February 19, 1999

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which opened in Washington, D.C., in 1993, portrays in painstaking detail the experiences of Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. Their stories are told through photographs, films, artifacts, and eyewitness accounts.

The main permanent exhibit begins on the fourth floor with the "Nazi Assault" (1933-1939), which depicts how propaganda and terror spread the Nazi ideologies of racism, anti-Semitism, and extreme nationalism. On the third floor, the "Final Solution" (1940 to 1945) describes the ghettos, deportations, slave labor, and concentration camps that led to the decimation of the Jewish population in Europe. The exhibit ends with the "Last Chapter" on the second floor, which documents rescue, resistance, liberation, and survivors' efforts to rebuild their lives.

A special exhibit testifies to the heroic effort of a Jewish community to document secretly its oppression under the tightening grip of the Nazis. "The Hidden History of the Kovno Ghetto" in Lithuania consists of archives, diaries, drawings, and photographs that were once buried in wooden crates, metal containers, and ceramic jugs. After the war, these items were dug up and preserved for posterity. Film and testimonies of men and women who survived the ghetto and deportations add to this unique exhibit.

The museum's Hall of Remembrance is a place to contemplate the Holocaust and remember its victims. The Wall of Remembrance, also called the Children's Tile Wall, is dedicated to the approximately 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust. The wall consists of 3,000 tiles painted by American school children.

Visitors can pursue special Holocaust interests at the Wexner Learning Center, which has touch-screen computer stations with photographs, maps, films, and music.

The museum is near some of the Smithsonian museums off the National Mall and open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free timed passes are required for the permanent exhibits and can be picked up the same day at the museum's entrance on 14th Street, N.W., beginning at 10 a.m., although the line forms much earlier. Tickets are usually gone by 10:30 a.m.

The special exhibits do not require passes. Tickets can also be purchased in advance for a small fee by calling (800) 400-9373 or visiting the PROTIX Web site at tickets.protix.com/.

The museum's Web site at www.ushmm.org is an excellent resource on the Holocaust and features online presentations.