Then we hope they will ask of themselves: What would I have done? And go on to ask: What will I do?
To stimulate this kind of critical thinking our recent temporary exhibitions have focused on topics that raise some of the big questions the Holocaust presents:
'Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race' which shows how highly educated scientists and physicians legitimized Nazi racial theories;
'State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda' which shows the various messages and techniques that the Nazis deployed during the democracy of the Weimar Republic and under Nazi dictatorship;
'Some Were Neighbors: Collaboration and Complicity' which examines the various fears, pressures and motivates that shaped the behavior of ordinary people during the Holocaust;
'Americans and the Holocaust', which looks at the attitudes and actions of all parts of American society in the 1930’s and 40’s including the government, the media, popular culture and public opinion.
As the Museum looks to its next 25 years, there are several urgent priorities. We must rescue the evidence of the Holocaust during this closing window of opportunity before it is too late. As antisemitism, hate and ideological extremism are on the rise and genocide remains an ongoing threat, the Museum must strive to reach a global audience, ensure the relevance of the lessons of the Holocaust for new generations, and create more agents of change who will not only learn those lessons, but act on them.