by Maddie Levans
On March 20, German IV students had the opportunity to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Junior Katie Hill described the experience as eye-opening. She explained the specific structure of the museum, including what each of the four floors displayed.
“You enter at the first floor, then go downwards through the museum” Hill said, going on to explain the first floor’s exhibit, which detailed Hitler’s rise to power, along with information about the Nazi party itself.
The second floor was about the execution of the Nazi’s “final solution,” which constituted life inside of a concentration camp, starting with how the victims of the Holocaust were brought to the camps. Relics from actual concentration camps, such as bunks and train cars, were on display. Videos of Josef Mengele’s crude scientific experiences were also played throughout the floor. “It was very upsetting” Hill said when talking about the graphic nature of the videos.
The third floor displayed the different groups of people who were executed in the Holocaust, as well as those who fought in opposition of Hitler’s regime. Groups such as the Weiße Rose, a student led coalition from the University of Munich, fought against the Nazis during their rule, but were later killed for their opposition of the Nazi rule.
On the bottom floor was a memorial for those lost, where candles could be lit in memory of those who had lost their lives during the Holocaust.
When summarizing the trip, Hill said, “It was very scary. We hear about all of this stuff, we learn about all of this stuff and you don’t think it can happen.” Hill went on to show her concerns about the similarities between the current state of the world and what she saw at the museum. “On the first floor, With Hitler’s rise to power, the parallels between his rise and the current situation of our nation are eerily similar. It made me realize how capable human beings are at inflicting pain onto one another.”