There is a large difference between what you can gain from hearing about something, and actually living through it. And while I did not experience the latter, I believe that this museum is as close as one may get to that. It’s raw and emotional, not sugarcoating anything, and I think that everyone should get to see that. ~Ryan Trostle
I will never forget the experience I had in this museum, from the pictures to the videos to the hall of remembrance, and we as one people can never let this EVER happen to anyone again. ~JoAnna Woods
The trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was the most educational field trip I have ever been on. I learned things about the Holocaust I had never known before. Before my class’ visit, I had no idea of the massive scale and total heartlessness of the Holocaust, and I didn’t understand just how inhumane the treatment of the “inferiors” was.
Six million Jews died during the Holocaust. Before I visited the museum, I didn’t fully understand what this meant. Before, I didn’t understand that the people killed were real people, with lives and families and interests of their own. Before, I didn’t understand how truly evil Hitler was, and how brainwashed the Nazis were. Before, I barely knew anything about the full scope of this horrible tragedy, and the loss of years and years of culture and life.
The USHMM opened my eyes to the true horrors of the Holocaust. It taught me like no textbook ever could. For the rest of my life, I will remember the terrible events that changed the world forever, and all six million innocent lives lost during this period in history. Those people will never be forgotten. ~Caelyn Kim
Visiting the museum was an experience that I will not soon forget. I am hopeful that many other children will get the opportunity to visit the museum as well, as I think that everyone should learn about the Holocaust. There is a quote by Elie Wiesel, that was on display in the museum, “For the dead and the living we must bear witness,” I think this quote sums up the mission of the museum perfectly. Continuing to share the stories of victims and describing the damage caused by the Holocaust is very important in making sure that something this devastating never happens again and the museum does an excellent job of doing just that. The number of stories that can be told about the Holocaust is enormous, but I have no doubt that the museum will continue to do its job well and find a way to keep telling the stories that need to be told. ~Andie McCullough
One exhibit in the museum that really had an impact on me was the tower of photos and portraits. The first plaque explaining this beautiful collection was on the higher level and told of a Jewish town population, living there for almost nine hundred years. There was a large Jewish population in that town, and so it became a major target for Nazi soldiers. When leaving the second floor of the museum, you again came upon the tower, and were able to look from below at the pictures. A second plaque told of the slaughter of the Jewish civilians, and one sentence will be burned into my memory forever. “Nine hundred years of Jewish life and culture in Eishishok came to an end in two days.”
This experience was incredible and I am so very grateful to have been given the opportunity to visit the USHMM. ~Annaliese Niebauer
