This is the flame that burns in the remembrance room of the Holocaust Museum. It is the only room where pictures are allowed. It turned out too dark to see the scripture behind it, but it's a quote from Dueteronomy that we remember these things and tell them to our children. Below is a quote around the top of the rotunda where, beneath, the names of the death camps are written with candles glowing underneath. It caught my eye and is relevent to the upcoming election.
In keeping with the theme of sacrifice in my life right now, I journeyed north with 4 bus-loads of sophomores to the Holocaust Museum. I had never been before, and honestly, I was worried about seeing it for the first time with a bunch of teens. They read Night by Elie Wiesel in English class. This capped that novel in a powerful way. I'm so thankful for a school system willing to teach that this did happen and not too long ago, since even in our day some call it a myth. We only had 2 hours to look through the 3 floors of items, so we didn't get to see much for very long. Two things really struck me on this visit. The first is the parallel between Germany in the 1920's and '30's and the United States today. The second is the rampant antisemitism that has raged since Christ's death. Germany was hurting from the consequences of WWI, but experienced some measure of prosperity during the '20's until the crash in '29. Then they, like the rest of the world, were plunged into depression. That allowed Hitler to rise to power. The people wanted change. They got it! I'm not comparing Obama to Hitler, but we just need to be so careful to not get caught up in the idea of change for change sake that we lose sight of the character of those seeking office.
I knew antisemitism has always existed, but I didn't realize the extent that it impacted every society on the planet. Martin Luther had some harsh and hateful things to say about Jews, and even until the mid-20th century, the Catholic Church had in it's papers, for lack of a better word, that the Jews killed Christ. I was stunned. Wasn't it Tevya, in Fiddler on the Roof who said that it might have been better to NOT be the chosen people? So this week I got to see a bit more what sacrifice looks like, and it's not pretty.
3 comments:
amen from me to you, too!
I can still remember the feelings I had when we went through the Holcaust Museum! What an experience. I agree with your comments on change. What kind of change do people want, vs. the kind they may get! Keep praying. God is still in control.
Excellent pictures. We were at the Holocaust museum just after it opened--Taylor was a toddler. In the crowd with us were people pointing out which building they were in in the huge picture of (I believe it was) Auschwitz. Another man showed his family the picture of the woman who hid him in her house. It was very moving.
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