The Montreal Holocaust Museum has announced gifts of C$20 million ($15.7 million) from the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec, and C$15 million ($11.8 million) from the Azrieli Foundation in support of the construction of a new facility.

Slated to open in 2025, the facility will feature permanent and temporary exhibition spaces that are larger than in the current facility, a youth area and interactive hologram survivor testimony, state-of-the-art classrooms, a 150-seat auditorium, a commemorative space, and a memorial garden. The C$80 million ($62.9 million) project also includes gifts from numerous private donors who have contributed through the museum’s Give Voice fundraising campaign.

“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 neighborhood that once welcomed the Jewish immigrant community,” said Montreal Holocaust Museum president Richard Schnurbach. “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.”

(Photo credit: Virginie Wenglenski/creative commons 4.0)