Knock LA

The Museum of Tolerance, a Los Angeles educational institution renowned for sharing exhibits and multimedia programs about genocides across the world, has refused to acknowledge nor include the genocide in Gaza in its exhibits and learning curriculums. 

On Sunday October 18, protesters from the advocacy group No Tolerance For Genocide conducted a peaceful demonstration outside of the museum. No Tolerance For Genocide is a collective of American Jews, Palestinians, and LA-based allies advocating against the genocide in Gaza. Sunday’s protest demanded that the Museum of Tolerance recognize the genocide in Gaza and to stop excluding it from the museum’s exhibits. The museum places a specific focus on the Holocaust but does not limit their programs and curations to solely this topic, with other exhibits featuring genocides experienced by ethnic groups across the globe.  

Founded in late 2025, No Tolerance For Genocide came together to emphasize the belief of ‘Never Again’ being applied to everyone. Their website states, “We believe that the concept of Never Again applies to everyone and that the historical Jewish experience, and all histories of religious and ethnic subjugation and violence, should serve to sensitize humanity to the plight of all oppressed people.”

Helen Sklar, a protester and member of the collective said to Knock LA, “‘Never Again’ refers to genocide, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Refugee Convention, all of the international laws that came into being after World War II, were designed to prevent another Nazi Holocaust, to prevent the killing of massive numbers of people.” 

Sklar also said, “There were others before Gaza, but certainly the [genocide] in Gaza is a level of elimination of humanity that I don’t know that we’ve ever seen in human history. Certainly not in modern history.”

With an Israeli flag waving on its roof, the Museum of Tolerance is situated in Pico Robertson, the densely populated Israeli and Jewish neighborhood. Although the museum’s mission claims to “educate people of all backgrounds about prejudice, antisemitism, and human rights violations,” the history of Palestinian oppression remains absent throughout the museum. 

Rick Chertoff, a life-long Angeleno and member of the No Tolerance for Genocide collective told Knock LA, “You’d think this institution would educate people, but of course it doesn’t because that’s not the real purpose. The real purpose is to elevate Jewish suffering above all others, and that in itself is disgusting to me. It’s wrong. Of course it’s not above anyone else. Of course anyone who suffers from genocide is the same as anybody else who suffers from genocide. How can it be otherwise?” 

A series of displacement and ethnic cleansing events throughout history have shaped the position that Palestinians are in today, from the Ottoman occupation, to the Palestinian Nakba orchestrated by Jewish Zionist militias such as the Irgun, The Lehi (also known as the Stern Gang), and the Haganah, culminating into seventy eight years of oppression and the illegal occupation of Palestinian land. In the past three years, Gaza’s death toll surpassed 74,494 Palestinians, which excludes the thousands of Palestinians still missing under the rubble. A Lancet study stated that the actual death toll may be over 186,000 Palestinians wiped out by Israel. A starvation campaign enforced by Israel has prevented humanitarian trucks containing aid, food, medicine, and clean water from entering Gaza, with sixty seven percent of Gaza’s population facing food scarcity. A targeted assault on Gaza’s children has led to one of the most alarming statistics coming out of this genocide, with over 21,000 of the 74,200 martyred Palestinians being babies, toddlers, and children. 

Chertoff said to Knock LA, “It’s clear to me, like it’s clear to millions and millions of people around the world and in this country, that a genocide is going on.” 

As Gaza enters a third year of genocide, countless human rights organizations including  Human Rights Watch, the United Nations, Amnesty International, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and even Israel’s own human rights organization, B’Tselem, have all concluded that what Israel is conducting in Gaza is in fact a genocide. 

Sklar emphasized the Museum of Tolerance’s impact on thousands of children every year must be examined, as it plays an important role in educating the youth about genocides and ethnic cleansing around the world. 

“In spite of all the different groups that have been covered and are being covered by the Museum of Tolerance, it has no mention anywhere about the genocide in Gaza, even though it’s been declared to be a genocide under international law by many organizations that have expertise including scholars of genocide, teachers of genocide at the university level. Notwithstanding, the museum of tolerance chooses to eliminate it and exclude it from its presentations as a museum,” she told Knock LA.

Throughout the demonstration pro-Palestine protesters carried signs stating “Stop Israeli genocide in Gaza,” “We refuse to be bystanders,” and “Never Again for anyone.” A few members from the collective spoke about recent events on the ground in Palestine and the importance of holding institutions like the Museum of Tolerance accountable. 

Angry drivers and pro-Israel bystanders in the neighborhood stopped their cars in the middle of traffic just to flip off protesters, express disapproval, and hurl racist and anti-Palestinian rhetoric. One counter-protester drove by the Museum of Tolerance and blocked traffic while waving two large Israeli flags alongside an American flag. Another counter-protester parked his car right behind the other stationary vehicle and began agitating protesters. 

Moments later, multiple Zionist counter-protesters approached the demonstration. A mob of Israel supporters formed and started harassing the pro-Palestine protesters. Many antagonists were teenagers waving Israeli flags, throwing racist insults at event participants, blaring Israeli music loudly on a speaker, and attempting to elicit reactions from peaceful demonstrators.

Chertoff told Knock LA, “It’s one thing for people to have an opposing point of view, it’s a very different thing to try and physically intimidate protesters on a public sidewalk. And that’s what they were doing, in the name of Israel.” 

While covering the demonstration wearing ordinary clothes and not visibly displaying themself as Palestinian, Knock LA’s reporter was approached by a mob of Israeli protesters, followed, harassed, and subjected to verbal sexual harassment, homophobic slurs, and continous anti-Palestinian rhetoric for over fifteen minutes. The harassment became so extreme to the point that event security recommended the reporter be escorted through the museum and exit through the back, as they were unable to reach their car to escape the mob. 

As the Knock LA reporter was approaching the museum, with the mob still harassing and following them, the museum’s security refused them entry. This raised concerns over the museum’s handling of harassment and assaults on members of the press. A museum that outwardly claims a commitment to tolerance but does not extend that same principle to journalists facing intimidation right on their doorstep appears to have a political agenda and motive. 

Chertoff told Knock LA, “Why would someone come and want to disrupt that with electronic noise and screaming and being threatening to people? They do not have a solid argument and I think that is the character of the Zionist response.”

He also reflected on the intimidation he experienced that day, saying, “I had various individuals verbally assault me. Nobody touched me but one particular man stood in front of me, literally two inches from my body and blocked me and my wife from crossing the street and shouted at me.” 

LAPD officers drove up and down the streets as pro-Palestine protesters were subjected to harassment on the sidewalk and around the entrance of the museum but did nothing to intervene or disperse the crowd. Museum staff and personnel entered and exited the building throughout the verbal attacks on protesters, stopping to speak with security but refusing to dissipate the violent and loud counter-protesters. 

The Knock LA journalist eventually reached their car, though upon driving away they were followed by an unknown individual on a motorcycle for four blocks. The attacks on press and threats to journalists, especially Palestinian journalists, when covering the Israeli genocide have been extremely prevalent, with Israel slaughtering over 270 journalists in Gaza. Palestinian journalists in the diaspora should be able to cover demonstrations and without fear, intimidation, or harassment. 

Chertoff said to Knock LA, “We feel the museum has a duty to speak out and include these people, because we connect the literal physical erasure of Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza but obviously in the West Bank and so forth, we connect that real erasure of Palestinian lives with the erasure of their representation in public institutions here in Los Angeles like the museum, and we want it changed. We’d like to have a community conversation take place.” 

When asked what changes she’d like to see at the museum, Sklar said, “I’d like to see them do an exhibit on the genocide in Gaza.” 

The Museum of Tolerance has not responded to Knock LA‘s request for comment on this matter.