March 2024
Transcript
Sara Bloomfield: It's spring, and every week thousands of students from schools across the nation are visiting the Museum. This is important at all times, but especially these times with shocking antisemitism and Holocaust denial, along with a concerted effort to target young people with these toxic messages. They must know that long-standing, unchecked antisemitism promoted through powerful propaganda made the Holocaust possible. And they must know that there were choices. People had opportunities to help—too few did. Knowing that survivors are our best teachers, we recently unleashed the unique power of their voices to explain the dangers of antisemitism. Young people in the Museum now encounter videos like this.
Beatrice Muchman: I began to understand what it meant to be Jewish and to have to hide it.
Peter Feigl: My teacher was speaking in class to us about this book and telling us that this illustrates how evil and bad Jews are.
Susan Warsinger: I wasn't allowed to walk through parks. I wasn't allowed to go to public school.
Sara Bloomfield: But we also know most young people will never visit the Museum. So these videos were launched online in a new social media campaign. In the first 60 days, they were viewed over 45 million times—45 million. Equally important, according to platform metrics, over 20 million of these were teenagers. Imagine this moment without a US Holocaust Memorial Museum. We are doubling down on our efforts to expand our reach and impact now and for the long term. Every day we are waging this battle. Thank you for being with us on the front lines.
November 2023
Transcript
[Sara Bloomfield] On the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, standing here in our Hall of Remembrance, as antisemitism is erupting on campuses, online, and streets worldwide, it's hard to find hope. At times like this, I turn to our survivors. The many survivors who volunteer at the Museum gave voice to this moment. After the Hamas terror attack, they gathered outside this sacred space to read an open letter to humanity. Like all of us, they grieve deeply for the largest killing of Jewish men, women, and children since the Holocaust and pray for the safe return of the hostages.
[Theodora “Dora” Klayman] "All our lives we mourn for our loved ones lost with the genocidal actions of the Nazis and their collaborators. But we hoped the lessons of the past could shape a different future. Today, we mourn for Israel that holds such special meaning to us"
[Sara Bloomfield] And they did something more that only they can do: they challenged us to never forget and never give up. They were adamant. Holocaust education has never been more important. Promoting the truth of the Holocaust, never more important. Reaching young people from diverse backgrounds, never more important.
I recently returned from Rome, where a Museum delegation delivered the survivor's letter to Pope Francis. Our delegation also thanked him for opening the archives of Pius XII, the wartime pope. In another historic first, the Church participated in a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University that was co-sponsored by the Museum to discuss initial findings. Pope Francis has said the Church is not afraid of the truth. Teaching young people the history of long-standing antisemitism that began with the church and helped make the Holocaust possible is essential.
As we see all around us, too many people lack an understanding of history and are susceptible to simplistic narratives. That made me think of the millions we're reaching annually online and at the Museum. I also thought of the teachers in low-income, Title 1 schools across the country who tell us they want more from us—more training and more resources with more items from our collection. They tell us students love diaries. Why? They make the Holocaust personal and real. Teachers are increasingly concerned that some students are not sure the Holocaust was real. These students must learn not only the truth of the Holocaust, they must learn the dangers of unchecked antisemitism, the power of propaganda, and the consequences of indifference.
The unthinkable is always possible, which is why our educational outreach is so vital. It's easy to say our work has never been more important. Now, more than ever, we must make it so. Thank you for being our partners.
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