Holocaust Museum Houston, Houston

A somber subject is commendably handled at the Holocaust Museum Houston (HMH), whose mission is to educate people about the dangers of prejudice and hatred in society. Opened in 1996, it has certainly made an impact on everyone who walked through its doors, by way of numerous artifacts, photos, films, informative panels, and a research library.

Visitors learn about the historical and personal stories associated with the Holocaust in the museum's permanent exhibit called "Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers", which focuses on the moving stories of survivors living in the Houston area. Displays chronicle the Nazi rise to power, then detail the systematic extermination of Jews in all of the nations conquered by the Third Reich. Two other exhibits (located outside) include the powerful pairing of an actual WWII rail-car "used to carry millions of Jews to their death" with the Danish Rescue Boat, which "tells the heroic tale of a three-week period in 1943 when Danes risked their own lives to save more than 7,200 Jews from almost certain execution".

The end of the tour introduces visitors to a different section that addresses hate, segregation, genocide, and other atrocities that have happened and continue to happen around the world (e.g., Zambia, Serbia, Rwanda, South Africa, Ukraine...), including America's own history of mistreating certain groups of people. This area is by no means exhaustive but it is enlightening as visitors see that the Holocaust was not an isolated event. Consequently, there is hope that such an educational experience will help prevent future atrocities from occurring.

Tip:
The permanent exhibit can be very graphic and is not recommended for children under 10.