The Montreal Holocaust Museum (MHM) has announced an $80 million investment to construct a new facility scheduled to open in 2025.
The new museum, located in the city’s Plateau Mont-Royal borough, will address “growing public interest and demand from the education community for opportunities to learn about the history of the Holocaust, genocide, human rights, and the fight against racism and antisemitism.”
The $80 million project is being made possibly with contributions from the Québec culture and communications ministry ($20 million), the Azrieli Foundation ($15 million), and a large number of private donors who have donated through the museum’s Give Voice fundraising campaign.
“Modern, spacious, and at the cutting edge of museum innovation and technology, the new MHM will accommodate a greater number of visitors eager to hear the inspiring and resilient stories of Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives in Montreal,” the museum said in a statement.
"The new Museum will be ideally located at the crossroads of the city's museum sector and the Quartier des spectacles entertainment hub, in the neighbourhood that once welcomed the Jewish immigrant community," MHM President Richard Schnurbach said.
“The choice of the former Jewish quarter takes on even more significance as it merges with the history of over 9,000 Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives here in Montreal. Our exhibition and collections will highlight their stories and celebrate their diverse contributions to the development and influence of our city."
The new museum will have increased exhibition spaces, interactive hologram survivor testimonies, state-of-the-art classrooms, a 150-seat auditorium, and a memorial garden.
Benoît Charette, Quebec's minister responsible for the fight against racism, praised the new building as “addressing the museum's needs to meet its growing appeal.”
"This announcement… demonstrates our government's commitment to fighting all forms of racism and prejudice. I salute this remarkable institution's contribution to promoting respect for diversity among citizens,” Charette said.
Daniel Amar, executive director of the Montreal Holocaust Museum, added: "At a time marked by mounting antisemitism, racism, and discrimination against minorities, Holocaust education remains essential to foster awareness and a respect for diversity among citizens.”
Amar noted that “for this reason, and following the example of major cities around the world, Montreal is creating a space to promote historical awareness and build partnerships with communities that are victims of genocide, racism, and persecution. Deeply rooted in Montreal's history, the new museum will be unifying, inclusive, and a place to come together."