Menu Close

Revolving Doors

Exhibit Public Hours:

Tickets are available Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for three entry times: noon, 1:00, or 2:00.

We will not be able to admit walk-in visitors, so please reserve your ticket!
Reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

Private/school tours by appointment, Thursday and Friday mornings (request a tour here)
Additional hours can be arranged by request. Please email Julia Gaetano at jgaetano@hcpgh.org to make special arrangements to tour the exhibit, or for any questions related to the exhibit.

318550660_564288292373766_7639328839597978137_n
319036808_564288149040447_7585843258683093648_n
318458864_564287429040519_6046273808998845376_n
318848092_564286182373977_4733079095545280227_n
318423256_564286029040659_8937296054248226246_n
319179590_564285962373999_7668918938426948762_n
318119675_564285889040673_582803685554638578_n
319104231_564283635707565_7815288824754752793_n
318023993_564283062374289_4118161810324032817_n
previous arrow
next arrow

“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.


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