The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Date Visited: October 13, 2006 Contact Information: 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW Washington, DC 20024 www.ushmm.org 202-488-0400 Hours: Daily 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mission Statement: "The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America's national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history, and serves as this country's memorial to the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust...The Museum's primary mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge about this unprecedented tragedy; to preserve the memory of those who suffered; and to encourage its visitors to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust as well as their own responsibilities as citizens of a democracy." My Experience: When I visited The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, I had already visited the permanent exhibit. So, I decided to go to a temporary exhibit entitled "A Dangerous Lie: Protocols of the Elders of Zion." The exhibit went over the origin of Antisemitism and then displayed evidence of its growth and continuance into current societies. It focuses on the publication Protocols of the Elders of Zion and its spread across the world through translation. Although the protocols have been proven to be fraud, many individuals still take the work as true and continue to hold antisemitic thoughts. Examples are given of individuals who make their antisemitic beliefs public even today. I liked the way the exhibit was laid out. It was clear and easy to follow. Located on the lower level, it is juxtaposed against the Children's Tile Wall, which is made up of hundreds of tiles with children's drawing on them as a memorial to all of the children who died in the Holocaust. In my opinion, this placement enhances the exhibit by giving a reminder of how dangerous an ideology like antisemitism can be. Here is a portion of the Tile Wall:

At the end of the exhibit there was a video that gave a brief history of antisemitism. The set up was simple but effective in that there were barriers up around the viewing area, which diminished any possible distractions.

The following link is to the museum's webpage on the exhibit. Check out the short video on the page of the curator speaking about the exhibit. http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/

On the main floor of the museum, there is a gift shop with many great books on genocide. It also has buttons, stickers, bracelets, and many other small items that have big messages of remembrance.

I think everyone should visit this museum at some point, especially the permanent exhibit. It is not only educational, but also moving in that it tries to offer a view of the holocaust in totality, something very important for everyone to learn about.