Holocaust remembrance

When the creation of a Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., was first announced, many commented that the idea was strange. Who would come? Why memorialize a tragedy? Is this some form of reparation for Jews?

Now, 20 years after the doors opened, these questions have been answered. Over 34 million visitors have come to witness the story told by this unique institution. Ninety percent of the visitors have been non-Jews; over 10 million were schoolchildren. The reach of the museum’s message has been global and non-sectarian, as those who dreamed up the idea hoped. Genocide prevention in all parts of the world is its goal, along with remembering this horrible example. Scholarship is augmented. Lessons learned.

Well, some. Other genocides are being inflicted on other groups. In a UPI report, editor Arnaud de Borchgrave wrote that “there are countless millions of Arabs who are convinced the Nazi Holocaust was grossly exaggerated to justify the Jewish occupation of Palestine.” There are lessons still to be learned. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is continuing to offer these lessons to all who will listen.

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