Virginia Holocaust Museum board confirms its ousting of Jay Ipson

Last night the board announced that it will indeed remove the popular founder of the Holocaust Museum.

July 27, 2012; 1:03 PM • by Nathan Cushing

The 29-member board of directors for the Richmond Holocaust Museum reaffirmed last night its decision to remove Jay Ipson as the museum’s president and executive director, despite the museum being largely predicated on Ipson’s family experience during World War II. The decision was upheld despite public support of the ousted president.

In March, Ipson wrote a letter about possible unfair treatment of Holocaust survivors trying to obtain restitution from the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims. Several felt Ipson implicated a board member in the letter for stalling restitution. In April, Ipson apologized for what he called “errors in research and judgement.”

Last night, the board of directors announced that not only will Ipson’s title be removed–he will instead hold the honorary title of president emeritus–but he will no longer have offices in the museum he helped launch in 1997. Several board members did not comment on last night’s meeting, but secretary of the board, Jay Weinberg, said that a detailed plan of Ipson’s ouster will be made public in ten days.