Governor Whitmer and State Legislators Visit The HC

Written by Jackie Headapohl as a cover story for the Detroit Jewish News on June 4, 2025

If you visit The Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills, you’ll see a wall lined with notes from visitors, each filled with words on what they can and will do to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate.

You might see one that reads, “Using my platform to call out antisemitism,” signed by “Gigi from Lansing.”

That note was written by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who in early May took her entire staff to The HC to tour the museum and learn more about the Holocaust. She was joined by legislators, philanthropic and community leaders.

Whitmer said she thought it important to bring her entire staff. “I’m proud that we’ve got a wonderful group of leaders. But I also think we all confront a diverse population of Michiganders every day,” Gov. Whitmer said.

“To have this experience together is important so we can identify where we need to lean in and the moments where it’s important for us to show up.”

Planning a Visit to The HC

While she said she’s driven past the museum several times, this was her first visit to The HC, although she’s been to the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., numerous times and to Yad Vashem in 2019.

Gov. Whitmer’s daughters have been to The HC, and her youngest daughter toured the U.S. Holocaust Museum with her earlier this year. “It was encouraging for me to have her youthful perspective as someone navigating life on a campus,” she said.

“We had a rich conversation afterward about what does antisemitism look like? What is our role? What should it be? How do we use our privilege to protect our neighbors and friends and to fight for what’s right?”

State Senator Jeremy Moss was also on that tour, which prompted him to arrange The HC tour for Whitmer and her staff.

“We were very appreciative that the governor and her leadership visited the Zekelman Holocaust Center,” said Gary Torgow, president of the Jewish Federation of Detroit. “It was uplifting and important to see so many public officials making the effort to learn more about the tragic history of the Holocaust and deepen their understanding of the challenges facing the Jewish community today.”

A Survivor’s Story

Gov. Whitmer’s visit started by visiting with students in The HC Auditorium and hearing from survivor speaker Rae Nachbar (z”l), introduced by Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of The HC.

“Rae Nachbar was born in Poland and survived the Holocaust,” he said. “She understands better than most the persistence of antisemitism, having been stripped of her basic rights. Rae has an important message about the fragility of freedom and democracy and our obligation to cherish and safeguard those values.”

Nachbar spoke of her life in the U.S. and the deep pride she had for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“To survive is one thing, but what you do in your life afterwards is also important,” she said. “Some people came through quite damaged. They, sadly, were psychologically hurt and they never recovered. I was fortunate that I was young, and I was sheltered by loving family. Luckily, I was able to adjust quite smoothly in comparison to other people.”

The Tour Begins

After Nachbar answered questions from the audience, the tour of the newly renovated permanent exhibit began, led by Dr. Katie Chaka Parks.

“We’re going to see highlights, the testimonies of those who experienced the worst crime man has ever committed against their fellow man,” Rabbi Mayerfeld said.

“But these stories are also local. They’re part of Michigan’s history. The survivors pour out from the walls here in this room. Their lives are the legacy we proudly carry forward as stewards of this institution to serve the public good.”

The tour began with a brief video and then started in earnest with Dr. Parks talking about Michigan’s nefarious history regarding the Holocaust, including Henry Ford printing off his own version of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and putting it in every car coming off the assembly line.

Michigan was also home to Father Charles Coughlin, founding priest of National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, who used his weekly radio broadcast Golden Hour to spew antisemitic commentary to his estimated 30 million listeners in the 1930s.

During the tour, Detroit Pistons Vice Chairman and 38th Anniversary Benefit Honoree Arn Tellem shared his own family’s Holocaust history. He spoke emotionally about how his grandfather, Max, emigrated from Lithuania in 1910 and helped bring over three of his siblings, but how two others were unable to escape and perished under the Nazis.

“They didn’t make it to concentration camps. They were just murdered,” he said.

Reflecting on the Visit

After the tour, Gov. Whitmer said that “walking through the museum and seeing the ring of survivors and the little doll and locket touched my heart. It really humanized the horror that the Holocaust was.”

For Sen. Moss, who announced he will be running for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Haley Stevens who is running for the U.S. Senate, it was a little different.

“Growing up in the Jewish community here, these survivors are people that I know. They’re my grandparents’ friends,” he said.

He said that, for him, one of the most significant things he saw during the tour was a quote from a survivor who was talking about the eve of the Holocaust in Europe.

“He said, ‘As all of these new laws were being passed, suddenly I felt like I was a Jew — and not just a Jew, a dirty Jew,’” Moss said. “That just stands out to me, especially as we’re going through this moment now in our country and globally.

“I feel very American. I’m a proud Michigander. But in these moments of peril and rising antisemitism here at home, it’s very apparent I’m also a Jew. And in some spaces, there are times where I feel like a dirty Jew.

“That’s what I take away from this museum,” he added, “of history repeating and rhyming. We have to be very present in this current fight against antisemitism.”

The Importance of Allies

When asked if she sees parallels between the Holocaust and our current political climate, Gov. Whitmer said, “Yes, parallels like the building of walls, the discrediting of media … I can see those parallels.”

Gov. Whitmer shared that she has a new step-grandchild whose mother is Jewish and who will be raised Jewish. “Not only do I want to use my platform to call out antisemitism, I also want to be a good Gigi. So, how do I make sure that I’m a wonderful role model and ally to her?” she said.

Sen. Moss stressed the importance of having allies. “The Holocaust casts a very long shadow. There are fewer Jews alive today than at the eve of the Holocaust,” he said.

“A TikTok video that permeates antisemitism gets 16 million views, when there are only 15 million Jews alive. We don’t have enough numbers to combat hatred and lies, and conspiracies about Jewish people alone. We, as Jews, depend upon allies to be present and stand up in this moment.”

Sen. Moss added, “It takes active allies to do what Gov. Whitmer has done today — brought a whole team, our state leaders here — many, if not most, who are not from the Jewish community or even from Metro Detroit.”

What More Can Be Done

“We’ve passed as much legislation as we can, including strengthening and modernizing our hate crimes law,” Sen. Moss said. “We’ve required our public schools in Michigan to teach accurate and truthful history about the Holocaust. People who want to see harmonious communities thrive in Michigan have to get into this fight.”

Gov. Whitmer added, “It comes with living your values. It comes with making sure that I am listening as the leader of our state government. I’ve got a duty to make sure that I am current with what the threats are, that we are taking action to keep people safe, that we are calling out antisemitism when it rears its ugly head, which is sadly more frequent now than it has been in the recent past.

“All of those things are important and having laws on the books so people know that this is not acceptable, and you cannot strike fear into your neighbors because of their faith,” she added.

Federation President Gary Torgow said, “At a time when antisemitism is a significantly growing concern in our country, Gov. Whitmer’s decision to bring her team and engage directly with this history helps enormously to bring greater awareness to these issues and the importance of standing against hate in all its forms.”

According to Sen. Moss, “Antisemitism didn’t get snuffed out in 1945. It’s evolved. It’s mutated. It looks different from the Holocaust, but it’s still very present here today and, sadly, present here in Michigan.”