Holocaust Museam

Holocaust Museum

Hooria Faheem

Tami Olds

12/12/13

Holocaust Museum

Growing up I had always learned about the trials and tribulations Jewish people went through during the Holocaust. History teachers emphasized the tragedy, pain and horror that not only faced Jewish people, but the entire world. However, when I actually took the time to go to the Holocaust museum with my sister this year, I realized that there is so much more to learn about the tragic time in our world’s history. Suddenly, as if history textbooks weren’t graphic enough, it all became real.

Upon arriving, the first thing that I notice was the exterior. A dull, gray building with a soft almost marble-like appearance, you would never guess what lies inside. I went inside the museum, and was greeted by security who proceeded to check my bags and directed me towards the main foyer. There, I was assigned a fake passport—containing information about a real holocaust victim and explaining their journey. A self-guided tour, I took on the persona of a young woman around my age, who had been imprisoned in Auschwitz after being separated from her children and husband. Throughout the tour, I found out more about her life and her fateful, unfortunate death at the concentration camp.

After being shown my new identity, was directed to the elevator.  A short clip plays, giving a brief overview of the museum and the history of the holocaust. When the doors opened, I was greeted by a photo that immediately made me become emotional. Teary-eyed, I read its caption and tried erasing it from my mind right after. That wouldn’t be the only thing that affected me that day. From then on, it was photo after photo, video after video, tearing me apart. I had learned so much more than any history teacher could have ever taught me, which was highly unexpected.

The day I visited the museum, it was a quieter day, which meant I actually had enough time to do a lot of reading. In addition to the reading, there were so many...