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August 27, 1999/15 Elul 5759, Vol. 51, No.47
Holocaust museum plans reforms after criticism
DANIEL KURTZMAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - Officials at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum are promising reforms after a caustic independent report that identified key problems in governance and management.
The report, ordered by Congress and conducted by an outside panel of administrative experts, concluded that the 6-year-old institution has been stifled by "excessive involvement" of the museum's governing council in day-to-day operations. It said power was concentrated within a small group of council members and criticized the institution for what it called its "weak committee system, inadequate discipline, and a lack of professionalism." The study recommended that the legislation governing the museum should be changed to strengthen its administration, scale back the role of the council and give the museum director more chief executive officer powers.
The report paints a picture of a struggling institution - an image that stands in stark contrast to all outward appearances. As one of the most visited sites in Washington, the museum has proved a success beyond the expectations of its founders, who had worried that its halls would be empty once Jews had come to see it once. More than 12 million people have walked through its doors since it opened in 1993, and the museum has also created a national presence in recent years through a series of traveling exhibits.
While the report acknowledges the museum's undisputed success, it further tarnishes the institution's reputation after several well-publicized controversies during the last 18 months. It also appears to vindicate the position taken by the museum's former director, Walter Reich, who said he raised many of the same concerns when he resigned last year.
In January of last year, the museum came under fire for its on-again, off-again invitation to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to visit the museum. The subsequent ouster of Reich - who some charged was made a scapegoat for the Arafat debacle - proved to be another public relations disaster.
Also last year, the museum was stung by a barrage of criticism over its decision to hire Holocaust scholar John Roth to head the museum's Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies. Roth was assailed for controversial writings about Israel and ultimately resigned the post before the job was to begin. And most recently, the museum has come under fire for promoting a book titled "Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know," that some critics say contains anti-Israel propaganda and falsely accuses Israel of engaging in "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians.
Museum officials say they have already identified many of the problems described in the report and taken steps to address them. Miles Lerman, chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council and a driving force behind the creation of the museum, said he appointed a commission earlier this year to prepare its own recommendations for changes in management and governance. Its report is due later this year or early next year, and Lerman said the museum will combine the two reports to develop a course of action.
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