Demetriou: A unique look back at one of the darkest times in world history

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Earlier this month, I was privileged to experience a private tour of the Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center.

I was guided through the exhibition by volunteer docent Phyllis Abrams, whom I met outside the entrance on a cold crisp winter day and started our journey in the Children’s Garden. A reclaimed architectural planting complete with seating and a stone portico. One immediately perceives the calm restful environment as a place of peace. My guide described it as a place of joy and a clear juxtaposition of the sights and stories we would soon see inside the museum.

The museum resides in a former Pratt mansion at the northern reaches of Glen Cove. The reception lobby and the stillness are enhanced by the simple dark wood and high ceilings.

The museum proper is a journey into the most tragic chapter in the heritage of the Jewish people. Rightly, the first display is a collection of photos of Jewish families, children and others in everyday settings—picnics, dining at restaurants, and celebrations. One aches for what is to come.

Tracking the antisemitic plague beginning in the first century AD, maps and diagrams show the Jewish diaspora throughout Europe and the nascent discrimination and prejudice aimed at their communities.  The timeline progresses to the political cartoons depicting the stereotypic “big-nose” Jews, the boycotting of Jewish-owned businesses, and the burning of books–reminiscent of some of today’s violence worldwide.

Then, of course, come the depictions of the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, which is historically a lesson in political manipulation and dehumanization of the Jews.  Many artifacts are displayed, putting reality to the abject degradation: official documents adorned with a red “J” to denote a Jew, and an actual yellow star of David patch that was a forced identification method to be worn on outer garments. Photos show people being stopped in the streets, humiliated and being rounded up and loaded into cattle cars for shipment to concentration camps. Yet the worst is to come.

Once the Nazis decided that the annihilation of all Jews was their goal, systematic killing began. At first, they locked their prisoners into vans and killed by using carbon monoxide poisoning. Sadly, this torment did not annihilate the Jews as quickly or efficiently as Hitler would have liked. So, Nazis established mobile death squads, civilians and local police paid to kill Jews. They often had them dig their own mass graves before executing them.

The history of the labor camps and concentration camps is as devastating as it is interesting, as I am sure it is not generally known that there were far more slave labor camps than death camps with gas chambers. The labor camps extracted every ounce of ability and strength from the inmates, and then shipped the prisoners to their demise.

There is a display devoted to Kristallnacht, “the night of broken glass”–a turning point in the Holocaust—when  synagogues, Jewish businesses and homes were attacked, destroyed and burned.  A truly disturbing exhibit chronicles the 1938 Evian Conference that gathered 38 countries, asking which would be willing to open their shores to the Jews who were in peril. Only one country, the Dominican Republic, welcomed them—but not enough to make a difference.

The remainder of the displays, artifacts and exhibits reflect the resiliency of the Jewish people. Several photographs are presented in praise of brave individuals, upstanders who exercised heroic efforts to protect, hide and facilitate escapes.

The lessons are profound, the emotions deeply felt.  Leaving the museum one is filled with two things—Never Again…and…be forceful in snuffing out antisemitism in all its forms.

A visit to the Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center is an act of courage for the weak of heart and yet a must for all of humanity.

The museum offers a unique look at a very dark time in history with the objective of educating all people.

Greg Demetriou is the owner/CEO of Lorraine Gregory Communications in Edgewood.