On April 29th, 2025, President Trump abruptly terminated several Biden-appointed board members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The replacement board members appointed by Trump include the Real Housewives of New Jersey star Siggy Flicker.
When the Holocaust Museum opened in 1993, a Council established by Congress dedicated to Holocaust remembrance was created; this council now serves as the museum’s governing board of trustees. The board consists of 55 members appointed by the president: 5 members each from the Senate and House of Representatives, and three ex-officio members from the Departments of Interior, Education, and State. The members serve on the board for five years, and 11 new members are appointed yearly.
The council has the task of overall governance of the museum, controlling policy guidance, strategic direction, general oversight of museum operations, and more. The abrupt firing and replacement of 12 of President Biden’s appointed council members, which no president has done before, has been perceived by many as a partisan attack on the museum. Especially after White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, issued a statement saying, “President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel.”
Discussions have emerged among Council members who believe that the new appointees pose a threat to the bipartisan nature of the Council and the museum as a whole. Concerns especially rose due to the museum’s silence regarding the dismissal of the Biden appointees. Many view this as the possible politicization of the museum, including Susan Rice, former US Ambassador to the UN, one of the Council members appointed by Biden dismissed by Trump. When asked by The Beacon about the museum’s silence regarding this suggested politicization, Rice stated, “I do believe that museum leaders should speak out about the dangers of politicizing the [Holocaust]Museum and, by extension, the Holocaust. In this time of rising and frightening antisemitism, now more than ever we need people of all backgrounds, religions and political orientations to understand history and work together to prevent its repetition. Silence in the face of divisive efforts to politicize Holocaust remembrance does not protect the Museum but rather runs counter to the mission of the Museum.”
President Trump’s appointees have also been a cause of concern for many. Some of the most notable appointees include Siggy Flicker, a former star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, whose stepson, Tyler Campanella, was charged in connection with the January 6th Capitol Riot. Flicker posted a photo of Campanella inside the Capitol on Instagram, with a caption stating, “I love patriots so much. Stay safe Tyler. We love you. #StopTheSteal”
Another one of Trump’s appointees is Sid Rosenberg, a radio talk-show host who is known for being contentious. At a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden last November, he stated Democrats are “a bunch of degenerates … Jew-haters and lowlifes, every one of them.”.
Among the Jackson-Reed community, students participating in the museum’s high school internship, Bringing the Lessons Home, a program teaching students to lead tours of the museum’s main exhibition, have expressed concerns for the future of the museum. Sophomore Maren Devereaux, a Bringing the Lessons Home ambassador trainee, said “Trump goes against almost everything that the museum stands for and I don’t know what they [museum leaders] can do … because it is government run, but I think that they do have a responsibility to speak out against [Trump].”
Sophomore Alexa Lucas, who is also in the Bringing the Lessons Home program, asserted, “As someone currently attending the BTLH program, I believe silence and indifference are two dangerous acts. These past few weeks, I have been taught the importance of advocacy in stopping hatred. I hope to see USHMM [United States Holocaust Memorial Museum] uphold these values in the future, instead of the resounding silence we are met with now.” •