The City should not reward such outrageous conduct by granting the discretionary approvals that the SWC is requesting. |
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What the Simon Wiesenthal Center is proposing to do would set many very dangerous precedents, threatening the future of all residential neighborhoods in Los Angeles, in this era of rampant over-development, inadequate parking and poor public transit.
If the Wiesenthal Center’s request for plan approval is granted, such grant will prove that the City’s zoning laws and noise ordinances are meaningless and unenforceable, that Conditional Use Permits are worthless, and that developers completely control the environmental review process - - leaving residential communities completely unprotected and vulnerable to constant attack from the encroachment of out-of-scale and inappropriate commercial development.
We need YOUR help to send a message to our elected officials in City Hall, to prevent the further destruction of residential neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Thank you for the support needed to see this action through and to "Preserve The Legacy"" of the late Simon Wiesenthal.
©2009
H.O.M.E