Construction begins on Boston's new $100 million Holocaust museum
Their foundation bought a three-story building on that site for $11.5 million in 2022, using money that Ruderman and Kipnis contributed. Their initial plans called for retrofitting the structure, but then they decided to build something new, and twice the size, to fulfill their ambitious vision. They expect construction costs will total around $100 million, and say they've already raised around two-thirds of it. A supplemental budget under consideration at the State House could provide up to $10 million in state funds as well.
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It all started with a trip they took in 2018 to Auschwitz with Holocaust survivor and friend David Schaecter, who told them: You've seen Auschwitz, so now what are you going to do? The foundation they created was initially intended to fund fellowships for teens to learn about the Holocaust. The COVID-19 pandemic paused that plan, so Kipnis and Ruderman came up with a more ambitious one, building a museum. Schaecter helped create a Holocaust memorial in Miami Beach, Fla., near where he lives. But Ruderman, owner of the Value Store It chain of self-storage sites, says his friend and former business associate is 'kind of shocked we took it to this level.'
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Kipnis said the Boston site is ideal, not just because of all the people who walk by it every day, but also for its proximity to other themed landmarks, such as the Freedom Trail and the Embrace statue on the Common.
'Think about what all these things represent: It's resistance, it's courage,' Kipnis said.
When it opens, the museum will feature a donated Nazi-era rail car, personal artifacts from the Holocaust, as well as an interactive holographic exhibit featuring interviews with Schaecter. (The 30-foot-long rail car is being donated by Sonia Breslow of Arizona, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.)
'This is not a Jewish museum, this is a museum for everyone,' Ruderman said. 'We're using the Jewish people as an example of what happens when democracy breaks down.'
Kipnis added: 'This museum will ensure their stories are told, and the lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten.'
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This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston's business scene.
Jon Chesto can be reached at
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