30th Anniversary Guardians Commemorative Book - Book - Page 132
COMBATING
ANTISEMITISM
Both of my husbands
were veterans of World
War II. My first husband,
Dr. Philip Kimbel, fought
in the Battle of the Bulge. His
10th Armored Division, attached
to General Patton’s Third Army,
liberated the Dachau concentration
camp, filled with Jews—his people.
He would say to me, ‘Bobby, you see
the documentaries, but they don’t
begin to convey the reality of it. As
one of the few guys in my battalion
who was Jewish, I completely
identified with the people I saw
behind barbed-wire fences, starving
to death.’ The memories of what he
encountered as a young 19-year-old
were so painful that they stayed with
him for the rest of his life.
While he lay dying 25 years ago,
I learned that the blueprints
for the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum were underway.
I immediately knew I wanted to
support this important institution—
not only because we were Jewish, but
because of my husband’s experiences
liberating the survivors. I contacted
the Museum, shared his story, and
130 l UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM LEGACY OF LIGHT GUARDIANS
have continued to be involved and
an avid supporter. I always give in
Phil’s memory for his suffering and
for the suffering of our people that so
haunted him.
As a scholar in the humanities, I have
been fortunate to stay current with
the research led by the Museum’s
director of Holocaust Studies,
Paul Shapiro. His determination
uncovered the names of hundreds
of thousands of victims of death
camps who otherwise would be lost
to history. Such endeavors bridge the
Museum’s dual missions of education
and remembrance.
My endowment gift establishes the
Philip and Bobby Ellen Kimbel Fund
for University Programs, focused
on contemporary scholarship in
international antisemitism. I want to
increase awareness of antisemitism
around the world, wherever and
whenever it may exist.
Although my primary interest is
in Holocaust scholarship, we all
appreciate the significance of every
branch of this magnificent institution.
It’s not about being Jewish—it’s about
being fully human.”
