Construction starts on Phoenix’s first permanent Holocaust education center

PHOENIX – Construction started last week on Phoenix’s first permanent Holocaust education center.

The $45 million Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center will be integrated around the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center at 122 E. Culver St., near the Burton Barr Central Library.

The facility will use technology such as holographs and virtual reality to create an immersive learning experience, according to Tony Fusco, Holocaust education director for the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.

“It’s extremely important now, … with the rise of hate here and around the world, to have a resource like this, especially in a city that has millions of people, especially students,” Fusco told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Monday.

The Anti-Defamation League documented over 9,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2024, the most in the organization’s 46 years of tracking.

Phoenix holocaust education center will have local angle

In addition to covering the events of the Holocaust — when approximately 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazi regime during World War II — the Phoenix holocaust education center will have local elements, Fusco said.

“Not only will we talk about the Holocaust, but we’ll also talk about the rich heritage of the Jewish people here in Arizona,” he said.

Fusco said about 70 Holocaust survivors live in the Valley today. He explained that eyewitness accounts are central to education about what he called “the darkest days of human history.”

“It’s the living memory that needs to be, of course, first and foremost, in front of (the) younger demographic to be able to educate them to resist hate and turn to, of course, (the) law of kindness and hope, which is hopefully what’s going to educate many of these college students who are showing antisemitic or hateful remarks,” he said.

The Arizona Jewish Historical Society announced plans to build the Phoenix holocaust education center in November 2023. Fusco said it will open by April 2027.

Arizona was proud to contribute funding to build the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center, a critical project that will allow visitors to learn about the atrocities committed against the Jewish people. pic.twitter.com/NdEopTOofu

— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) June 5, 2025

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and other dignitaries participated in a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday. A.R. Mays Construction is building the project.

“The opportunity to participate in the development of a project that furthers the education of our community of young people on the atrocities of misguided human behavior and its devastating results to fellow human beings is one I am proud to be a part of,” Adam Mays, president of A.R. Mays Construction, said in a press release last week. “This facility is truly a contribution to our community that will elevate awareness of all future generations to come in Arizona.”

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