Background:  The Museum of Tolerance, Tomer Peretz and the Power of Art Therapy

• The arts can serve as powerful mediums for helping people process trauma, and the Museum of Tolerance has a longstanding connection with art therapy as a method of exploring and healing human suffering, from the personal anguish of the individual to historic levels of collective trauma. 

• The Museum of Tolerance is home to a collection of over 900 works of art, including an important collection of work by Frederika “Friedl” Dicker-Brandeis, an Austrian Jewish artist and educator who emerged as a trailblazer in what would later be dubbed “art therapy.” Dicker-Brandeis was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in late 1942, where she organized secret art lessons for hundreds of children: classes that became a source of empowerment, healing, and hope amidst harrowing circumstances—calm refuge in which to process the frightening events unfolding around them.

• In 2024, international artist Tomer Peretz spoke at the Museum of Tolerance on Holocaust Remembrance Day of his personal experience being with his family in Israel on 10/7 and subsequently volunteering at one of deadliest sites of the Hamas attack. This work altered the very fabric of who he was as an artist and ignited a commitment to use art to help those who were witness to the massacre or taken hostage, allowing them to tell their story and process what they had experienced through paint and testimony. His story ignited a conversation within the Museum of Tolerance as to how the institution could amplify the work of Peretz and other artists whose work aligned with the mission of the Museum.   

• As a result of that encounter, in 2025 the Museum of Tolerance launched its first-ever Artist in Residence program, naming Tomer Peretz as the Museum of Tolerance 2025 Inaugural Artist in Residence. The program is designed to expand the institution’s cultural programming by featuring and supporting artists who create compelling, immersive art and mixed media content designed to promote self-expression, healing, and empathy. This program is a collaboration between the Museum of Tolerance, Moriah Media and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.   

Concept:  Art Will Set You Free: A Special Installation by Tomer Peretz

• Art Will Set You Free, which features a collection of eight works by Peretz as well as an interactive installation, is an artistic response to the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel, the resulting Israel-Hamas war, the ongoing global wave of antisemitism, and other traumatic experiences. It is the continuation of Peretz’s layered collaborations with a community of trauma survivors that includes frontline veterans and survivors of October 7, sexual violence as a weapon of war, terrorism, and mass shootings.

• Along with Peretz’s collection of original works throughout the main floor, the Museum has dedicated space for a large multimedia project incorporating an expansive canvas that will be painted on-site, complemented by a display of photographs and videos of frontline emergency response workers by guest artist Kalia Littman.

• The Art Will Set You Free installation is designed to be interactive, giving visitors the opportunity to collaborate with Peretz as he works and then continue creating afterwards with a custom-designed individual art kit after their visit. This experience also includes a public art element, in which Peretz and his team of artist associates will guide student groups in the creation of a public art project.  

• Working together with other survivors of trauma, each incorporating their individual stories into the work, Peretz creates a therapeutic artistic home to process suffering, explore mass trauma, and support healing. Artists and guests move in community through pain and horror towards light and beauty. Peretz utilizes oil and acrylic painting, photography, and conceptual art to create a vibrant, intense, and at times harrowing experience that situates his art within the disturbing realities of the present world.

• Peretz has assembled a team of supporting artists who, in collaboration with the Museum of Tolerance education team, are providing group student and adult interactive educational programming. The guest artists include Michael Cannon and Avia Moshe Shklar.

Featured Artist:  Tomer Peretz

• Growing up in Jerusalem amidst the Arab-Israeli conflict, Peretz was exposed to terrorist attacks from his most formative years, when he first began to find solace and self-expression through art. He served four years in the IDF during the Second Intifada, experiencing combat and the loss of comrades. References to trauma and violence are a throughline of much of his work. Peretz’s body of multimedia artwork reflects both his own and others’ life experiences, touching on social issues, mental health, and the realities of conflict. Peretz and his family have lived in Los Angeles since 2005. 

• Tomer Peretz was in Tel Aviv on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. He volunteered to help disaster response teams collect bodies from Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the deadliest sites in the attack. The horrific scenes he bore witness to there profoundly affected Peretz, who has always used art to reflect his life experiences and address the harsh realities of violence.

Producing Partners:  Organizations that created this experience

• In order to produce an immersive installation comprised of featured works, on-site public art creation, collaborative group activities, student lessons Geand supporting curricula, and a coalition of art enthusiasts, educators and community leaders, the Museum of Tolerance has partnered with:

• The Genesis Arts Collective: The Genesis Arts Collective (GAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to igniting change through the intersection of art, education, and social impact. By fostering partnerships with museums, educators, and global institutions, GAC empowers communities to cultivate empathy, creativity, and resilience. For over 13 years, GAC has harnessed the transformative power of the arts to inspire over 75,000 young minds through its flagship education program, GENESIS STEAM. Through innovative collaborations, GAC continues to expand access to arts education, providing creative outlets for youth worldwide. To learn more about The Genesis Arts Collective and its programs, visit www.genesisartscollective.com

• The 8 Project: In the days immediately following the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, 8, a Tomer Peretz Initiative, came to be. The 8 Project is the artistic home for people healing from mass trauma. The initiative serves as a secure and inspiring artistic environment for survivors of mass casualty events including the October 7 terror attack. The 8 model centers on art therapy and community-building to create light and beauty from pain and darkness. Harnessing the creative process, 8 empowers individuals to reclaim control, foster resilience and find hope in the aftermath of trauma. For more information, please visit  www.project8.com

• Museum of Tolerance: The Museum of Tolerance is the educational arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an internationally renowned Jewish human rights organization. The Museum is dedicated to challenging visitors to understand the Holocaust in both historic and contemporary contexts and confront all forms of prejudice and discrimination in our world today. Visitors become witnesses to history and explore the dynamics of hate and discrimination still embedded in contemporary society. Through interactive exhibits, special events, and customized programs for youths and adults, the Museum of Tolerance engages visitors’ hearts and minds while challenging them to assume personal responsibility for positive change.

 Contact:  For more information

• Admission: MOT Ticket Desk / (310) 772-2505 / info@museumoftolerance.com

• Private Events: Lori Tessel / (310) 772-2426 / ltessel@wiesenthal.com

• Group Tours:  MOT Group Reservations / (310) 772-7639 / groupsales@museumoftolerance.com

• Artists Meetings: Lori Tessel / (310) 772-2426 / ltessel@wiesenthal.com

• Press Inquiries: Stefan Pollack (310) 780-2364 / stefan@pollackgroup.com