On Monday, July 26, 2010 from 1:00pm-5:00pm I explored the Simon Wiesenthal Center better known as the Museum of Tolerance at 9786 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90035-4720 in between Roxbury Drive and S. Castello Avenue.
I had never been to the museum before and genuinely wanted to go.
I was expecting it to be a place that was inappropriate for children, because all I really knew was that there was a holocaust exhibit, and I was surprised to see so many young children walking throughout the museum.
Large pictures of historical figures such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Anne Frank appear throughout the museum.
This was a fun exhibit where celebrities such as Billy Crystal, Maya Angelou, Carlos Santana, etc. told stories of their own family histories, and explained the importance of learning your own family history.
This was a 1950's diner exhibit filled with students. I really wanted to go but wasn't able to join them, as a female employee ushered me into the Millenium Machine instead.
This exhibit is called "The Millenium Machine" and it's a video, which every now and then stops to ask you a question. You answer the question by pushing a button in front of you, and it tallies the number of votes in the room. Mainly it discusses terrorism, and makes you a little afraid that you're going to end up living in an empty city such as in the movie, "I am Legend", or that we'll all have city curfews if terrorism gets too out of hand.
These white figures help to more simply explain the historical events which led up to the holocaust.
Additional white figures are used to depict various people eating in a cafe in Berlin, Germany in the 1930's before the war, expressing their fears about the Nazis and political concerns or viewpoints. They are based after actual individuals, a doctor, a waiter, an American visiting a friend, etc. I thought this was a clever way to relate this time period to children.
This is the "Hall of Testimony", where museum goers hear stories of holocaust victims. This one made me a little uncomfortable, I couldn't tell whether the man next to me was crying or not.
This is a replica of a typical gate which holocaust victims would walk through when entering a concentration camp. Museum visitors walk through this gate about half way through the exhibit.
At the beginning of the holocaust exhibit, you are given a card with a picture of a child on it. At the end of the exhibit, there are computers where you can insert the card and print out your child's picture and story.
My child Cary died of starvation and disease at the age of eight while separated from her family and working in a concentration camp.
Because I knew little about "MOT" before my visit, I was expecting a more typical display with artifacts, and was pleasantly surprised that it was a more psychological, emotional journey. Sure, there were some artifacts on display, but not a whole lot! The fact that Billy Crystal has his own ancestry display should tell you the emphasis is on the best way to learn as opposed to data memorization. I think it was a great tool for children to make history more meaningful and relatable. I certainly questioned what my life would have been like had I grown up during this time period, and I think most children would do the same.
For further information here is the website for the "MOT".
www.museumoftolerance.com
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