United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

By Jonathan Berohn

January marked the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz—probably the most symbolic liberation associated with the Holocaust.

While this occasion certainly does not call for fanfare and celebration, reflection and remembrance are very much in order.  This seems particularly timely when the latest movement in Germany is to equate Allied bombing of Germany with German genocide and proclaim that the time of national guilt has passed.  A trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. can remind us all just what the dangers of such attitudes are.

The Exhibits

The most compelling feature of the museum is its focus on dignity.  You leave the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum not overwhelmed by the gore and destruction—but by the loss.  The overall loss of life in the holocaust is so overwhelming that it risks getting lost in abstraction.  By bringing the loss down to a individual level, through its exhibits, the museum also brings awareness to a personal level for the visitors.  Who was the child that wore that tattered cap?  Where did he come from?  What must his parents felt when they couldn’t save him from his fate?  What about the face that catches your eye in the hall of victims’ pictures?  What was that girl thinking when she posed for that picture?  Could she have had any idea what lay in store for her a few years, months, weeks, or even days away?

One of the most moving and disturbing exhibits in the whole museum is the rebuilt Auschwitz barracks.  To be confronted by such suffering, and to contrast it with the inhumanity of those who designed, built, and managed these death houses is truly staggering.

Resources

The museum also offers a wide array of research assistance for anyone interested in learning more.  As you might expect, they offer a full range of educational aides for teachers, but they also let anyone search for information about their family members who may have been enslaved or killed.

Tickets

Your best bet is to buy tickets in advance as the museum books up fairly regularly.  Admission is free to the museum, but you will pay a per ticket service fee if you order your tickets online.  In any case, the museum is well worth your time and very minor monetary investment.  This is one anniversary we could all do well to remember.