History of Virginia Holocaust Museum - Essay Example

?Your First Your for which the paper is being written History of Virginia Holocaust Museum Each year, thousands of people make their way to Virginia Holocaust Museum to learn about the intimidating history of the Ipson family and the Jews of Kovno. The major attraction of the museum is the story of Holocaust survivor, Jay M. Ipson and the museum depicts the Holocaust events as experienced by its victims. A visit to the museum will take you back in time to experience the actual Holocaust events seen through the eyes of those who had experienced it. Nevertheless, my visit to the museum was an enriching experience which had me asking for more. The museum leaves no stones unturned to make you feel that you were there when it all happened. With the help of personal audio equipment, there is a touch of reality to the whole experience. There is a lot more to see at the museum. There are various events, programs, tours, lectures, films that talk about the stories of many Holocaust survivors. The exhibition is a single true story, the story of Jay Ipson and his family and how they survived the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania and settled in Richmond after World War II . “The museum was built with children in mind”, says Ipson. “They can relate so much better to the single story……….six million is just incomprehensible to them.” The outside of the building has an intimidating appearance with brown brick with bright green boarded up windows. All in all, the visit to this museum is a very moving educational experience! The museum puts in a lot of effort to educate the people and promote tolerance towards each and everyone, irrespective of their nationality, religion, race, sex or creed. We cannot turn a blind eye to the humble motive behind the origination of this museum. Therefore, there is a need to preserve this museum for the values it stands for. Established in 1997, Virginia holocaust museum is situated on 2000 East Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia and it is founded by Mark Fetter, Al Rosenbaum, and one of Richmond’s youngest Holocaust survivors, Jay Ipson. In an effort to preserve and educate the people on the atrocities of the Holocaust of World War II, the museum strives on a two-fold mission: to educate young people about the Holocaust and at the same time combat intolerance and anti-Semitism. Keeping this mission in mind, “Teaching Tolerance Through Education” was initiated. Initially, the museum occupied the unused rooms of the Temple Beth El in Richmond, Virginia. The museum, then quickly flourished and by 2000, it had its own space. An old tobacco warehouse in historic Shockoe Bottom donated by the Virginia State Legislature became the new house of the Virginia Holocaust Museum. The dedication of this new site was done during Yom Ha'Shoah v'Ha'Gvruah in April, 2003, the day which is known as the Day of Remembrance and Heroism. During the pre-war Kovno, there were about 40,000 Jews, out of which only 3,000 survived. Thousands of children lost their lives in the Kovno Ghetto. Deportation and malnutrition contributed to the deaths of so many lives. Ipson’s sister was one of the children to face death during the war. In 1943, Ipson’s family managed to escape from their ghetto with the help of a local farmer. The poor Catholic Polish farmer had nothing to gain from them nor they had anything to offer to him, nevertheless, he helped them because he knew what the Germans were doing was wrong. This is a perfect example of expression of humanity, regardless of race, religion, caste or creed. One of the interesting exhibitions at the museum is the recreation of the chapter of their lives wherein they escape through the barbed wire of their ghetto. The museum, today boasts of 28 exhibits. “The Ipson Saga,” is an interesting tale of the Museum Director and founder, Jay M Ipson, which documents his and his family’s story from pre-war Lithuania, their escape and eventually their liberation. Right in front of the building sits a German cattle car that was used to transport the Jews to the concentration camps. The entrance of the museum is adorned with stones from the Warsaw Ghetto and original tracks from Treblinka. The various stages of the holocaust are beautifully depicted through a set of painted train tracks winding its way through the museum’s exhibits. The trail of events starts off with Kristallnacht in 1938, which follows the the ghettos, the round-ups, the concentration camps, and the Final Solution is tastefully documented at the museum. As you come near to the end of the exhibits, one feels a surge of positivity with events like liberation, the ‘illegal’ immigration movement to Palestine, and the creation of the State of Israel that marks the events in history. Replicas of the famous Chor Schul (synagogue) in Lithuania and the Survivor’s Room are also the other major exhibits. The founder of the museum, Jay Ipson, is often seen giving personalized tours to many people. He claims to have a photographic memory of all the events that happened and distinctly remembers every part of it– right from the deportations, the escape, and the hiding place to their liberation. Ipson was just six years old when he was forced into the Kovno Ghetto along with his family. People are a witness to an interactive experience at the museum. To get a feel of real life experience, the guests are made to walk through the concentration camp and the ghetto. They can also board the “St. Louis” ship and enjoy the ride in a cattle car. There is replica of the actual hiding place that was used by 13 people, one of them was Jay Ipson himself when he was a child, for nine months to hide during the World War II. People can have hands-on feeling and crawl through this underground hiding place. A new addition to the exhibit is the The Nuremberg Trials Courtroom. This exhibit became operational on May 1, 2008. This replica is of the famous courtroom that depicts the standard for modern international law. Main Claim: The Virginia Holocaust Museum is enriched with historical events and experience seen through the eyes of a child and it is an effort to create awareness among people to make them understand the story of courage and humanity that withstood all odds. References: Virginia Holocaust Museum Tolerance Through Education. Virginia Holocaust Museum, n.d. web. 15 July 2011. Oded, Phyllis. The Virginia Holocaust Museum. The Jerusalem Post, 7 Nov 2003. Web. 15 July 2011 Read More