HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM
After seeing the museum, I'm almost ashamed that we are smiling in the pictures we took before we went in.
We heard from the beginning that the museum was graphic, so we left the kids at home. Our experience was sobering. The horrors that the Jews and other minorities suffered during the Holocaust are haunting. We saw the suitcases and belongings they left behind, the uniforms and shoes they wore in the camps, the lice-infested bunks that were their homes, and the ovens that burned their bodies after they were gassed. We saw movies that made us turn away in shame and pictures that made us cry. But the most disturbing experience was standing in a train car that carried families to Auschwitz and their ultimate demise. The wood paneled walls seem to cry out in testimony of the atrocities that were done. It was absolutely harrowing.
WWII image of the type of train we went into. The ground is covered with clothing that the
Nazis were trying to disappear in an attempt to cover how many murders they committed.
Nazis were trying to disappear in an attempt to cover how many murders they committed.
14 comments:
I've heard that museum is pretty eye-opening and sobering. I'm glad you left the kids at home. Sure makes you sad that people can be so cruel. It's hard to even understand.
Mike Sean and I went to the Dacau concentration camp in Germany a few years ago. It was so very sobering. iI was crying and it felt awful to be taking pictures, but i don't want to forget. Heather and I went to the Holocost Museum in L.A. and we were so impressed with the museum, but I felt horrified at what I saw. If you want a good book to read, "NIGHT" by Elie Wiesel. He won a Nobel Peace prize for this book.
*shudder* In 8th grade I did a report on the holocaust. I had bad dreams for months. I don't know if I could handle going to the memorial . . .
I'm so glad you guys got to go before you left. This is my favorite museum. Not because it makes me happy, of course, but because it is definitely the most memorable. I went to a lot of museums while we lived in MD, but this is the one that I remember the most. It definitely left a lasting impression on me.
I've often wondered what I would have done if I were in that position, either as a Jew or a German. Would I be strong enough or lucky enough to survive? Would I be too scared to stand up for others? Would I try to lie to protect others or just voice my concerns and die for it? I remember thinking about it when I was young and wondering if I were a child, would I try to hide in the sewage? I think the survivors had to have great courage and incredible determination to rise above such madness.
Kathy - I can definitely relate to the feeling of guilt associated with taking pictures! It feels like you are making light of the situation. But you're right - you do it to not forget. I went to the museum in LA as a young teen and I remember being shocked. So, so sad.
Rachel - I was worried about how I'd handle it, too. They actually do an amazing job at preparing you for what you're about to see, of blocking off the most atrocious pictures and videos so you don't see them unless you choose to, and of keeping a very sacred feeling inside the museum. They were very tactful.
Lyndi - I remember you saying this was your favorite. I definitely see why. It was amazing. I had a lot of the same thoughts about how I might react. I hope I'd have had the courage to stand up for what is right, even if it killed me.
Aaah, yes. It truly is a sobering piece of history. I went to a Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in London. It was the first time I had ever cried at a museum, the pictures, the stories, and the personal artifacts were heart-wrenching. It really changed me. Even though it was difficult to see, I think it's important that we are reminded of it so that it doesn't happen again.
In Jr High we went to the Holocaust Museum in LA. Yeah, it was really sobering. The thing that stuck out the most in my mind was when we were entering we were forced to choose between two doors. One of the doors led directly to a gas chamber. I can't imagine what those poor people went through.
For some reason I have always been intrigued with the Holocaust, or Shoah, as the Jewish community calls it. I have studied it for years and even after all this time I still can't wrap my brain around it. How the human soul can be capable of committing such horrific, monsterous acts is fully beyond me.
Isn't it staggering what humans are capable of doing to each other?
I get queasy at the thought of harming an animal let alone another human being!
And you'd think that our race would take a lesson from history and ensure that this kind of stuff never happens again, and now look at Darfur. It's sickening.
But on a much happier note, you and hubby looked really great in those pictures! You are such a cute couple!!
I, too, was just amazed by the scale on which the killings took place. I knew it was "a lot" but this brought it to life in a whole new way. I still can't really comprehend how many died and the fact that each and every one of them was a person with feelings, family and a story. I think that is one of the saddest places I've ever been.
Thanks. I needed another reminder right now at how incredibly blessed I am. :)
I don't know if I could handle experiencing that. I have also heard that it is very emotional for everyone that goes there. I think it is great that you made this one happen amidst all the craziness.
I remember when we went to the museum in --- wherever it was. I couldn't bear to go in. The others went in and I waited in the foyer. (The one we went to was in Europe.) I love you.
Good luck on your move back.
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