Trip to tolerance museum leaves a lasting impression

The Sun Always Shines by CHHUN SUN

Standing in front of the Museum of Tolerance on a slightly windy Sunday morning in Los Angeles, a group of Fresno State students waited patiently to be escorted inside the building. Some didn’t know what to expect, while others saw the trip as an in-person visit into the History Channel. But all seemed eager to see what lies inside the building.

The group of about 40 students who went on the trip consisted of two groups: One group represented the campus teacher recruitment program, the other was made up of students who came along for a trip — put on by USU Productions — to the world-famous Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance, “a high-tech, hands-on experiential museum that focuses on two central themes through unique interactive exhibits: the dynamics of racism and prejudice in America and the history of the Holocaust — the ultimate example of man's inhumanity to man,” as the museum is describe on its Web site. At the end of the experience, the goal is to show that “all men are created equal” and to not let history repeat itself.

After a quick security search, the consequence of hate and prejudice is for the viewing — in artifacts, videos, exhibits, photos, writing and documents.

The first experience the students take is a stroll through the Holocaust exhibit, where visitors are led back to the horrific events of World War II.

One word to describe the exhibit is effective.

Small statues of a historian, a researcher and a designer (with their voices coming from different directions) tell the story about how the genocide of the Jews started. The story is told through words, re-enacted voices of the people who experienced the Holocaust, a recreation of a 1930s Berlin street café and a re-enactment of the infamous Wannsee Conference, where Nazi leaders met to decide the destruction of Europe’s Jewish population.

But the most haunting part of the exhibit, which lasted for about an hour, was when students viewed a model of the Auschwitz concentration camp, where thousands of people were killed. The model showcased empty buildings and gallows. The model of the concentration camp had a harrowing effect.

Everything inside you feels empty and all that is noticeable is the silence, giving you an opportunity to reflect.

Then the exhibit focused on the liberation of the camps. A portion of the museum captured the happiness and reflection the survivors felt with photos and artifacts. The photos had the most impact, in which the lucky few were united with their loved ones.

Simon Wiesenthal is a Holocaust survivor and much of his life was spent being a Nazi hunter, tracking down those who participated in the killing of six million Jews.

In 1977, the Simon Wiesenthal Center was founded.

In 1993, the Museum of Tolerance opened and since has hosted 3.5 million visitors from around the world. Today, it attracts about 1,000 people daily.

So that explains why the much of the museum is dedicated to the history of the Holocaust. But other aspects that have affected the world were also highlighted, such as the Civil Rights era, the inhumanity that took place in Yugoslavia and Rwanda and the treatment of women through history.

The Fresno State group spent four hours at the museum, and it still wasn’t enough time to see everything the museum had to offer.

The students, some emotionally drained, then got on the bus and headed back to Fresno State.

Sophomore Mariela Gomez was exhausted by the time she got back on the bus, but she said she gained much from the visit. She enjoyed the Holocaust exhibit, but noted the treatment of women affected her most.

“The women’s ears were cut off, their faces were cut and other manipulations to their body parts,” Gomez said. “Seeing that, we’re lucky to show our faces.”