George Santayana once wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This is precisely why a visit to Holocaust Museum Houston is a must while you’re in Houston. Through its exhibits, Holocaust Museum Houston tells the stories of the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honors the survivors’ legacy. The museum also seeks to warn visitors of the dangers of prejudice, hatred, and apathy while reminding us that everyone has it in them to resist the worst in humankind.

Authentic film footage, photographs, and artifacts make up the permanent exhibition, “Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers,” showing life in prewar Europe, the Nazi move toward the “Final Solution,” and life after the Holocaust. The impactful exhibits take lessons far beyond the classroom. The museum is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. Discover how the museum’s exhibits help recount the history of the Holocaust below.

View the World War II Holocaust Exhibits

The permanent exhibits at Holocaust Museum Houston include “Bearing Witness: A Community Remembers,” which provides context on prewar Europe, the Nazi movement’s propaganda, and the horrifying consequences of the “Final Solution.” The museum examines the resistance efforts and stories of heroism. The museum also commemorates the more than 340 Jewish communities that were decimated during the war with the Destroyed Communities interactive database. In addition to the permanent displays, Holocaust Museum Houston hosts traveling and temporary exhibitions about the Holocaust and contemporary genocides, so be sure to check its website before you visit.

Experience the Survivors’ Personal Stories with “Voices” and “Voices II”

The permanent exhibition ends with the moving short films “Voices” and “Voices II.” These films are the personal testimonies of Houston-area Holocaust survivors. Their stories range from the Nazis’ rise to power to the horror of the concentration camps and life after liberation. The films help put real faces to the victims of the Holocaust, and teachers often remark that their students connect most with these testimonies.

Attend Special Events or Join in the Educational Outreach Programs

Book discussions, interactive conversations with experts, documentary screenings, and workshops make up the museum’s year-round events calendar. The museum also hosts many educational opportunities throughout the year for students, educators, workplace professionals, and law enforcement officers. Don’t miss a visit to the Boniuk Library and Resource Center, a trove of rare resources for further study of the Holocaust and World War II.

Holocaust Museum Houston goes above and beyond its mission of educating visitors on the Holocaust through its exhibits, architecture, events, and education. The important lessons it provides make it an essential stop during your time in Houston.

The architecture of Holocaust Museum Houston is quite impressive and adds to the experience of learning about the Holocaust. Ralph Appelbaum, a New York architect and designer of the permanent exhibition at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, designed Houston’s permanent exhibition in 1993. Appelbaum created an addition to the existing building that is a forceful collage of geometric shapes. The new wing is wedge-shaped, with a dark and looming cylinder rising out of the sloping concrete surface and a field of names commemorating the destroyed Jewish communities of Europe. It represents the chimneys of the crematoria used by the Nazis to burn the bodies of their victims. The six columns at the entrance represent the six million Jews who were killed during the Holocaust. As you walk through the permanent exhibit, the ceiling starts high and gradually descends lower and lower as you move through the space, paralleling the looming threat of death for victims, and ends in the terminus cylinder.

Attend Special Events or Join in the Educational Outreach Programs

Book discussions, interactive conversations with experts, documentary screenings, and workshops make up the museum’s year-round events calendar. The museum also hosts many educational opportunities throughout the year for students, educators, workplace professionals, and law enforcement officers. Don’t miss a visit to the Boniuk Library and Resource Center, a trove of rare resources for further study of the Holocaust and World War II.

This Houston museum goes above and beyond its mission of educating visitors on the Holocaust through its exhibits, architecture, events, and education. The important lessons it provides make it an essential stop during your time in Houston.