(Courtesy of Bruriah) This past week marked the opening of the legendary Bruriah Holocaust Museum, an annual Bruriah exhibit that is curated and designed by the Bruriah Tenth Grade. The theme of this year’s museum, “Finding Light in the Darkness,” is particularly poignant as we find ourselves in a world of rising antisemitism and hostility towards the Jewish people. This year’s museum reiterated generations of challenges and how we fight to overcome them. Hundreds of visitors came through the museum last week, including Hillside Mayor Dahlia Vertreese and Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage. Mayor Bollwage remarked about his visit to the museum: “Each year, I’m honored to be invited back to the Holocaust Museum, as every visit is a solemn and deeply moving experience. The museum offers an important educational experience that preserves the memory of those who suffered and provides valuable historical insight for all who have the opportunity to learn from it.”
The first exhibit began in a darkened hallway, setting the tone for the beginning of this dark chapter of history, which explored pre-war Europe, with Hitler’s rise to power and the Nazi takeover of Germany. A display of propaganda posters of the time hung next to an explanation of eugenics, providing context to the oppressive Nuremberg Laws. This led up to the final portion of this dark period, Kristallnacht, an explanation of which was accompanied by poignant student-made artworks of shattered glass. The doors leading to the next portion of the exhibit were emblazoned with the infamous words “Arbeit Macht Frei,” paving the way for an even darker exhibit, The Holocaust. There, students detailed the creation of the ghettos, deportations to concentration camps, experiments of Joseph Mengele, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and the responses of other countries to the plight of the Jews. There was also an adjacent exhibit detailing the global events of World War Two, highlighting events like Germany’s invasion of Poland, the attack on Pearl Harbor, Operation Barbarossa, the Battle of Stalingrad and D-Day. The next exhibit explored the post-war period, with the establishment of the State of Israel and the Nuremberg Trials. A powerful moment towards the end of the museum was a wall filled with family photos of the tenth grade students, reminding us how our legacy continues in spite of attempts to destroy us, our light in the darkness. The museum closed with the“Holocaust in the media” section, showcasing important artists, musicians and writers like Elie Wiesel, Anne Frank and Victor Frankel, all of whom were instrumental in telling the world the story of the Holocaust.
The Brurian Tenth Grade students have been working diligently over the past several months to bring this museum to fruition. Dr. Melanie Gottdenger, Bruriah’s History Department Chair, provided some insight into how this museum came to life: “Students began in January researching individual topics for six different exhibits. Every student in Tenth Grade contributed a written piece with a printed “artifact” from a credible source to the museum. Some students chose to add special projects—art pieces or displays—to enhance their exhibits. The curators worked tirelessly to plan and assemble each exhibit, while the docents led expertly-presented museum tours all week.” A tremendous yasher koach to museum docents, Leeba Bachrach, Avital Bohm, Emunah Feuerstein, Menucha Gluck, Miri Hersh, Meira Karp, Meira Mandel, Leebie Ness, Nikki Raice, Kayla Rosenfeld, Ruthie Segal, Kayla Speyer, Shira Stein, Esther Bracha Tiefenbrun, Yocheved Wasserlauf and Tzivia Wurtzel, and to museum curators Orly Avraham, Elky Bernhaut, Miriam Fisch, Shayna Fisch, Maayan Freedman, Esther Mayefsky, Shiran Ovadia, Maddie Pearlman, Sarah Plotsker, Sarah Schechter, Gabby Schnur, Ella Schvarcz, Maya Solomon, Rikki Spanier and Ayelet Zions.
