30th Anniversary Guardians Commemorative Book - Book - Page 111
MAKING
IT MATTER
The horror and scale of
what human beings did
to other human beings
during the Holocaust
is still hard to fathom. What must be
learned from this history is that what
happened once could happen again
when hatred is carried to an extreme
level. The United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum helps the world
understand that when inhumanity
is taking place, it can’t be ignored or
dismissed—something needs to be
done about it.
The Museum’s exhibits, photographs,
and everyday objects turn the
Holocaust from an abstract
concept to something visceral
and real. Seeing these items is an
extraordinary experience that has a
profound effect on every visitor. It
makes you think. It makes you feel. It
raises awareness. That’s why we have
established an endowment fund at
the Museum devoted to education.
The more people know about the
Holocaust, the more barriers break
down and the more people grasp
the potential consequences of their
actions—or inaction.
The Museum teaches two
fundamental, equally important
lessons: knowing the right thing to
do and doing the right thing. To us,
it’s unimaginable that seemingly
civilized people turned on their own
friends and neighbors during the
war. When we see something on the
street that’s not right, we should take
action or speak up—even at our own
peril. What we do truly matters.
We know what we can do now;
we don’t know what others will be
able to do in the future. When the
survivors and liberators are gone,
the deniers will likely get even
louder. There needs to be a powerful
voice of reason countering the
lies and hatred. The Museum is an
institution that unequivocally says
to the world, ‘The Holocaust was
real, this is what happened, and it
should never happen again.’ That
is the core mission of the United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum
and why it must always have the
resources to educate and inspire
positive action.”
SAFEGUARDING TRUTH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS l 109
