Going to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, even for only two days, was the most powerful trip we have ever taken. As soon as we stepped off the plane and put our bags in our hotel room we went straight to the Holocaust Museum, which was a very moving and unique experience. Just being in the museum before looking at any of the exhibits gave us a very unsettling feeling. The way the museum was built was purposeful and evoked a keen sense of sadness. Uneven stairwells, exposed ducts and little view to the outside from the museum were all design elements intended to make you feel as if you were in World War II era train station.
As students at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, we thought we knew a lot about the Holocaust. But spending as little time as we did in the museum, and not even making a dent in all the information and resources there, proved us wrong. The museum has information about the Holocaust and more recent acts of genocide that we hadn’t yet learned about in our studies. We were moved in ways that we never could have imagined just by spending a few hours in a museum. The trip as a whole had a huge impact on us and we believe it is very important to remember and teach the horrors of what went on during the Holocaust beyond what we learn in school.
The way we feel toward the Holocaust and its atrocities has drastically changed since the trip. We now fully acknowledge the importance of teaching others about the atrocities of the Holocaust. Expressing our feelings toward the Holocaust and how we felt while at the museum is a very tough job. Our best advice to you is to visit the museum yourself so that you can know and feel exactly what we are trying to express.
We have only the best things to say about the Together We Remember program, and we are so thankful Mr. (Sam) Devinki gave us this incredible opportunity. From the experience, we will be able to share the important information that we learned with as many people as we can. We have already shared our experience with other students at HBHA and we will soon broaden our horizons and share our experience with as many people and organizations as we can. This article is just the beginning.
More about Together We Remember
Thirteen ninth-grade students —representing Congregations Beth Shalom, B’nai Jehudah, Beth Torah, Kol Ami and Kehilath Israel, as well as the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and an unaffiliated teen — participated in the Together We Remember Holocaust learning experience in November. This all-expenses-paid trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., is coordinated by CAJE/Jewish Federation and The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and paid for by Sam Devinki and endowments from Herb Buchbinder and Harvey Bodker.
Prior to the trip, the participants attend three educational sessions about the Holocaust, designed by Jessica Rockhold of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and Amy Ravis Furey with CAJE/Jewish Federation. One of the goals of the Together We Remember program is to increase the number of young people who are knowledgeable about the Holocaust. Upon their return from the Holocaust Museum, students spread the message of the Holocaust to peers and congregations throughout the metropolitan area.
