Holocaust Documentation & Education Center facts for kids

The Holocaust Documentation & Education Center in Dania Beach, Florida, started in 1980. This special center helps people learn about the Holocaust. It is building the first Holocaust Museum in South Florida. This museum is unique because it will teach both English and Spanish speakers. The Center moved to its current large building on September 28, 2016.

Collecting Stories: Oral History

The Center has collected over 2,500 interviews for its Oral History collection. These interviews are with people who witnessed the Holocaust. The Center continues to record more stories. These interviews are video recorded and then written down word-for-word on special paper that lasts a long time. The Center says this is the only collection known to have every interview written down. The Center has been working to make these interviews digital and easy to search.

The New Museum

The plans for the new Holocaust Museum are finished. The Center has been raising money for it. The museum, which costs $10 million, has been built in stages as money became available. The goal was to finish it by 2020.

The museum now has many important exhibits. These exhibits help visitors understand the Holocaust step by step:

• Life before the Holocaust: Shows what Jewish life was like before these terrible events.
• Early Signs of Trouble: Explains the events that led up to the Holocaust.
• Rise of the Nazi Party: Shows how the Nazi Party gained power, including events like the Nuremberg Laws.
• Ghettos: Explains places like the Warsaw ghetto and Lodz ghetto, where Jewish people were forced to live.
• The Final Solution: Covers the concentration and extermination camps, and includes a real, restored rail car.
• Resistance: Highlights brave acts of people who fought back during desperate times.
• Rescuers: Tells stories of individuals and countries that helped save lives.
• Liberation: Shows what happened when the camps were freed, including life after the war and the search for justice.
• Reflection, Remembrance, and Responsibility: Encourages visitors to think about the past and their role in the future.
• Traveling Gallery: Features special exhibits that change, like one about the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Important Items at the Museum

The museum has some very important historical items:

• A real, restored rail car from Poland. This car was used to transport Holocaust victims.
• A U.S. Army M-4A 3E8 Sherman tank. This tank helped free the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. It is on long-term loan from the U.S. Army.

Even though the museum has been under construction, the Center has offered tours of the 30-ton tank and the rail car by appointment.

Education and Community Programs

The Center has a busy program where survivors and experts speak to groups. It also regularly holds Student Awareness Day programs. These events help students learn about the Holocaust and understand its lessons.

Important Law

A big achievement for the Center was helping create and pass Florida law 1003.42(g). Governor Lawton Chiles signed this law. It makes sure that the history of the Holocaust is taught in Florida schools. In Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, the Center supports Student Awareness Days. These days are described as "prejudice reduction symposia," which means they help reduce prejudice and promote understanding.

Library

The Center has a library for research. It contains over 6,000 books, journals, DVDs, and videos about the Holocaust.