Holocaust Cattle Car Exhibit Visits National Mall, Department of Agriculture, Department of Veteran Affairs
Coinciding with the week of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Hate Ends Now mobile exhibit welcomed elected officials and visitors from around the world
Edited by: TJVNews.com
A Holocaust cattle car was on the National Mall in Washington, DC, at the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Veteran Affairs May 6-9, welcoming visitors for a powerful, immersive learning experience about the Holocaust and the dangers of antisemitism, intolerance, and racism. Elected and appointed officials were among the thousands of visitors.
Organized by the nonprofit Hate Ends Now, the traveling exhibit includes a 20 minute, 360-degree immersive presentation and a rare collection of original Holocaust artifacts. It is an exact replica of a WWII era cattle car used to transport Jews and other targeted groups to concentration and death camps. The opening of the exhibit on the Mall included an event with public officials and coincided with Holocaust Remembrance Day on May 6, which also marked the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,
“Placing the Hate Ends Now cattle car in the capital of the free world during a time of alarming increase in anti-Semitism globally sends a powerful message, reminding us of what happens when hate is allowed to go unchecked,” said Todd Cohn, CEO of Hate Ends Now. “People of all ages have a visceral reaction when they step foot in the Cattle Car and when it seemingly comes to life with the voices, pictures, and stories of this dark era.”
Trained docents greeted visitors outside of the cattle car, familiarizing them with the exhibit and providing critical context and framing the presentation. Accompanying the exhibit were 25 original artifacts from the Holocaust, which are rarely permitted outside of museum walls, and visitors got to see and hear firsthand accounts of survivors. The exhibit goes beyond a lesson in history and calls attention to the dangers of intolerance, anti-Semitism, and hate today.
The exhibit also coincides with the one year anniversary of the announcement and unveiling of the White House’s first-ever national strategy to counter anti-Semitism. President Biden called the strategy “a historic step forward” and the “most ambitious and comprehensive U.S. government-led effort to fight anti-Semitism in American history.”
“Amid sharp increases in anti-Semitism across the country, the need to bring the cattle car to more people is greater than ever before,” added Cohn. “Particularly for people who do not connect as much with a textbook or museum, or don’t otherwise have access to educational opportunities like this, the exhibit is especially important. It is the perfect learning experience.”
The National Mall cattle car exhibit was sponsored by the Biden-Harris administration through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Federal Inter-Agency Holocaust Remembrance Committee. Other sponsors include the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Jewish Federations of North America, ADL, American Jewish Committee, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, Edlavitch JCC, and 3GDC.
The Holocaust Cattle Car has had 60 public showings and been to 15 universities and 65 high schools, including the Texas State Capital, Florida State Capital, Harvard University, Times Square, and has been hosted by or sponsored by the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs.
Visitors can sign up to tour the National Mall exhibit here. For more information on how to bring this powerful exhibit to your community or campus contact Todd Cohn at 913-515-8154 or [email protected].
