Students ponder Holocaust on fall break trip to Washington

Photo courtesy of USHMM Photo Archives

A number of the students who visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum during fall break were especially moved by an exhibit that consists of thousands of shoes. The shoes were confiscated from prisoners at Majdanek Concentration Camp in Poland.

by Jessica Howard

Fifteen Vanderbilt students traveled to the nation's capital Oct. 20-22 to explore the horror and humanity associated with the Holocaust. The group visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, an institution dedicated to telling the tales of some 12 million who lost their lives from 1932 to 1945.

Although they weren't being graded, these students learned valuable lessons about the rise and fall of Nazi tyranny. They spent Vanderbilt's first fall break in Washington, D.C., on a two-day trip organized by the University Chaplain's Office in conjunction with the University's 24th Annual Holocaust Lecture Series.

"It is our hope that this trip would provide a catalyst for greater interest in the lecture series among undergraduates," said Shaiya Baer, director of Vanderbilt Hillel. He accompanied the students along with University Chaplain Gary White.

The students divided into groups of five for a special guided tour of the museum Oct. 21. After the three-hour tour, the students participated in a lengthy lunch discussion with two of the museum's directors.

"It's important to provide educational opportunities outside the classroom, to open up the students' horizons and their understanding of important issues," said Baer. "We want students to become very aware of interfaith and intercultural issues."

The museum's permanent exhibition, The Holocaust, depicts the Holocaust with more than 900 artifacts, 70 video monitors and four theaters. The students walked through the rise of Nazi power, the motivation of anti-Semitism, the ghettos and concentration camps, the resistance by Oscar Schindler and others to the aftermath of the Holocaust, and the founding of Israel.

The students were from diverse backgrounds and had varying knowledge of the Holocaust. Some had studied in history classes, some had attended events associated with the Holocaust Lecture Series at Vanderbilt in previous years, and others had only a vague understanding of the events that took place in Germany nearly 40 years before they were born.

"However much you think you know, there's always so much more that you can find out," said freshman Brian Love.

Several students recognized the enormity of the Holocaust after viewing an exhibit that featured thousands of the victims' shoes. Junior Allison Brown noticed that the shoes exhibit contained many strappy evening sandals and high heels.

"It was clear these people had no clue where they were going, or they would have been wearing more practical shoes," she said. "It was so heartbreaking; that was when it became a reality."

She added, "It's important to look back and see what humanity was capable of doing and how we can prevent it. You also saw the strength of how individuals persevered through such inhumane treatment."

Though less obvious than the exhibits themselves, much of the museum's architecture alluded to the gruesomeness of the concentration camps through use of exposed beams, boarded windows, steel gates and brick walls. Students described an unsettling feeling as they walked throughout the museum; an uncomfortable emotion they said was necessary to understand fully the depth of the Holocaust.

"Everything made you feel unbalanced, even the elevator was ominous," said Brown who described the elevators as dimly lit. "You couldn't feel at ease."

She added, "[The museum] was moving and graphic. It's something that people need to see."

Near the end of the exhibition is the Hall of Remembrance, a national memorial to the victims and home to an eternal flame. Limestone walls are filled with candles that visitors can light to symbolize new life and remember the dead.

After touring the museum and participating in the discussion, the students explored the city. The museum is adjacent to the National Mall, and many of the city's most popular landmarks were close by.

"D.C. is a fantastic city," said Love. He and a few others visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Union Station and even caught a performance by the Westminster Boy's Choir at the National Cathedral.

The students said that security was tight throughout the city and many buildings near Capitol Hill were closed off. A few of the students took the subway to the Pentagon to get a glimpse of the damage done Sept. 11.

The trip was made affordable with the help of the Division of Student Life and the Division of Institutional Planning and Advancement. A $50 fee covered each student's plane ticket, hotel room, museum ticket and meals.

"The students were really involved, really engaged with their fellow students," Baer said. "They were very bright and enthusiastic and curious about the trip."