Friday wasn't that interesting. We went to the library of Congress and did an orientation on their research system, as it is an extremely helpful system used by senators, congresspeople, staffers, etc. We had our last lunch, as it was the last day of 'orientation' for us.
Saturday was more interesting. I went with one of my roommates, Arielle, to the Holocaust Museum. Neither of us had been before, and we wanted to do something low-key and relatively free, so we went. First thing off, the Holocaust Museum is not a walk in the park. It is some deep and depressing stuff. They had the main exhibit and a special exhibit, called State of Deception: the Power of Nazi Propaganda. It basically outlines how Hitler and the Nazi party managed to sway millions to their cause and their beliefs. Power indeed. And it was interesting that there was relatively few counter-propoganda efforts, although I'm sure that if there were any, it would be underground, as Hitler controlled the media and the $$.
The permanent exhibit presents a narrative history using more than 900 artifacts, 70 video monitors, and four theaters that include historic film footage and eyewitness testimonies. The exhibition is divided into three parts: “Nazi Assault,” “Final Solution,” and “Last Chapter.” Most people take 2 and half-3 hours the first time they see the exhibit. The exhibit was quite large; they had an actual train car used by the Nazi's to deport Jews and other people to concentration camps, actual cobblestones from the warsaw ghetto, actual bunk beds used in the concentration camps... they also made use of audio, video, and movie. Even the museum itself was designed in a pretty depressing way, with lots of brick and metal and the color black. I think they designed it that way to evoke the settings of a concentration camp, so people will be constantly reminded, wether they like it or not, about what the Jews and others suffered through.
Despite the depressing theme, I think that the Holocaust Museum is very important as it reminds people of what happened and that it should never happen again. I seriously don't understand how people can even deny the fact that the Holocaust happened. Obviously they are messed up people who deserve the mental ward. This made me think; why don't we have a slavery museum here in DC? i just read an article saying that the idea has been thought about but come on. I guess its something that they maybe don't want in DC because it portrays the founders in a extremely negative light. Oh well. Maybe the members of the Congressional Black Caucus will take it up.