SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A traveling Holocaust exhibit is set to open next Tuesday at the Central Library in downtown San Diego, and organizers are launching a campaign to acquire one of the rarest artifacts they have ever pursued.
The exhibit, RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust," will open its doors at the Central Library for a two-year stint.
Curator Sandy Scheller, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, is leading preparations for the exhibit while simultaneously spearheading a campaign to purchase a rare uniform belonging to Holocaust survivor Saba Goldschmid, who passed away a decade ago.
"It will be a labor of love… I have wanted to be in this library forever," Scheller said.
When she first learned about the uniform, the significance of the artifact was immediately clear.
"When I heard about it, I was shaking," Scheller said.
The uniform bears a yellow triangle identifying a Jewish prisoner, overlapping with a red triangle representing a political prisoner.
"For someone to have a uniform from somebody who went to Auschwitz that had the number and to show the Jewish emblem, this is huge because she survived and the uniform survived," Scheller said.
This is Scheller's second campaign to acquire a rare uniform in the past year. Last September, I spoke with her as she launched a campaign for the uniform of Heinrich Muller, which included a pink triangle identifying a gay prisoner, along with a document confirming his voluntary castration.
"One tiny piece of history speaks volumes that Nazis could do that to other people," Scheller said.
After that story aired, donations poured into a GoFundMe campaign, including several large donors. Scheller credited the coverage as pivotal to the effort's success.
"Had Channel 10 not been on our side, I don't know what we would have done. I mean that sincerely," Scheller said.
Scheller was able to secure that uniform, which was detailed after it arrived the following month. At the time, she hoped it would attract more donated artifacts and funding, possibly leading to a permanent museum.
A year later, the pursuit of another rare uniform continues.
"To me, it tells a story. It's what the survivors wore," Scheller said.
Meanwhile, Scheller's long-held dream of a permanent museum for the exhibit appears to be coming true, amid ongoing talks for a permanent location.
"We're very hopeful to make an announcement next week — about our permanent location," Scheller said.
The mission, she said, is one that extends far beyond the walls of any single building.
"This is the truth in history people need to see. This is a lasting legacy," Scheller said.
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