Holocaust exhibit finds new home at La Jolla Library

Holocaust survivors say the exhibit is a reminder that history must never repeat itself

By Adonis Albright • Published January 13, 2025 • Updated on January 13, 2025 at 8:20 am

On Sunday, the La Jol

la Library became the new home of the Ruth: Remember Us The Holocaust Exhibit. The exhibit, organized and curated by Sandra Scheller, features numerous items, pictures, and other memorabilia from the tragedy.

"We have to do it for the next generation and all our lives and the next generations' lives, to never ever let this happen again," said Anita Fuchs, a Holocaust survivor. Fuchs can remember the day that the Nazis knocked on her door, looking for her father. Fuchs was living with her family in Romania at the time.

"My mom, in three seconds [said], 'Go immediately under the bed and hide. Don't talk, don't laugh, just breathe,'" said Fuchs.

While today's world may be a far cry from such a dark time in history, Fuchs doesn't want the world to forget what she and countless others endured.

"My life during the war was very, very hard," said Fuchs.

There's a saying "A picture is worth a thousand words". But perhaps there are no words to describe some of the moments captured in time that are on display -- moments that Scheller never wants anyone to forget.

"People need to remember the holocaust because it's 80 years old and we never really quite understood it, and as people are digging deeper and deeper into it… If you don't continue understanding the holocaust, it can become a very dangerous world," said Scheller.

Getting this exhibit off the ground is a cause that is near and dear to her heart. The exhibit was named after her mother, who survived several concentration camps during the Holocaust.

"My grandfather and my grandmother were also in Auschwitz. My grandfather was B11559," said Scheller.

During opening remarks, city leaders announced that there are plans in the works to open a permanent exhibit at the San Carlos Library in the coming years. Scheller said in the long run, she would like to have the exhibit become a permanent museum.