HMH Bearing Witness - November 2016

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The Guild
The Guild serves the mission of the
Museum with commitment and unites
members of the Museum community at
large, through social, educational and
service projects. Join the The Guild for
just $25.
Holocaust Museum Houston offers a
variety of opportunities for our members
to support theMuseumwhile networking
and creating new connections to learn
more about the Holocaust and the arts
and culture environment in Houston.
In addition to benefits you receive at your
membership level, we invite you to join one of
the Museum’s affinity groups. Each exciting
group is comprised of individuals who have
chosen an even deeper commitment to
Holocaust Museum Houston through social
networking, educational programming and
service projects.
Next Generation (ages 21 to 39)
The Museum’s young professionals
group, Next Generation is dedicated to
promoting inclusion among individuals
through preserving the lessons of the
Holocaust and other genocides and
cultivating awareness of these lessons in
contemporary society. You can join with
just a donation, small or large.
Art Circle
The Art Circle at Holocaust Museum
connects members with artists and
collectors engaged in social, political and/
or human rights issues. Funds raised by
your Art Circle membership support the
art exhibition program at the Museum.
Join the Art Circle as an individual or take
advantage of special rates for couples and
young professionals.
WINTER 2016 19
SPEAKING FROM THE HEART
Joann Greenbaum
HMH Planned Giving Profile
When you visit Holocaust Museum Houston on a Monday morning, Joann
Greenbaum is one of the first friendly faces you’ll see, greeting you from her perch
at the front desk. A native of Manheim, Germany, Joann has been working at the
Museum for over four years. “Someone at a Hadassah meeting learned I was from
Germany, and had escaped the Nazi occupation,” Joann recalls. “They asked me if
I’d consider volunteering, and I’ve been working here weekly, ever since.”
“I was asked to attend a survivor’s meeting even though I was not in a camp,” Joann
said. “I am considered a survivor, because I came here in 1938 with my parents
and sisters. I was only two. We sailed on the Queen Mary and settled in New York,
where my father was a grocer. After a time, we moved to Memphis, Tennessee,
where I earned my BS and my teaching certificate, and taught third through fifth
grade students for over 20 years. In my spare time, I taught English to refugees.”
Joann’s mother was very entrepreneurial and rented out part of their duplex. This
gave Joanne an early insight into real estate, and to working on her own. After an
interview for a teaching post in Houston, Joann moved here in 1961 and began
teaching again at the elementary school level. She took real estate classes in the
summer. Before long, she became a broker, selling houses and rental properties,
first for Century 21, and later on her own. She worked in the field for almost 30
years. “I was fairly successful, if I do say so myself,” she said.
In her free time, she taught Sunday school at Congregation Emanu El, was an
active member of Congregation Beth Yeshurun and a local leader with Hadassah,
traveling to conventions around the country and Israel. “I have been to Israel many
times, and I go to family events around the country for Bar Mitzvahs and weddings,”
adds Joann. “Our family lives all over the world. Now that I’m retired it gives me
many opportunities to travel, even back to Germany.”
In her early 20s, Joann took her first trip back to Manheim, where she saw her old
home and spent several weeks enjoying her native country. Years later, she traveled
to Germany with one of her sisters at the invitation of the German government,
which hosted a group of survivors from across the U.S. “We were treated like
royalty, and I was able to see the Jewish cemetery where my grandmother is
buried,” she recalls. “I’m grateful my family escaped Germany when we did, so we
didn’t have to witness the Holocaust. It was a miracle.”
In recognition of her unique life story, Joann, who has already gifted an annuity
to HMH, chose to bequest her home to the Museum, since her family “already has
plenty of possessions.”
“I am an active supporter of Hadassah and St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, but this
is the gift that is most meaningful to me,” she says. Ultimately, Joann’s name will
be prominently displayed outside the HMH store, right near the spot she sits every
Monday morning.
AFF INI TY GROUPS
Glen Rosenbaum opened up his gorgeous midcentury home and ran his private train collection for
The Art Circle and participating children including HMH staffer Stephanie Dugan’s daughter Morgan.
Friends of the Library
The Friends of the Library connects HMH
members and the Houston community
with The Boniuk Library’s collection and
resources. All funds raised by Friends of
the Library are committed to growing the
collection, increasing the Library’s visibility
and expanding public access to the
collection. Join the Friends of the Library at
the $100, $200 or $500 level.
A Museum membership is required to become a supporter of any affinity group.
To join any group, call Member Services at 713-527-1616 or email .
THE BONIUK LIBRARY
Survivor Joann Greenbaum makes meaningful gifts
to the Museum.
“I am very fortunate
to be able to do
this,” she said. “And
it feels very good. It
means everything to
give back.”
- Joann Greenbaum