Revolving Doors
Private tours Revolving Doors are now avaible by appointment only and can no longer be scheduled through Eventbrite. Please email Christina Sahovey at csahovey@hcpgh.org or call 412-421-1500 to arrange a tour. We will not be able to admit walk-in visitors
If you would like to support the work of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, we would greatly appreciate your generosity! Even a gift of $18 helps us with our mission to preserve the stories of the Holocaust and to educate future generations.You can make your gift clicking this link.
The Holocaust Center is pleased to offer engaging and meaningful field trips that connect with what your students are learning in class. We’re happy to collaborate with your school to design a bespoke experience! Learn more here.
“It was a wonderful, educational and moving experience.”
Exhibit Guest
This exhibit displays a curated selection of artwork and artifacts from the collection of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. It juxtaposes Jewish cultural life with persistent antisemitism across time; the devastating impact of the Holocaust on Global Jewry; and antisemitism today, including artists’ responses to the attack on the three congregations in the Tree of Life building on October 27, 2018. It pays tribute to victims while honoring survivors and their resilience.
The name of the exhibit, “Revolving Doors,” is inspired by a series of collages created by artist Man Ray in 1916-1917. One of the pieces from that series is on display in this exhibit. The term “Revolving Door” is used idiomatically to indicate a situation where solutions to problems last for a short time only, and then the same problems occur again. Therein lies the mission of the Holocaust Center; to recognize patterns of the past in today and suggest alternative courses to break generational cycles.
It is interesting to note that the word “Door” is also a homonym of the Hebrew word “Dor” (דור), which means “Generation” and derives from the word meaning “Circle”. A central saying in Judaism is “L’dor V’dor,” meaning “From Generation to Generation,” which relates to the value of learning our ancestors’ stories and traditions and continuing to pass them down to future generations.
“Revolving Doors” features By The Waters of Babylon, a 360 video documentary telling the story of composers who created hope in a time of darkness and a modern-day string quartet dedicated to shining a light on their legacy.
This project uses the medium of 360 video to take viewers on an immersive journey into the world of composers silenced by the Holocaust and a contemporary string quartet’s mission to bring this music to a wider audience. Through a VR headset, a viewer begins their experience situated in the center of the Clarion Quartet as they perform String Quartet #3 by Viktor Ullmann, a composer who suffered under Nazi oppression. By the Waters of Babylon then interweaves images of the past and the present as it tells the story of the “Entartete Musik” composers and the Clarion Quartet’s mission to shine light on music silenced by oppression.
Acknowledgments
The “Revolving Doors” exhibit is supported by funding from the Allegheny Regional Asset District and the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
We would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for making this exhibit possible:
The Fine Foundation
Chatham University
Jennie King Mellon Library
Emmai Alaquiva
Michael Berger Gallery
Friedman Family
Arlyn Gilboa, z”|
Dale Lazar
David Rosenberg
Barbara and Danny Shapira
Gary Siegel
Nancy and Robert Smith
Marcel Walker
Weinblum Family
Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh’s Life and Legacy Society
Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh
Students of Shaler Area High School
Tree of Life Congregation
University of Pittsburgh Office of Undergraduate Research
The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh connects the horrors of the Holocaust and antisemitism with injustices of today. Through education, we address these injustices and empower individuals to build a more civil and humane society. The Holocaust Center was established in 1980 by Holocaust survivors and their families as a living memorial to the Holocaust, and has been active in the community ever since. As of 2021, we call Chatham University our academic home. The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is part of the new Tree of Life. Learn more at RememberRebuildRenew.org