Kamia Moore: Stand For What Is Right!

            I didn’t know what to expect walking up to the museum that looked like a prison; I was intrigued by the view while pulling up. In my life time during school, we’ve touch on the Holocaust time and time again, but we never went into depth; everything was general. The museum was heart wrenching; each corner I turned I simply wanted to cry.  I couldn’t simply imagine what those individuals went through on a day to day basis.

            I looked at a lot of the situations from a mother’s point of view, asking myself what I would have done in this situation. There were videos of children starving on the streets, famished with not a hope in the world; there was another video when a holocaust surviver recalled her mother telling her that there was nothing she could do to help her; she just had to suck it up and take it. That absolutely broke my heart; as a mother my only duty is to protect and take care of my children. That is who I am. They complete me, and I am sure many mothers feel this same way, so to not be able to provide for their children is a hurtful pain.  To live in the horrendous conditions, to be stripped of everything you ever owned, to be beaten, starved, attacked by dogs, and ridiculed on a daily basis and not be able to do anything about it is terrible.

            Then there was the Olympics that Hitler held… It disgusted me that he was allowed to get away with all of this foolery. It hurt me that so many people followed this man’s every word, to the point that they were willing to live and die for him, in the name of evil and fear. How could the world fall in line with such outlandish foolishness? How could people be so naïve to look over their wrong doings? This could happen again; this hatred people have for one another could build into the same type of situation with different types of people. It is scary how much influence one person can have on the entire world.

A quote on the wall caught my eye at the end of the museum. The quote read, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” That quote spoke volumes to me. It’s simply the truth: not standing up for what is right even when it doesn’t involve you is simply not right; turning a blind eye to mass murders and executions is unreal to me. This is what happened in slavery, with African Americans, and also the trail of tears with the Indians. Hitler wasn’t the only bad guy in our world’s history, and I am sure there are many more people out there just like him. It is up to us to make sure we stand for what is right.

            There were so many amazing things in the museum! I honestly wished we had more time to explore. I could feel the pain of the mothers. I could feel the fear, when the Nazi soldiers walked through the streets in masses carrying guns and torches chanting and singing songs about hating and killing Jews. How could they fight back? How could they, when everything they did was risking their life? I enjoyed the museum and Martha’s personal insight of what she went through. It gave me a whole new outlook on the Holocaust.