Faces of ORL: Building a Just & Caring Community

Meet the Leadership Team at The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center

October 4, 2023

Orlando Magazine Staff,

THE FACES OF

BUILDING A JUST & CARING COMMUNITY

Christine Beresniova, VP, Education ◾ Kathy Turner, VP, Marketing & Development ◾ Talli Dippold, CEO

The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center

Exactly forty years ago, our organization began with the vision of one woman- Tess Wise.

Wise, a Holocaust survivor from Poland knew that her life, her experience and her story mattered. She knew that there were thousands of people like her, who were survivors of one of the most horrific atrocities to happen in our modern time. She sought to elevate those survivors’ voices, so that they would not be forgotten. She wanted to tell their stories, educate and illuminate the future generations so that they would recognize what can happen when hate goes unchecked and when good people are silent.

Although we sadly lost Tess last year, just shy of her one hundredth birthday, her vision moves forward at the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center. There, we reach out into the communities of Central Florida with the goal of using the history and lessons of the Holocaust to build a just and caring community free of antisemitism and all forms of hate, prejudice and bigotry.

In the next few years Tess’ vision will take a historic step forward when we break ground to build the new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity. This new museum will serve to honor those we lost, to reflect on the power of stories as a legacy that we will always carry, and as a reminder of why we must stand up to antisemitism and prejudice today. At a time when we are losing remaining Holocaust survivors, the new museum will employ state-of-the-art technology to ensure their voices are not forgotten.

The faces of our team are made up of a diverse crew of donors, staff and volunteers, many of whom have never met Tess Wise. Talli Dippold, CEO, Kathy Turner, Vice President, Marketing and Development and Christine Beresniova, Vice President, Education are three women who have taken the torch from Tess. They are devoted to ensuring that Central Florida, particularly the new museum, serves as a beacon of hope and light to all who call Orlando home and those who visit from around the world.