Howard Kichler Confronts History with Education

As a young child in the early 1940s, Howard Kichler’s first exposure to hatred arrived in a telegram. He watched in silence as his father learned his family—five siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews—was killed in the Holocaust. Only one brother survived.

As an adult, Howard experienced hate in his career as a pharmacist.

“While working in the Daytona Beach area—a hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity—I had two strikes against me: I was Jewish and friendly to African American customers,” he noted. “Even after moving to the Orlando area in the 1960s and 1970s, I saw enough hate. In that era, it was the KKK; now it’s the neo-Nazis. But it all comes back to the need for education.”

“If we don’t remember the Holocaust and continue educating more people, its lessons will be forgotten.” He remembers a history book he read that omitted the word ‘Holocaust,’ referring to it only as a ’modern genocide’. “When you omit the Holocaust, you’re trying to erase it from memory… That’s why I’m so concerned about supporting the Museum’s educational efforts,” Howard explained.

Howard’s support of the Museum has been steadfast and multifaceted since 1999 and he is a proud Legacy of Light Guardian. Over the years, Howard has established multiple charitable gift annuities and made the Museum a beneficiary in his will. He also makes outright donations that will be put to immediate use. “I do this because it's the right thing to do!” he says.

“We can't turn a blind eye because we think it will not affect us. In the end, if we turn a blind eye to threats to any minority group in this country, in Europe, or anywhere, we will all be victims. That is why I support the Museum: I want to ensure they have the resources to continue educating people.”

To create your own Museum legacy, contact the Planned Giving & Endowments team at 202.488.6591 and planned_giving@ushmm.org to learn more.