Mortimer May, a Tennessee Holocaust Hero

In partnership with the arrival of the “Violins of Hope” project in Nashville, the State Museum will feature a presentation by Nashville native, Jack May for its March Lunch & Learn entitled Mortimer May, a Tennessee Holocaust Hero. The event takes place at the Museum on Thursday, March 15 at 12:15 p.m. He will speak on the heroism and legacy of his uncle Mortimer May, a prominent business owner in Nashville who traveled to Europe in the 1930s to help Jews escape rising Nazi tyranny and anti-Semitism.

The Lunch & Learn will also provide a special opportunity to view a Museum artifact connected with Jewish survivors’ immigration to Nashville: a crate belonging to the Srul Kapusta family, shipped from Czechoslovakia to the National Council of Jewish Women in Nashville after World War II. The Nashville chapter of the Council was one of many organizations across the country charged with resettling Holocaust refugees. Museum curator Candace J. Adelson, Ph.D., will be on hand to discuss the crate, which will be on display at the Museum from March 9 to 18. For more information, call (615) 741-2692.