Florida Atlantic University is proud to share exciting news that highlights the power of education, remembrance, and philanthropy. Thanks to a generous $500,000 gift from long-time supporters Marta and Jim Batmasian, this May, FAU will establish the Marta and Jim Batmasian Memorial Pavilion as part of the Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building.
The meaningful outdoor pavilion will serve as a peaceful, reflective space adjacent to the Wallach building. Designed to host receptions, gatherings, and moments of quiet contemplation, it will also serve a deeper purpose: honoring the memory of 1.5 million Armenians who were killed between 1915 and 1923 in the Armenian genocide—including members of the Batmasian family.
A commemorative plaque will be placed in the pavilion to pay tribute to the lives lost. This addition reflects the broader mission of the Wallach building: to serve not only as a hub for Holocaust and Jewish studies, but also as a beacon of awareness, dialogue, and prevention of future atrocities.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to give back to a cause that is near to our hearts,” said Marta Batmasian. “The Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building will be a venue for not only not only Holocaust studies, but it will also set the stage to prevent future genocides and massacres, like the first genocide of the 20th century when we lost 1.5 million Armenians in 1915.”
The Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building will bring together Holocaust education, Jewish studies, leadership training, and programming focused on diplomacy. It will feature innovative educational spaces and several distinctive areas, including:
- The Craig and Barbara Weiner Holocaust Museum of South Florida at Florida Atlantic
- A recital and lecture hall
- A traveling exhibition hall
- The George and Irina Schaeffer Dimensions in Testimony digital display
- The Marilyn and Jay Weinberg Grand Lobby
- The Arthur and Emalie Gutterman Family Tree of Life Entrance and Memorial Garden
- State-of-the-art classrooms and more.
Dr. Michael Horswell, dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, expressed deep appreciation for the Batmasians’ contribution:
“We remain grateful to Marta and Jim for their continued generosity to the college and university. We are proud to be able to honor the memory of those lost during the Armenian honored to help preserve the memory of those lost in the Armenian genocide, which is so deeply personal to both Marta and Jim, as part of the Batmasian Memorial Pavilion. Our vision is to have the Wallach building use history’s lessons to combat ignorance, fear and distrust that breeds hatred and violence, including keeping the memory of the Armenian genocide alive through education.”
The Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building and its surrounding spaces will be a testament to education’s power to heal, connect, and transform. It will help ensure that the tragedies of the past are never forgotten—and never repeated.
For those interested in learning more about the Wallach building or available naming opportunities, please contact Laurie Carney at 561-297-3606 or via email at Lcarney@fau.edu.
About Florida Atlantic University:Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, Florida Atlantic serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the Southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, Florida Atlantic embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. Florida Atlantic is designated as a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report, and holds the designation of “R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Florida Atlantic shares this status with less than 5% of the nearly 4,000 universities in the United States. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
