VOLUNTEER
Summer Internships
Holocaust Museum LA offers internship opportunities for high school, college, and graduate students interested in careers in museums, archives, non-profits, or education. Interns gain professional skills, meet experts, work with mentors, and learn about museum work by having firsthand experience working on a variety of daily tasks and meaningful projects.
High School Internship
Holocaust Museum LA High School Internship Program offers opportunities for high school students to connect with history, arts, museum work, education, and mentors to develop professional skills, connect, and gain experience. Teens will sharpen their professional and leadership skills, contribute to the Museum field, and gain valuable insight.
Applicants must be entering 9th-12th grade. Deadline for application is March 18. The High School Internship will run Monday-Thursday for 4 weeks beginning June 20, 2022. Class credit available.
Our 2022 summer internship will be in a hybrid format (in-person and virtual). This is subject to change based on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and local ordinances.
College Internship
8 or 10 week internship opportunity between May-September.
Summer internships are set to be hybrid and follow current LA City Guidelines for COVID-19.
Summer 2022 internships offered for college students:
Development Intern
Education Intern
Public Programs Intern
Visitor Services Intern
Applicants should be able to work with others or on their own, enjoy collaboration, and enjoy working a diverse community. This internship requires maturity, thoughtfulness, advanced writing/communication skills, and a strong interest in history and social justice.
Internships are unpaid, but class credit is available. Deadline to apply is March 31st.
Please contact Rachel Podber at rachel@hmla.org with any queries.
Archival Internship
The preservation of historical documents and artifacts is crucial to understanding, teaching, and learning from history. Holocaust Museum LA is committed to the preservation and retention of artifacts in both physical and digital format. The Museum strives to make its collection accessible online, transitioning and maintaining a catalogue of primary sources on a digital platform, and providing free public access to this platform as a resource for scholars, teachers and students. The Museum’s online archival database provides digital access to these important resources and receives visitors from around the world.
The Museum’s internship program invites qualified candidates to learn about the Holocaust, as well as the way in which a museum operates, specifically related to the archives. Interns will learn and assist with the various methods and steps required to process, digitize, preserve, and catalog artifacts in an environment dedicated to Holocaust history and education. Interns will have the opportunity to work with both the physical and digital archives of the Museum, researching, organizing and cataloguing both newly donated artifacts, as well as those within the museum’s existing collection.
Duties:
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Record and digitize new acquisitions for both the Museum’s physical and digital archive
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Assist in the preservation of existing and incoming artifacts, utilizing Museum best practice
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Assist staff in various tasks related to the administration and cataloguing of the physical records relating to the Museum’s archive and collection
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Provide research assistance for Museum exhibits and social media postings as needed
Internship Qualifications:
Required
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Enrollment in undergraduate or graduate program, preferably with a focus in history, art history, library studies or museum studies
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Interest in archival methods and research
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Strong written communication skills, including a knowledge of editing and composition
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Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
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Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel
Preferred
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Interest in Holocaust and 20th-century European history
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Social media skills
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Fluency in German, Polish, Dutch, French, Russian or Hungarian
**Writing sample required: excerpt from a paper written in college**
To apply, please email a cover letter, resume and writing sample to christie@hmla.org
Archival Intern, Translation
Archival Interns with language expertise are integral to the translation and interpretation of the Museum’s vast collection of primary source documents spanning the 18th century through the 1960s. Archival materials are in a variety of languages, such as German, Polish, Czech, Dutch, Hebrew, Yiddish, Ukrainian, and Hungarian. The translation of the museum’s archives is a vital part of making the collection accessible to the public and the continued use of these primary source materials in Holocaust commemoration, research, and education.
Interns will work with the Archives department, where they will be assigned documents to translate into English. Proficiency in at least one language, as well as in English, is required. Near-native fluency in the target language is preferred. Volunteers are able to provide translation services either in person or virtually.
To apply, please contact archive@hmla.org to express your interest, including a copy of your resume, which language/s you are proficient in and your availability to volunteer.
Docent Training
"Participating in the docent training program at Holocaust Museum LA has been an incredibly rewarding and life changing experience. Not only do I have a deeper understanding of Holocaust history, but the experience has left me with a deep sense of responsibility to share what I have learned with the students who visit the museum. Giving tours has been such an enlightening experience, especially when I see those “aha” moments in the eyes of the students." - Hava, Holocaust Museum LA Docent
Join our Museum community and become part of a dedicated, dynamic group of volunteer docents who are educating the next generation and fulfilling the mission of our founding Holocaust survivors to commemorate, educate, and inspire.
This is a great opportunity if you:
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Love working with people, especially middle and high school students.
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Have a passion for history and education.
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Believe the Holocaust should never be forgotten.
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Want to make a difference from home!
As a virtual docent you will:
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Lead tours of the Museum galleries for students.
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Educate on Holocaust history.
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Engage students while utilizing primary sources, oral history, and gallery education techniques.
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Connect with others who are passionate about history, education, and culture!
To become a docent, you must participate in and complete the docent training program. During the training you will learn about the history of Holocaust Museum LA, participate in museum tours and special lectures, master teaching techniques, learn the historical context of the Holocaust, and become familiar with the Museum’s collection and exhibits.
All docents must:
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Volunteer for at least two 3-hour time slots each month
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Conduct 90-minute tours
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Attend all 12 docent training sessions
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Successfully complete written and oral tests within 35 days of the end of training
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Adhere to Museum rules and standards
Training Dates:
Thursdays, 10:00am - 3:00pm PDT
Start Date: September 15, 2022
All sessions take place in person at the Museum. All materials are provided. Capacity is limited. For more information, please contact our Education Associate, Fanny Wolfowitz, at fanny@hmla.org
Holocaust Survivor Speakers
The Museum is always looking for Holocaust survivors who would like to speak to our visitors about their own experience. If you are a Holocaust survivor and you would like to help us teach younger generations about what happened during WWII, please contact us.
For more information please contact Michael Morgenstern at (323) 456-5083 or michael@hmla.org
Other Opportunities
Whether you are a 16-year-old student or an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor, the Museum has many interesting projects to fill your available volunteer hours.
We are looking for volunteers to assist with a variety of tasks, including the following:
Helping with administrative tasks and data entry in our offices;
Working with our visitor services staff to greet and assist visitors;
Helping our staff run events -- especially on weekends -- by running errands, setting up chairs and sound equipment, and driving survivors to and from the Museum.
To become a volunteer at Holocaust Museum LA, please fill out our Volunteer Application. For more information, please email