United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington DC)

Today's trip was to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, right off of the Orange and Blue lines on the Metro system. Before getting into the museum itself, on a transportation note, I would suggest parking at one of the outer stations, then take the Metro in. Parking is free at most stations on the weekends, at the system is the easiest I've encountered.

This was my second trip to the Holocaust museum, but I believe I got the most of it with this trip. This is a testament to preparation for the museum: the first time I went to the museum was in 2000 after a year of learning about the Holocaust in 8th grade. Talking to survivors and reading testimonies was supposed to prepare us for what we were about to see, when in reality I believe it numbed us.

During the non-peak season (September-March) there is no ticketing. The exhibit begins in an elevator, and the three floors are succinctly organized into time periods, starting with Nazi takeover, then the "Final Solution", and liberation. After the elevator ride, there is a short video taken by American soldiers at the liberation of a camp. Taking full advantage of multiple medias, the museum in presentation does not necessarily overwhelm, though the content certainly does that job. The fourth floor (the first floor in the order of the exhibit) offers about a half hour combined of films, which helped today to thin the crowd out, since some watched and others didn't. The walls address what life was like for Jewish Europeans before the war. Most however starts with Hitler's rise to power in early 1933. Mostly photographs, and slide shows, a few ephemera mixed in really hits emotional points, such as German school textbooks with a clear racism towards Jewish people. Addressed as well are other factions of the population that were subjected to the harshness of Nazi rule, and "The Night of Broken Glass" when Jewish-owned shops' windows were broken.

The second floor is done with many more items and as many photographs. The first part of it, contextually centers around ghetto life, with a cattle car in the middle, that was actually used to transport people during the Holocaust. The items that were in the ghetto portion of this level were saved in a secret archive someone put into a milk container. There are a few video media portions, but for most of them there is a high wall around it. The images may not be suitable for some people to see, so they can still get the effect of the museum even if they decided to skip over the stuff the museum deemed too gruesome, which is saying a lot. After passing through the cattle car, the museum changes from ghetto life to concentration camp life. In this next part, there were barracks (more like 4 level bunk beds) that were actually in Auschwitz, as well as stone that was made by the prisoners and examples of other products that were made by prisoners of the camps. There is a big mold of a possible time in a death camp, but that can really only be understood once its been seen. In the middle of the large display is another set of televisions surrounded by high walls, where details are shared in regard to Nazi medical experimentation. This is saying a lot: I had to turn around from those monitors. Ending this floor, there is also a section called "Voices of Auschwitz" where survivors had talked about their experiences. It is also typed out for the hearing impaired.

During the transition, there are several ways of enumerating the lives lost. First there are piles of shoes collected from one of the camps, which have a musky smell but surround you and engulf you with emotion. Then there are images of older people with their number tattoos many years later. There is also an image of a pile of hair which they try to describe mathematically how much more hair was shorn, but by that point I was started to get emotionally numb.

The final floor of the exhibit is supposedly about liberation, but it mostly seems to be able the brave attempts by people to usher Jewish people out of harms way, for example families in France who took in borders, Dutch who snuck away in boats, and the story of Raoul Wallenberg. The level does address liberation in a unique way, there is another arrangement of televisions behind a high wall, but there is another set on the other side that is not covered, so people can see the initial film taken, but maybe not the most grusome parts. The final hallway addresses the children, some about how they escaped by feigning Christianity, and others were pictures that were drawn while in the ghetto. What was striking about the selection the curators chose was that they weren't that striking. Pictures of windows, family (perhaps in happier times), pets, and just stuff that comes out of kids' imaginations were on those yellowed pages. The last corner addresses what these survivors did, as some emigrated to America, others to what would be Israel, and others decided to stay. What sociologists have decided was that the desire of the people was to just move on with their lives, and they claim proof was how quickly survivors had children. The museum's end leads to an area for reflection, with an eternal flame lit on top of soil from every concentration camp as well as cemetaries where American soldiers are buried in Europe. Atop the eternal flame is a quote from Deuteronomy 4:9

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons

A poignant way to end the afternoon in thought and meditation. Between the concrete walls there are slivers of glass where the National Mall is seen. The architecture of the building is emotional and overwhelming and according to the website that was the point. Mostly constructed in a brash glass and industrial steel look, it reflects the industrialism that leads to power and greed. There are some points where the light of day can be seen through the exhibit, but not many. When the light hits you it tends to be a bit too much.

When it comes to who should come to this, I need to stress, if you can leave the kids behind, do it. The posted suggested age is 11, with a children's portion appropriate for those 8 and over. While that is to protect the children from undo scarring, there is also an effect that comes from silence. In one of those first films at the beginning of the museum, there was a little girl who cheered for Hitler. I don't think she was an anti-semetic, I just think that she was no older than three and bored. Still, there were a few times that I wanted to just scream "Do you really think your kid should be here?". My suggestion when it comes to kids, if you think they're old enough to understand that they're in a place where respect should be paid, take them through the children's exhibit. If they handle that well, then consider going through the other part, but don't drag the stroller in, if you know what I mean. In retrospect if the museum chooses to advertise a suggested age, the docents should consider pulling those families with young children.

Besides the children, which didn't really get in the way after the first floor, it was a good, if not depressing afternoon. It should top the list of a DC tourist.