Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

“Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMH) is the oldest Holocaust museum in the United States.  In 1961 at Hollywood High School, a group of Survivors taking English as a Second Language classes found one another and shared their experiences.  They discovered that each of them had a photograph, concentration camp uniform, or other precious primary source object from the Holocaust era.  They decided that these artifacts needed a permanent home where they could be displayed safely and in perpetuity.  They also wanted a place to memorialize their dead and help to educate the world so that no one would ever forget.  Some of these founding Survivors remain active on the LAMH Board of Directors today.” ~ Museum of the Holocaust, Los Angeles

Michele was our guide at the museum. She was so very interesting, and you could hear the compassion in her voice at the wrongs that had been done.  She has a personal interest in the holocaust because her mother was was a preteen during this time! She was part of the Kindertransport and sent to live with friends who were from Switzerland. She never saw her parents again. 

Michele pointing to a picture of her mother in the museum!

The museum went in a chronological order of how things happened. 

One display is the boxcar replica we were asked to go sit in. During WWII, Jewish families thought they were being moved to safe places when in reality they were being taken to death camps. There were pictures of them loading the boxcars smiling. Cramped tight in the cars, they soon realized that freedom was not to be theirs.

There were many touching displays at the museum.

There was a display that all of the teachers loved! Interactive and very interesting! It was like a SmartTable. There were thousands of pictures floating around, you touched and dragged one to the edge of the screen and information came up in regards to the picture. Very fun! Of course, now they all want one!

One of the most touching scenes was the Children's Memorial. This is a special place outside and when you enter you notice the holes in the wall. Some of the holes are small, some medium, and some kind of large. Small pieces of paper sticking out of some of the holes immediately catch your eye. In the middle of this area is a small box with some slips of paper and pencils in it. There were 1 1/2 million children killed during WWII, and the holes in the walls represent them. The slips of paper in the box have names of children and you are to pick one out, write a message on the back, and place it in one of the holes in memory of them.