Washington, DC’s Holocaust Memorial Museum is a Difficult Building to Visit
For four hours it was difficult.
We tried to tour this Memorial before. That attempt had us only managing to see part of the changing exhibit on the ground floor. As determined as we were when we began, we couldn’t find the energy to explore the permanent section. By the time we finished, we were mentally and spiritually exhausted. We knew we would return, better prepared to do the Museum justice by going through the three floors of the permanent exhibit.
The Memorial is a self-guided, chronologically laid out, exploration of how the Holocaust evolved out of the Nazi partyās determination to achieve power.
US Holocaust Memorial Museum Alters Your Perception of History
Here is a hugely simplified definition of manipulative behavior. Think the deviousness of Sleeping With the Enemy on a massive scale. A victimās (not a preferred word) acceptance of and adaptation to someoneās distorted world views comes as they are subtly, repeatedly, bombarded with the abuserās paradigm. Compliance also comes because good people have a hard time understanding evil intentions and bad behavior. When being a good and generous person is made to imply you are weak and inferior, abusive people exert their power.
By the time someone realizes how wrong the situation has become, wicked people are in control, commanding deference and acquiescence. The Jewish people were systematically led to believe, do this and you will be okay. (Go into the ghettos) Now, do this and you will be okay. (Vacate your homes.) (Get on the trains.) (Do this work.) (Step into the showers.)
Strength Shared
Feeling buoyed after being at Pearl Harbor for the 75th Commemoration events, we planned another visit to the Holocaust Memorial. Many of the World War II Veterans we met and talked with were in Europe and saw the camps and participated in the liberation of the prisoners. Their endurance strengthened us.
Preparing to experience the Holocaust Memorial Museum*
Exploring the website prior to arriving will assist with planning your visit. This is one of the most robust museum sites youāll find. Reviewing the information will help prepare you for the breadth of material you will see.
In contemplating the Holocaust, the recurring thought is, why? Why did this happen? The simplest answer is because the Nazis believed the Jews were inferior. But why they thought this, who knows?
The museum guide states, āThis museum is not an answer. It is a question. And the question always is: What is your responsibility now that youāve seen, now that you know?ā
Elie Wiesel responds, āEach individual must answer that question for himself or herself.ā
Every few years, I read Wieselās book, Night, and contemplate. Could I have survived as heāand othersādid? Would my faith have faltered or seen me through?
Your Experience Begins
You step into an elevator to rise to the fourth floor, where the historical timeline starts in 1933 and takes you through 1939.
My mind immediately asked, is the elevator small to simulate the horrid crowdedness the Jewish people endured, corralled, pressed together, in cattle cars?
The Museum Personalizes Your Visit
In the elevator, you watch a moments-long video and are instructed to take an Identification Card. The cover of the ID booklet reads, āFor the dead and the living must bear witness.ā Each booklet contains a photograph and biographical information about a camp internee. Ours were Hanna Ellenbogen (she did not survive) and Karl Gorath (he survived).
Carrying the ID card, reading it, following the instructions to turn pages as you change floors, is impactful. Making an attendee think of an individual is a crucial way to understand that, like the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, this is a place for remembrance of persons lost. Choosing to be here is about individuals, not the vague, hard to conceive vastness of, Six Million.
Starting here, you feel the flow and gradual buildup to the displays that educate you about the āNazi Assault,ā the partyās rise to power, and their plans for world domination. Although this floor immediately pounds you with photographs of the camps taken by US Army Soldiers, it then steps back to show you how these death camps came to be.
Being Changed by the Holocaust Memorial Museum
How can we exit the building as the same people we were upon entering? Reading the stories, viewing the films, comprehending the multitude of humanity that was lost with each murder that happened, alters something inside us.
On the third floor, you learn about the construction of the ghettos and the onslaught of mass murders as an unspeakable part of warfare.
The museum was not a place we felt comfortable taking photographs. Having many shots of Arlington Cemetery to prompt memories, Iām not sure where our hesitancy came from.
The path directs you through a train car ā¦ an actual transport used for prisoners. Pausing in the darkness provokes more thoughts of people crammed close in a tight area. It was striking to stand inside the car and imagine being confined in the space with 100 other people. It was difficult to shake the consuming emotions, the shadows of ghosts, and move on with the tour. I took a picture so that I would always be able to evoke that visceral response. When I think that life is hard or difficult or trying ā¦ I look at that photo and count the blessings of my day.
The Last Chapter
The second floor seeks to explain the Naziās āFinal Solutionā to the problem of the Jews and others they deemed undesirable. The focus is on the concentration camps. Will you be astounded by the map showing more camps than you thought existed? We were.
A quote from the online notes regarding this floor strikes a chord, āThe issue of individual responsibility toward fellow human beings in danger is a repeated themeā¦ā
The exhibits are well-curated with adequate room to peruse and read. They are interspersed with short films not to be bypassed. Concrete walls stand tall before certain videos in order to shield children from accidentally seeing them. This is wise, but note that it also blocks the viewing by adults in wheelchairs.
The Impact
We were mostly okay until the shoes, which are nearly at the end, and then we broke down. I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture of the several thousand shoes, but hereās one of the quote above them.
This interview with Norman Salsitz tells his story of survival and rebuilding his life. This is striking, āBecause why did I survive? To have a continuation! I have a daughter, she has three grandsons. So, it means that Hitler didn’t win the war. With me he didn’t win the war. Because his – to win the war it means to destroy every single Jew. And with me, he couldn’t do it.ā
Contemplating
As feeling, breathing, thinking people, it is important to be confronted with places like the Holocaust Memorial and Museum, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Flight 93 National Memorial, The Arizona Memorial, and too many more. At the end of the World War II everyone thought, never again, but that has not been the case. You can see this in the exhibits that tell of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, violence in Central Africa, and further examples.
If only hate-filled people could see the results of bigotry and racism and be touched, transformed, as a result of having their eyes openedā¦. But if haters cultivated inclusion, goodness, and diversity, they would never be moved to hate.
In closing, please take the time to watch the video, āWhy We Remember the Holocaust,ā and ask yourself that question.
When you go:
Going*: Allow at least half a day. Hours are 10:00 – 5:20
Location: National Mall near the corner of 14th St SW and Independence
Tickets: The Permanent Exhibition requires tickets from March 1 through August 31. These are timed tickets due to the number of visitors.
Website: If getting to Washington, DC is problematic for you, the Holocaust Memorial and Museum website is extensive. The research materials, photographs, and videos are there for everyone to view. The message is clear: educate and never forget.
(*See site for complete details on visiting.)
In closing, watch the video, āWhy We Remember the Holocaust,ā and ask yourself the question.
**
Read: Heart Mountain, Wyoming
Thank you so much for sharing this RoseMary! I’ve wanted to visit the Holocaust Museum for a long time and now that I’m back on the mainland I hope to do that soon. And thanks for the link to the website. For some reason, it never occurred to me to see if they had one, but I bookmarked it so I can spend some time (with a glass or 3 of wine) later today going through it.
Oh, and in my humble opinion, we are ALL the people who need to see this because, as we’ve seen in spectacular fashion over recent days, the people can make a difference when we’re willing to raise our voices. š
If you head east, Marquita, let me know. I’m always looking for a reason to drive to DC.
Yes, 1 or 3 glasses of wine might help the content go in a little better. Their website is one of the best.
I do wish everyone would experience this website, the 9/11 memorials, so very much more.
Never Again, is a phrase that has been said to manner times in this world. People forget the past, even when it is horrible. Even today, the House blocked a bill that said the Holocaust targeted Jews.
Time is like the wind, it will wear anything down eventually. Museums, monuments can all be ignored and soon pass into oblivion. It is up to people, who lived through it, to pass that on to the next generation and so forth; Knowledge can never be swept away if it is preserved in your heart.
William, there is a monument near the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam that says, “Nooit Meer,” yes–Never Again. And I wish that we would live with that in mind. You are right–it is up to us as caring individuals to pass along the most important lessons of our generations so that they do not get repeated. It’s crucial.
Hi Rose Marie; Thanks for sharing what must have been an emotionally draining experience. I have two questions. One, do you happen to know if they offer an audio narration of the tour? And two did you see any parallels between the rise of the natzi party and their treatment of the jews in our current political climate? Looking forward to your next awesome post, Max
They do offer an audio narration of parts of the museum, Maxwell. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
It might be a difficult place to visit but would like to visit for the stories the place has to share.
Thank you, sweetie, for introducing was not aware of the museum.
Glad to let you know about this place for when you get to Washington, DC someday, Sushmita!
I do find these kind of facilities to be difficult, as you say, Rose. We have the Canadian Museum for Human Rights here in Winnipeg, and I still haven’t visited, as I know how difficult it will be for me to see the exhibits.
I have heard of that museum, Doreen and would be interested in seeing it. Takes a lot of bracing myself each time I walk into one of these places.
Holy cow! I can’t believe you went there a week after visiting Pearl Harbor. That really must have been emotionally exhausting. I was so drained after visiting the 9-11 memorial site a few years ago. It is important to experience these places so history doesn’t repeat itself.
Yes, Jen, we are a little crazy that way. The 9-11 Memorial is all encompassing. It’s just so important to be always remembering what has happened–in the hopes that it keeps us from repeating it.
My trip to DC was short, so I didn’t visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. I did visit the Wall at night and it was sobering. All memorials of such magnitude are always sobering. When I was in Germany, I did visit Dachau. The tour ended in the crematory. Needless to say, I did not speak many words that day.
My imagination isn’t strong enough to know what it must have been like to go to Dachau, Jeri. I would “like” to go there someday. The Vietnam Wall wrecks me every time I go–and I try to go every time I’m in DC. Always remember.
I remember hearing about the DC Holocaust museum when I lived on the East coast. I remember hearing about the walls blocking kids from the disturbing stuff. At that time, I think they said the walls has rainbows on them so as to be calming. I’ve been to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles which is a similar concept. When I was a kid in Hebrew school, the adults would always remind us to Never Forget. But the reality is the atrocities to mankind happen to this day. We don’t even fully know what’s going on in North Korea. Not to mention religious tension and hatred all over the world. Because I think there must be something intrinsic in mankind that makes us easily swayed to be scared and suspicious of what is different. I always hope for humanity to be better than this. And museums like this serve as reminders of what can happen.
I didn’t know about the Museum of Tolerance, Erica. It’s good that it’s there. I didn’t see rainbows–that would have struck me as being out of place. It’s all very subdued, which is a good approach. I would like to share the Holocaust Museum’s message over and over again–just so people don’t forget. I wish the hatred would go away and we would accept and revel in each other’s differences.
As painful as it may be, people need to know the truth. There was suffering, separation and pain. Why? Because they were of another race, another culture, another religion. Their blood lays on the hands of those who killed them.
It is easy for some to shrug off the holocaust just as they do slavery. What happened years ago still has a major impact on our society today. How can it not?
We have not come as far as we would like to think.
Exactly, Phoenicia. We have such a long, long way to go to get beyond the mistakes made in the past. I will never understand prejudice based on our outer selves. I’d rather be judged for who I am on the inside if I have to be judged at all.
I’m sure it is not easy viewing. I wonder if the people who most need to see this will find their way there. I suspect not.
No, I don’t think so either, Ken. Very sad.
I have a soft heart. I truly believe I wouldn’t make it through that exhibit because of it nature and content even though I know how important it is to know and never forget.
I would warn anyone that it is a very difficult place to visit–but you are right–we can’t ever forget.