TOPIC OF INTEREST #3: THE NATIONAL HOLOCAUST MUSEUM

(Picture of museum from http://www.inetours.com/)

The article that I chose to write on for the Readings Project touched on the topic of the Holocaust; it got me thinking about this topic. I have always wanted to visit the National Holocaust Museum. My daughter visited the museum on a school trip and I so wish that I could have shared that experience with her. This posting is my little way of visiting the National Holocaust Museum and sharing my "trip" with the reader.

The National Holocaust Museum is located in Washington D.C. by the National Mall; it opened in 1993 to preserve the memory of the more than 6 million Jews murdered by order of Adolf Hitler during World War II. (http://www.inetours.com/DC/Holocaust-Memorial-Museum.htmlMemorial-Museum.html) It also serves to preserve the living stories of survivors and the memories of those non-Jews who were also murdered or persecuted by the Third Reich. Admission into the museum is free and the exhibits are arranged in a way to make it very real to the visitor. According to the above website, visitors even walk through a train box car that was actually used during the Holocaust to transport Jews to concentration camps. The exhibits are very vivid and it is recommended that anyone under 12 be accompanied by an adult.

(Picture of train box car from http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/exhibit/)

According to http://www.planetware.com/washington-d-c-/washington-us-holocaust-memorial-museum-us-dc-403.htm, there are three floors of exhibits in chronological order. The tour begins with the rise of the Nazi party and Hitler's plan. Then it moves onto carrying out what Hitler called "the final solution" (deportation of Jews and other enemies of the state to concentration camps and their murders). Finally, one sees the end of the war with the liberation of the concentration camps and aftermaths. At the very end of the tour, an eternal flame burns in memory of all of the victims of the Holocaust. The museum also works to educate students and the public with the availability of a research library, workshops, and classes.

Congress voted in 1980 to create the museum. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/ushmm.html)

*For video of the museum exhibits as well as pictures and anything else one can imagine, I would really recommend visiting http://www.ushmm.org/. Of particular interest is an exhibit called "Daniel's Story" that takes one through the stages of what life was like before the Nazi's, going to live in the "ghettos," deportation to Auschwitz concentration camp, and the aftermath through the eyes of a child.