Stan Polovets Explains The Genesis Prize Foundation’s Support of the Holocaust Museum of Greece Initiative

Stan Polovets of The Genesis Prize Foundation highlights the vision behind the Holocaust Museum of Greece, honoring Greek Jewish heritage and combating antisemitism.

At Thessaloniki’s former railway station, where the Nazis orchestrated the deportation of almost 49,000 Greek Jews to death camps including Auschwitz and Treblinka in 1943, a solemn gathering marked the start of construction for the Holocaust Museum of Greece. The groundbreaking ceremony brought together prominent figures, including Stan Polovets, who co-founded and chairs The Genesis Prize Foundation, alongside the presidents of Germany and Greece, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

In recognition of its 2022 laureate, Dr. Albert Bourla, the Pfizer CEO born in Thessaloniki to Holocaust survivor parents, The Genesis Prize Foundation donated $1 million to the museum project. As Polovets notes, “The Holocaust Museum of Greece will pay tribute to the memory of not just Thessaloniki’s Jewish community but all 38 Greek Jewish communities that existed before the war.”

The project has garnered extensive international support, with the Greek government pledging 18 million euros (approximately $18 million) and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation contributing 10 million euros. German President Steinmeier’s participation was significant. He announced Germany’s financial commitment while acknowledging his nation’s historical responsibility. He stated, “Anyone who stands and speaks here as German president is filled with shame.”

The Genesis Prize Foundation’s involvement in this historic project reflects its broader mission of preserving Jewish heritage while encouraging positive change. This commitment to remembrance and progress has been a hallmark of the organization’s work since its inception.

Stan Polovets and The Genesis Prize Foundation: Honoring Achievement, Making an Impact

Since 2013, The Genesis Prize Foundation has built a legacy of strategic philanthropy with Stan Polovets at the helm. The foundation’s primary mission is to recognize remarkable individuals who have made meaningful contributions to society while proudly acknowledging their Jewish heritage. Through this recognition across varied disciplines, the award strives to create role models who can inspire future generations.

The foundation’s unique approach sets it apart from other philanthropic prizes. “We are the only organization awarding an annual $1 million to an individual who does not take the money but turns it around and invests it back into the community, often doubling or tripling the contribution through matching donors as well as their own financial commitments,” Stan Polovets explains.

Each prize recipient redirects the $1 million prize toward philanthropic initiatives, extending the reach of their societal influence. The program’s impact has been substantial: Through matching donations, Genesis Prize awards have facilitated more than $50 million in charitable grants to support more than 230 organizations in 31 countries.

The Genesis Prize has inspired laureates to support diverse causes, from refugee aid to fighting antisemitism. “None of us can do this work alone,” Stan Polovets says. “The vision of our foundation is a strong and vibrant Jewish people, aware of their roots while looking to the future, a community flourishing in diversity yet united in appreciation of Jewish values.” His collaborative philosophy has been crucial to The Genesis Prize Foundation’s success, as partnerships multiply the impact of each laureate’s chosen initiative.

This emphasis on educating about Jewish heritage while building for the future takes on particular poignancy in places like Thessaloniki, where the Holocaust’s devastating impact continues to echo through the generations. 

A Thriving Jewish Hub Lost to the Holocaust

Stan Polovets says, “The Holocaust was not ‘ancient history’; it was only 80 years ago. For Jews, it meant the destruction of generations who never had a chance to be born. Hatred, in any form, leads to denial, disrespect, and destruction. Each of us, young and old, has a responsibility to denounce all forms of hatred.”

The museum’s realization owes much to former Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris, who passed away in November 2024. Boutaris said, “With the Holocaust, Thessaloniki lost its future. All the best doctors, lawyers, and academics were Jewish. It was a huge loss.”

Boutaris noted, “There are Holocaust museums all over the world, but none have been dedicated solely to the history and culture of Greek Jews in this part of the world. And none will tell their story like this.”

Thessaloniki once stood as a remarkable exception among European cities, with its Jewish population making up 40% of residents — a presence dating back to ancient times. The community saw particular growth after 1492 when the Ottoman Empire welcomed Sephardic Jews fleeing Spanish expulsion. The Jewish influence was so profound that the busy port city’s commerce would come to a complete stop on Saturdays to observe the Jewish Sabbath. This thriving community was devastated by the Nazi occupation, with over 90% of Thessaloniki’s Jews murdered in concentration camps. The city’s current Jewish population stands at approximately 1,000 people. 

“With rising global antisemitism, education is central to the museum’s mission. Through permanent and temporary exhibitions and archives, the museum will underscore the importance of Holocaust remembrance, diversity, human rights, and freedom,” says Stan Polovets of the octagonal eight-story museum, scheduled for completion in 2026.

As the first institution in the region dedicated exclusively to Greek Jewish history, its scope will extend far beyond Holocaust remembrance. The museum will preserve the rich tapestry of Thessaloniki’s Sephardic culture, from its Ladino-speaking traditions to its role as an educational beacon — the city’s yeshivot drew students from throughout Europe. It will also document the community’s economic leadership: Jewish entrepreneurs drove the region’s industrial revolution in the 1880s, creating textile mills and tobacco-processing plants that employed a diverse workforce spanning religious and ethnic boundaries.

“I feel I am the voice of all those Jews who were put on trains, with no one stopping them and everyone looking. As the generation after the Holocaust, we have a responsibility to speak on behalf of those who could not say anything,” David Saltiel, who leads Thessaloniki’s contemporary Jewish community, told The Guardian. For him, the museum serves as a means of addressing long-unhealed wounds.

The establishment of the Holocaust Museum of Greece in Thessaloniki stands as a bridge between the past and the future. As the number of firsthand witnesses to the Holocaust is decreasing, institutions like this take on heightened significance. They serve as repositories of memory and active participants in shaping societal consciousness. The museum’s placement at the railway station where thousands began their fatal journey transforms a site of tragedy into one of education and hope, demonstrating how communities can reclaim spaces of darkness to illuminate paths forward.

Moreover, the international collaboration behind this project — from Greek officials to German leadership, from The Genesis Prize Foundation to local advocates — exemplifies how addressing historical wounds requires collective effort. By focusing specifically on the Greek experience, this museum reminds us that the Holocaust’s impact reverberated far beyond Central and Eastern Europe, fundamentally altering the demographic and cultural landscape of the Mediterranean world.