HOLOCAUST MUSEUM AND LEARNING CENTER
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
My husband has a doctor in St. Louis, Dr. Simon Yu. Recently he had a lengthy visit with a procedure. After our lunch break I had two hours to spend in St. Louis. I decided to Google things to do near me and Google came through with several suggestions. I found the Holocaust Museum was in walking distance of Dr. Yu’s office. My youngest daughter and I went to the Museum. She was a bit reluctant. I feel like it is important for us to study the Holocaust and other times in history even though it is uncomfortable and unpleasant at times.
Fear
As we neared the entrance to the building I noticed a sign near the door about new security features. Isn’t it sad that we still have to fear those who will enter our doors to mistreat or kill us? They let us enter and were very gracious and appreciative of our coming to the museum.
How the Museum Came to Be
Our first stop told how the museum came to be. The museum was in memory of Gloria M. Goldstein who’s husband had made great contributions to establish the museum.. In 1977 a Center for Holocaust studies was established as a living memorial to the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Many Jews had settled in this area during and after the war.
According to the brochure, “Provocative speakers drew Holocaust survivors who had settled in the St. Louis area. They were invited to share their oral history and experiences with schools, churches, and other organizations. They became the teachers and as they shared their stories people listened, asked questions and learned the horrific lessons of the Holocaust. The Oral History project enabled the center to interview and preserve the testimonies of the survivors, liberators of Nazi concentration camps, non-Jews and all those who were impacted by World War II.”
We chose to do the self guided tour although there are guided tours available. We found out that all of the artifacts had a direct connection to people in St. Louis. As we walked through the exhibit we stopped to watch footage, read exhibits, and look at artifacts and photos from World War II and the concentration camps. No one was laughing and talking as they visited this museum.
Estimated 11 Million Lost Lives
Over 6 million Jews lost their lives as they were targeted by Hitler’s genocide. We learned that many non-Jews, maybe as many as 5 million also lost their lives. We learned about the different Star designations that betrayed obvious prejudice and hatred. The horror of women being ripped from their families, having their heads shaved and all their possessions taken, even family photos. They were allowed to keep their shoes. There were so many little details that my study of WWII in the past had omitted.
The Power of One Person
One part of the display stands out to me and that is the power of one person. Individuals who chose to risk their lives to care, defend and save the lives of others while risking their own lives. Stories of those who had hidden children and families to rescue them and help them escape death. One lady is thought to have rescued thousands of children. I am fascinated with these stories and I hope that I would have been willing to risk my life if I had lived during this time period!
Make A Difference in Your World
Regardless of what your government or anyone else does you can still do right. You can still make a huge difference in the world. Impacting one life is a beautiful thing. Don’t let this kind of horror happen again. Go out and make your world a better place. Be the change you want to see in the world!
God Bless You!
Reda
Visit:
Holocaust Museum and Learning Center
12 Millstone Campus Dr, St. Louis, MO 63146
According to the website the museum is open Monday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Docent-led tours by appointment. The museum is a department of Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Fran Poger is Chairperson.