The Holocaust and Humanity Center in Union Terminal is taking guests back in time with interactive, hands-on history.
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday, the center's organizers invited the community to come and commemorate Sunday.
Mason City Schools teacher Lisa Speiller, who teaches a unit about the Holocaust, said the center's exhibit is like seeing her classroom lessons come to life.
"When you hear somebody's voice and when you get them on film, then they become real," Speiller said. "Their stories become real and they become a part of you."
Speiller also said she's taking what she learns from the exhibit and plans to take it all back to her students.
"Make sure that we learn from the past so that way we don't make the same mistakes in the present," she said.
At the entrance to the exhibit, families will be greeted with several sections diving into Holocaust history. The exhibit features Henry Fenichel, a Holocaust survivor, as an AI figure to whom you can ask any questions, and he'll answer in real time.
Who is Henry Fenichel:
Born in 1938 in The Hague, Netherlands, Henry’s early life was shaped by the horrors of the Holocaust. After his father was deported and murdered in Auschwitz, Henry and his mother went into hiding but were later discovered and sent to Westerbork and then Bergen-Belsen. Remarkably, they survived through a transfer to Palestine as part of an exchange program. Henry’s incredible story of survival honors the memory of his family and reflects his resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Kara Driscoll, the marketing and events director at the Holocaust and Humanity Center, said the exhibit tells the stories of survivors who came to Cincinnati after the war to rebuild their lives.
"It allows people to learn from history in different ways and interactive ways, and hopefully in ways that not only educates you, but you know, changes the heart and minds," Driscoll said.
She said Union Terminal was and is part of a pivotal time in the Holocaust, with the terminal acting as a vessel for Jews traveling to Cincinnati for a new life.
"When you think about trains in the Holocaust, it's typically a symbol of death and destruction leading people to the concentration camps," Driscoll said. "When you think about trains and Union Terminal, when you look through this window right here, you see trains. Trains were a symbol of hope for so many Holocaust survivors. They came to Union Terminal to rebuild their lives in Cincinnati."
The Holocaust and Humanity Center has free admission through the end of January, and Driscoll says they are welcoming everyone to come and take in the center's history, especially on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
More information on the exhibit can be found here.
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