Volunteers
Volunteers play an extremely important role in the operation of the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center and its programs. The Museum relies on volunteer support, donations and membership to carry out its mission to Teach the lessons of the Holocaust to inspire action against bigotry, hatred and violence.
What are the personal qualities of a Museum Volunteer?
from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum literature
- Compassion: to deal with difficult subject matter and those who are affected by it.
- Open-Mindedness and Patience: to work with a diverse public and staff.
- Integrity: to represent the institution and oneself with the highest standards.
- Dedication: to the Museum’s mission and to the values of the Volunteer Program.
- Reliability: to consistently keep one’s volunteer commitment to the Museum.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Guest Relations serve as ambassadors to the public. They greet and process daily guests, help at events, and assist with office tasks.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a Guest Relations Volunteer, please contact info@hmcec.org.
Museum Educators work with the student education programs.
If you would like to learn more about becoming an Education Volunteer or Docent, please contact info@hmcec.org for more information.
Student Interns:
A limited number of Student Internships are available in the Education, Curatorial, and Marketing/Communications Departments on a Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer semester basis.
Interns have the opportunity to work directly with historical objects, history-based education programs, and non-profit marketing in a professional setting. Each position requires a minimum of 120 hours per semester and the Intern must provide his/her own transportation. Interested students should submit a cover letter explaining his/her interest in the Museum & position, current resume, and two letters of reference from a non-relative to the appropriate contact listed below. Interns will be contacted within 10 days of application submission.
We also offer students interested in a shorter volunteer commitment the opportunity to work on a single project. If interested, contact the appropriate Department to discuss.
Education Department Internship Information:
Students interested in History, Museum Studies, Classroom Education or Public History are great candidates for the Education Department.
Education Interns will be responsible to learn the content of the Museum and associated education programs. A successful intern will:
- (1) participate in the creation and implementation of age-appropriate programming for school day and after school programs;
- (2) be able to write and speak effectively to various audiences;
- (3) have proficiency in basic computer and technology skills; and
- (4) enjoy working with students of all ages.
For more information or to apply, please e-mail Education Specialist.
Curatorial Department Internship Information:
Students interested in the fields of History, Public History, Museum Studies, Library Sciences, and Genocide Studies are great candidates for the Curatorial Department.
Curatorial Interns will assist the Curator in the care of the Museum’s collections as well as the improvement and installations of exhibits. They will receive instruction on how to properly handle materials and gain experience within the Museum world.
Tasks & projects may include:
- Assisting with cataloguing and inventorying Museum collections
- Working directly with artifacts and displays to install exhibitions
- Learning the processes Museums use to preserve and document their collections
- Seeing how museums select and create exhibitions to present to the public
- Translation of documents (if possessing appropriate language skills)
For additional information or to apply for an Internship, please contact our Curator.
Volunteer Positions Available Weekdays and Weekends
Interested in volunteering with the Museum but busy during the week? We are looking for Volunteers to serve in Guest Relations positions; hours are from 12:45pm – 4:00pm. Please contact us for more information.
