Museum of Tolerance

I went to the Museum of Tolerance on Tuesday, July 10. I left my house around 10am, but it took me almost two hours to finally arrive at the museum due to heavy traffic on the freeway. I thought it was just a normal museum with pictures and artifacts to look at; however, it was a completely unexpected experience. The first thing I noticed when I entered was the unusually high security. All vehicles were checked by security, and every visitor has to pass through metal detector and X-rays. I see many women’s hand bags were checked with care for any dangerous objects; I do not carry any bag so I passed through security fairly quickly. I did not fully understand the necessity for such high security until I understood the content of this museum. The museum contains many controversial contents that may not acceptable by many people. High security is needed to protect the museum and its visitors from all form of attack. My first impression was not a welcoming one; the tight security does not set off a pleasant atmosphere for its visitors. Instead entering the museum like I would enter a normal gallery, I sense a serious mood at the front door.

I visited the tolerance room, where many records of historic racism where shown. Many websites with hatred content were shown on various computer screens. Disturbing videos on the topic of genocides, such as events in Cambodia, North Korea, and Rwanda, where also shown, which immediately brought down my mood.

The topic of genocide continues through the Holocaust room, where many racist political statements from history were shown. There were many posters and propagandas that are extremely racist. I find the replicated scene from concentration camps to be the most interesting. Having read many articles on the topic of holocaust, I have a vague idea of what the prisoners have been through; but the experience was far more intense than what I have imagined. The ground was made of dirt and rubble; the walls were dirty and dark. The replicated gas chamber was the most disturbing experience, the room was dark, and I can sense the fear coming from the walls. Many pictures from the concentration camp I’ve seen before, but they still have a large emotional impact.

Many sections of the museum were unavailable to the public due to construction. The visit was definitely worth it, I would probably never enter the museum in my life. On the drive back home, many thoughts came up about life and tolerance, and the many things that are good and bad in life. I will probably not visit the museum again, but I am glad that I went.