The Museum of Tolerance found in Los Angeles, Caifornia provides a interactive and historical tour that informs individuals about the Holocaust, human rights and learning about mutual understanding. Although this seems like a depressing tour, it’s actually seeks to enlighten visitors and provide a deeper meaning to why certain events happened in history.
Founded in 1993, the Museum of Tolerance has had more than four million visitors; most of them are students from middle and high school. Because the museum is interactive, visitors become witnesses to these historical events and are able to see the dynamics of racism and prejudices that can still be found in society today. These exhibits are tailored to be acceptable and engaging to children as well as adults. The Museum seeks to engage the visitors’ hearts and minds and simultaneously challenging them to a personal responsibility and making an influence for positive change.
The museum encourages individuals to explore, discover and question, while educating individuals on a more personal level. Packed with plenty of multi-media this museums employs a heavy use of film clips, dioramas and fast-paced skits. This museum also provides testimonies from actual Holocaust survivors. “The Holocaust Section” is the museum’s most criticized exhibit because visitors are divided into two groups to be a part of either the World War II or the Holocaust. Each visitor also receives a card of an actual Jewish child and at the end of the program, it is revealed whether or not the child survived the Holocaust.
The Museum of Tolerance provides an opportunity for a young generation to continue to learn about the tumultuous past. While much more informative and engaging than a textbook, The Museum of Tolerance provides individuals a unique peak into the past. Stop by the Los Angeles museum and become more enlightened on this turbulent history.