A symbolic empty classroom is part of the new Children's Memorial at the Holocaust Museum of Virginia.
The Virginia Holocaust Museum tears at visitors’ heartstrings even on the approach to its building. The rough-hewn, unadorned exterior and a World War II-era railway car parked in front of the virtually windowless structure provoke a feeling of no return. The building is filled with memories of atrocities, memorials that honor those who perished and reflections on the resilience of the human spirit. Last week, the museum welcomed a new addition to its permanent collection.
The new Children’s Memorial, a permanent exhibit, is simple and somber. A dimly lit room — representing one of the darkest hours of human history — holds a chalkboard and five simple wooden school desks, the kind typically found in German classrooms during the time of World War II. An infinity mirror reflects an unending panorama of the desks, representing the 1.5 million Jewish children killed between 1939 and 1945 as part of the Final Solution — the Nazi regime’s program of systematic annihilation. The infinity mirror is also a metaphor for reflecting on the countless and unfathomable unborn descendants of these lost children. A recording softly repeats the names of the deceased. Made possible through a donation from Dr. Donald S. and Beejay Brown, it is believed to be the only memorial of its kind in the U.S. A children’s memorial in Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem also uses an infinity mirror.
A day before the official opening of the new exhibit on April 7, Roger Loria, an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor, reflected on the “absolute genocide” of more than 1 million children. Loria, who was born in Belgium, miraculously survived after being held as a political prisoner at age 7. Samuel H. Asher, executive director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum, described the memorial as “something that tears your heart up.” The exhibit is in addition to the museum’s previously existing children’s exhibit that includes photos, children’s drawings, video footage and a section of the rails that carried children on trains to concentration camps.
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"Messages on the Kindertransport," part of the "All That Remains" collection of creations from artist Leslie J. Klein
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"Lily's Birthday Dress," part of the "All That Remains" collection of creations from artist Leslie J. Klein
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"Tallit/Prayer Shawl," part of the "All That Remains" collection of creations from artist Leslie J. Klein
To enter the new Children’s Memorial, visitors pass through “All That Remains,” a startlingly beautiful and eerie exhibition of Holocaust fiber creations by artist Leslie J. Klein. Queen Esther’s robe, a burnt wedding dress fashioned with feathers representing hope and rebirth, a prayer shawl that holds shards of broken glass and barbed wire, and a teddy bear carrying messages from the Kindertransport (a rescue effort that brought Jewish children from Nazi Germany to safety in Great Britain between 1938 and 1940) are among the pieces that hold secrets and hidden stories.