Reagan Foundation’s Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. Exhibition Extended through January 2024
Popular exhibition extended due to unprecedented demand
Simi Valley, CA – The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute announced today, after unprecedented demand – more than 130,000 visitors – the Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. exhibition has been extended through Sunday, January 28, 2024, remaining open through Holocaust Remembrance Day that weekend. This powerful exhibition is one of the most visited in the Reagan Library’s history and reminds visitors to never forget the atrocities of the past.
The Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. traveling exhibition, featuring Holocaust artifacts from across the globe, premiered on March 24, 2023, and was originally scheduled to close on August 13, 2023. Due to exceptional interest, the Reagan Library has extended the exhibition’s duration into early next year, doubling the timeframe available for visitors to learn about this powerful history that changed the course of the world.
“Thirty-five years ago, President Ronald Reagan spoke at the site of the future Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., emphasizing the importance of remembering the millions of lives lost in the Holocaust,” said David Trulio, President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. “Today, we’re following his call. As visitors educate themselves about one of the most sinister times in human history, we have seen people from around the globe touched, many moved to tears, by the powerful stories the exhibition tells.”
No book, no podcast, no history lesson can prepare visitors for the impact and power this extraordinary collection of artifacts holds. Created by Spanish company Musealia, together with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland, and now being toured through North America by World Heritage Exhibitions, the exhibit features a unique collection of objects that are being shown abroad for the first time. This is the only time the exhibition can be viewed on the West Coast.
Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi once said, “It happened; therefore, it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say. It can happen, and it can happen everywhere.”
“Sadly, with antisemitism on the rise and acts of genocide still a reality in the world today, the exhibition’s name – Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. – could not be more appropriate,” continued Trulio. “It is more important than ever that people learn from the exhibition and never forget the suffering people endured so that we can ensure history never repeats itself.”
To date, the Reagan Library has sold tickets to patrons from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and internationally, as well as to more than 170 school groups representing nearly 10,000 students – many of whom were awarded financial grants to cover travel and ticket expenses to visit the exhibition.
“The visit to the Auschwitz exhibition was a compelling and moving experience for our students,” said Thomas S. Frank, a Thousand Oaks, California middle school principal. “Through this exhibition, they [students] were able to confront the realities of the Holocaust, learn from history, and become advocates for tolerance, inclusivity and understanding.”
Visitors of the Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. exhibition are able to view more than 700 artifacts, photographs, stories, and other information on display. Among the artifacts are hundreds of personal items that belonged to Auschwitz victims, including eyeglasses, suitcases, and shoes, as well as a gas mask used by the SS and an original Model 2 freight train car used to deport Jews to ghettos and extermination camps in occupied Poland during the war. These objects serve as the guiding thread of a rigorous and moving account of the history of the German Nazi camp Auschwitz and its inhabitants, both victims and perpetrators.
This exhibition was made possible by Presenting Underwriter Ambassador Gordon D. Sondland, Partnering Underwriter Michael & Susan Dell through the Dell Family Charitable Fund (DAF), and other generous sponsors.
To learn more about the Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. exhibition and purchase tickets, please visit the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library websites at: www.reaganfoundation.org and www.reaganlibrary.com.
About the Reagan Foundation and Institute:
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is the sole nonprofit organization created by President Reagan charged with continuing his legacy and sharing his principles - individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy and national pride. The Foundation is a non-partisan organization which sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, CA, the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, the Presidential Learning Center, The Air Force One Pavilion, the award-winning Discovery Center and the Reagan Institute, which carries out the Foundation’s mission in Washington, D.C.
The Reagan Library houses over 55 million pages of Gubernatorial, Presidential and personal papers and over 60,000 gifts and artifacts chronicling the lives of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. It also serves as the final resting place of America’s 40th President and his First Lady.
About Musealia:
Musealia is an independent Spanish company that creates and manages global touring exhibitions, which inspire us all to explore the past, understand the present and shape our collective future. With more than 20 years of international experience, our exhibitions are characterized by their strong narrative character, their historical rigor, educational value and emotional impact. More than 70 museums and institutions in countries such as the United States, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Estonia, Poland or Spain have hosted our exhibitions.
About the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum (Poland)
Auschwitz is not only a memorial site. It is also a landmark for our civilization. The word Auschwitz has become a distinctive cultural symbol, synonymous with the greatest fall of the values of humanity. Its importance has grown as the final witnesses of the Holocaust leave our world.
Located on the premises of the former German Nazi camp, the memorial and museum was created in 1947 as a result of the efforts of survivors. Its goal is to preserve the remains of the former camp, commemorate the victims and promote scientific and educational activities. The site occupies almost 200 hectares and comprises over 150 buildings and around 300 ruins, including remains of the gas chambers and crematoria, which the Nazi regime sought to destroy at the end of the war. It also includes collections, archives and the world’s most extensive collection of artworks on Auschwitz, numbering around 6,000 items.
The camp and its exhibitions are visited by over two million people a year.
About World Heritage Exhibitions:
World Heritage Exhibitions (WHE) is renowned for producing, promoting, and designing the finest quality museum content on the globe. Their exhibitions have captivated, educated, and inspired visitors in virtually every major market on the planet. With a combined 150 years of exhibition experience, the WHE executive team has been responsible for touring many of the world’s most valuable treasures, including objects from King Tutankhamun’s tomb, relics from Cleopatra’s Royal Palace, artifacts from the Titanic, items from the discovery of Pompeii, and more. Their exhibitions have now been enjoyed by over 30 million people spanning six continents, and their collective expertise has come together in one of the industry's most influential touring exhibition companies.
In 2021, World Heritage Exhibitions became a part of NEON, a global leader in immersive experiences that is responsible for the touring phenomena “Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.,” “AVATAR: The Experience,” “Jurassic World: The Exhibition,” and more. WHE and NEON have brought their expertise together to launch the awe-inspiring, artifact-based exhibitions “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs” and “Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru.” Coupled with some of the most successful artifact exhibitions on tour: “Mummies of the World: The Exhibition;” “Pompeii: The Exhibition;” “Victoria the T. rex;” and “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away,” their collective exhibition and I.P. portfolio now highlight some of the most significant items and events in history with many of the most sought-after I.P. properties.
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