By Savanna Tess, TWR Youth Action Fellow ‘20
A VIRTUAL TOUR OF A MUSEUM, NESTLED INSIDE CINCINNATI'S UNION TERMINAL, SHOWS HOW STORIES OF THE PAST ARE WOVEN INTO PRESENT SPACES.
On a Saturday day in January, the Youth Action Fellows banded together for another visit to a museum. The destination of this virtual field trip was the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center located in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Going further than just guiding us through the museum, Program Coordinator Sarah Schneider went as far as to explain the unique history of the HHC, which included not only the contents of the museum but also the physical building itself.
The site of the museum, Cincinnati’s Union Terminal, is famous for being one of the last great American train stations ever built. From its opening in 1933, Union Terminal has seen its fair share of history. The art deco style of the interior harkens visitors back to earlier decades when World War II soldiers and survivors traveled trains into America–both in return or for the first time. The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center has shared the terminal with an OMNIMAX® Theater and the Cincinnati History Library and Archives since its relocation in 2019.
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center was formed by a group of Holocaust survivors and their families in 2000. The HHC became a second home to hundreds of Holocaust survivors, many from Eastern Europe, as they began new lives in America. The museum formed the Jewish New American Society to help integrate survivors into local Jewish communities, which is just one effort by the HHC to engender a sense of community and connection. Its physical proximity to other aspects of life today only cements its well-earned place in everyday civic life and conversation.
Making efforts to inspire action today, the HHC offers a variety of workshops on their website, including workshops and programs to increase educator knowledge of the Holocaust for the betterment of future generations. Hosting virtual film screenings, survivor talks, and discussions on antisemitism today, the Center makes a concerted effort to bring the lessons of the Holocaust into the modern age to ensure, as Together We Remember often puts it, that people learn the worst of humanity to forge the best of it.
Reminding visitors of the Terminal’s first-hand encounter with the history of the Holocaust, the HHC presents motifs of arrival and movement throughout the museum. Upon entrance, visitors are surrounded by artwork depicting windswept documents, pertaining to the identities and personal information of Holocaust survivors that traveled through the Terminal. Unique and thought-provoking art pieces show silhouettes of the real people that lived through history. The details of the Holocaust and survivor testimonies are encapsulated in the thought-out design of the HHC, which includes creative storytelling and interactive experiences. In the Humanity Gallery, visitors can meet individuals who shed apathy to become upstanders in their communities and across the world through a wall of screens that continuously loop their stories.
Within the grandeur of the Union Terminal lies an authentic and inspiring take on Holocaust museums, one which combines human spirit with innovation to bring real-life into such a dark period of humanity’s history. Following our virtual visit, the Youth Action Fellows were touched by the work accomplished by the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center and strongly recommend visiting–whether that be virtual or in-person following current guidelines.
Savanna Tess is 18 years old and currently lives in Dallas, Texas. She is impassioned by atrocities current and past to pay attention to the world around her. Savanna aims to write from her perspective on important topics.
Banner Image Source: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/visit/nggallery/image/hhc-jmwolf-3253/