Holocaust Memorial Essay

The holocaust, or Shoah was a systematic, planned program of genocide to exterminate all Jews. This government based program was carried out by Hitler, and its allies in the Nazi army during world war two. Approximately 6 million Jews were killed, and if the murder of the Romani, Soviet civilians and prisoners, the disabled, homosexuals, and others who apposed to Hitler’s religious, political and social views were counted, this number would be more like 11 to 17 million. The holocaust is generally described with two periods, 1933-1939, and 1939-1945, the end of WWII.

In this book, the author describes the long process it takes to create a national museum that will commemorate the Holocaust. He covers issues such as, the location of it, the design and construction aspects of the museum building. He informs readers about how they’ve tried to represent the Holocaust through the museum with sensitivity. I will use specific facts from this book to show that this museum was built with the help of many and required a lot of thought into it. I will show that this museum does in fact show sensitivity to an individual.

After its creation there was public backlash, people were wondering why they would a build a museum for holocaust survivors in a place where they did do anything to prevent it from happening (Source E). Groups and agencies must look at the possible ethical effects a monument may

There are also monuments that are more salient and mention the concentration camps that the individuals survived (Appendix B, Figure 2). The community purposefully includes monument inscriptions to show an individual’s connection to the Holocaust. This action creates tribute to those who were victims of the Holocaust. This practice also creates a collaborative means for the community to mourn over these survivors.

In creating a monument and memorializing an event, the group or agency should consider its importance in bringing together a community, thus providing a sense of attachment. In creating public monuments, it furnishes “a face-to-face encounter in a specially valued place set aside for collective gathering” (Source A). Essentially connecting the past and the present, monuments stand as an absolute reminder of our past. Not only does it serve as a reminder, but it also acts as a holy site as people come together to experience the monument in a simple but powerful way. Monuments establish the sense of community in both a real and imagined fashion. Connections between the people among themselves visiting the authentic public space, and connections between people and history are made. As Source A states, “The public monument speaks to a deep need for attachment that can be met only in a real place, where the imagined community actually materializes.” With memorializing an event, it is important that the emotional connection built off of its fundamental historical significance is considered. Based on Source E, controversy over not only just creating the monument, but also the idea of memorializing the Holocaust was deliberated. Because the United States made little to no effort in preventing the Holocaust, the memorialization of the event drew protest as opponents felt as if this act of remembrance would be offensive emotionally. From this, it is clear that it is important to assess the emotional underlying behind an event and how it could affect communities consequently. Memorializing an event should connect a community, not divide

Memorialization of any sort can be a tedious process, but those regarding Holocaust remembrance were particularly challenging given the surrounding social and political controversies that ensued. This is primarily seen through the issue of representation, which consistently played a key role in the creation of both the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C., and the Dachau concentration camp memorial. While the Dachau memorial’s conception stages, the designers were contemplating which victim groups to include. For instance, the mayor of Dachau stated, “Please do not make the mistake of thinking that only heroes died in Dachau. Many inmates were…there because they illegally opposed the regime of the day….You have to remember there were many criminals and homosexuals in Dachau. Do we want a memorial to such people?” (Harold Maruse, “Dachau,” 151). With this quote, the mayor implies that the memorial will only be dedicated to those he deems worthy of representation. Likewise, the White House officials orchestrating the American Holocaust Museum also debated a similar notion regarding the inclusion of ethic victim groups other than the Jews. However, Wiesel and other Holocaust survivors believed that commemorating non-Jews was an “…obscene incursion into the boundaries of Holocaust memory by those whose country-men had persecuted survivors” (Edward T. Linenthal, Preserving Memory, 53). For this reason, and in order to avoid the generation of false memories, these groups

You might be wondering, Who created the museum? The Holocaust was all started by none other than Adolf Hitler. He got the idea that all jews were the problem to society. Then eventually it lead to more than the jews getting killed.

But it was not until 1993 that the famous United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened in Washington, D.C, by a group of survivors. The Memorial Museum was created for those who lost their life during the Holocaust, this museum commemorates their lives, and brings remembrance to this gruesome event. The mission of this living memorial, as stated on their website is, “The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.” One of the main focuses behind the museum is to shut down the alarming rise in Holocaust denial and antisemitism views. Avi Beker, argues, “In remarks by politicians and educators regarding the content and purpose of the museum memorializing the Holocaust is regarded as something of a national American mission, the obligation of a superpower that sees itself responsible for preserving the moral character of the world.” Today, there are Holocaust deniers living where the Holocaust occurred, there is still genocide and threats of genocide happening around the world. All of this is happening while we are at a time where there are very few living Holocaust survivors left. Visiting this museum will hopefully inspire individuals to see what they can do to prevent this traumatic event from happening in the future. Although the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has this mission of ending

The New England Holocaust Memorial, located in Boston, is there to remember all the people killed and affected during the Holocaust. This August, a teen from Malden destroyed the memorial for no particular reason, only for a hate of Jews. One of the police chiefs said “Everyone

The Holocaust of 1933-1945, was the systematic killing of millions of European Jews by the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazis) (Webster, 430). This project showed the treacherous treatment towards all Jews of that era. Though many fought against this horrific genocide, the officials had already determined in their minds to exterminate the Jews. Thus, the Holocaust was a malicious movement that broke up many homes, brought immense despair, and congregated great discrimination. The Holocaust was an act of Hell on earth.

The Holocaust, as countless facts and accounts have taught us, affected the lives of millions in the 20th century and beyond. Families and friends lost loved ones, minorities took massive hits, and ethnic backgrounds were changed forever. To commemorate the undeniable changes to these lives and teach future generations about the monstrosities committed by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, people domestically and internationally have created museums and monuments. Notably, the intimate Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies (IHGMS) on campus at the University of Massachusetts offers students and community members the story of one community of Germany that was almost completely vanished by the Nazis during World War II.

First, forced to leave your home and everything they worked for to move into a

The Holocaust was a horrible event and had many tragedies and losses of family and friends. This event starts in 1933 where Hitler rises to power, and ends in 1945 where Hitler is defeated and the holocaust has ended. There are many topics about the holocaust that people would want to know, but this topic is a crucial and important one. The topic is Life during the Holocaust where we learn about how Jewish people live during the holocaust and what happened to them in the concentration camps.

Instead of spending the following pages explaining why this exhibit is less tolerant then that exhibit, I would like to break this paper up into two parts: the first a discussion on the tolerance of the museum's Tolerancenter and the second on the tolerance of the Holocaust Exhibit. To begin, I would like to say that I have been to the MOT on several occasions and it really has not changed much since my last visit; however unlike all of

Who survived the holocaust? What are their lives like today? What has been the government's response towards those who survived after World War II? Have the survivors kept their faith? How has the survivors next generation been affected? The survivors of the holocaust were deeply effected by the trauma they encountered. This unforgettable experience influenced their lives, those around them, and even their descendants.