March 2000:
Reflection
The trip to the Holocaust Museum I thought was the most interesting and educational trip. Going into the museum I thought I knew all I needed to know about the holocaust when it took place in Germany. When actually going though and reading about and watching short films, I knew that there was so much more to know and I could not possibly learn everything about it in one day.
It was very hard to see what the Jewish people went through. I could never imagine anything like that ever happening, whether it is in the past, present or future. What surprised me the most was how much the Nazi’s hated the Jews. I knew they hated them, but going through the museum I learned that they hated anything the Jews had contact with whether it be a bought good or a book that was written by a Jew.
It pained me very much to see how they demolished families and scarred survivors for the rest of their lives. They didn’t care at all, they only thought about their well being. It pained me the most going through museum and seeing how they hurt little helpless children so much. They not only tortured them, but also made them watch their own families be tortured.
I learned a lot about the different methods of torture they used on the Jews. I was just sitting there and watching a film, the Nazi’s were putting a man in ice cold water until he was dead. I was just in awe. I was thinking “How can anyone live with themselves knowing they did this someone?” Just watching the people’s faces pained me so much. I kept thinking to myself, “These people had to be so strong, physically, and mentally.”
I also learned a lot about the Ghettos and the concentration camps the Nazi’s used for the killings and torture of Jews. The killings they did to people in Auschwitz were amazing. I remember reading about the ovens they would put people in and how they would often break because they were used constantly. I also learned that they would take anything away from the Jews. The display of the shoes is perfect example. I just sat there and stared at the shoes thinking how one time someone walked in those shoes. Another good example is the picture of a room filled with hair. It explained how the Nazi’s would shave the Jews’ heads and save their hair. It said that there would be ton of hair used for various things like mattresses.
I am glad that I got to experience the museum and learn about the Holocaust. But at the same time I wish I wouldn’t know so much about it because it hurts to realize that it happened and could very well happen again. It also makes me sick to know how people view other people and not as equals. I thought the museum was very good and an education thrill. I am glad I could go through and be able to at least read what people went through. I know that for the people who survived it, it will never ever be forgotten. If I were a survivor, I would want people to know how hard it was to live that too. Which is why I think the museum is a great educational place but also a wake up call to some people.
J.P.