It is not surprising that immediate and intense controversy erupted when plans were publicized to build a Holocaust museum on The Mall in Washington, D. C. The controversy grew from Jewish and non-Jewish communities, primarily due to the fact that a museum dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust would be built in the United States, who did little to stop the Holocaust from occurring, or as one protester said, “Imagine a Holocaust museum in the town whose political sages refused to lift a finger to halt the Holocaust or open our shores to the few survivors! How offensive to any informed individual!”
As the controversy grew, the supporters of the museum felt that building a museum on The Mall would enhance The Mall’s already diverse stories. For example, George Will, a political columnist, states, “No other nation has a broader, graver responsibility in the world . . . No other nation more needs citizens trained to look life in the face”. Will continued to say the museum would be a reminder to Americans how dangerous the world is beyond the United States’ shores.
Holocaust Museum Design
The design of the building encouraged further controversy. Supporters did not want a duplicate of other buildings on The Mall, nor did they want something want would cause further anti-Semitism or to down play the atrocities of the Holocaust.
The Commission of Fine Arts refused the first design, stating the design was too “massive”. The members of the commission felt the massive building would over come The Mall and take away the main purpose of the museum, which was meant to be a place of remembrance and not to over power The Mall or its visitors.
Albert Abraham was ready to scratch the design until he realized that the design could still work by downsizing it. Still not overly enthused by the design, it was approved by the Commission. Eventually the Commission would decide not to use Abraham’s firm and asked James Ingo Freed to design the museum.
Armenians and Gyspies
Another controversy that lingered over the building of the museum was the “symbolic ownership of interior space”. Should the museum only focus on the genocide of 6 million Jews during World War II or should the museum include the Romani Gypsies who were also murdered during the war. And what about the Armenians? The Armenians were not only victims during World War II, but also during World War I by the Turks.
As the Armenians attempted to prove their case to the museum council in regards to why their stories during World War I and World War II should be included in the Holocaust museum, the Turkish government is putting pressure on the United States government that if the United States chooses to recognize a genocide against the Armenians in 1915 there would be repercussions. Under all the controversy it was unanimously approved the inclusion of the Armenian genocide in a “significant manner”. What this means is that the Armenian exhibit is limited to the genocide of World War II and does not include the genocide by the Turks during World War I.
The Gypsies had a more difficult time proving why they should have a voice and recognition in the Holocaust museum. Unlike the Armenians, the museum committee did not recognize them until the mid 1980s and after the Romani Gypsies organized their own council in order to participate in the exhibit planning of the Holocaust museum.
The Romani Gypsies tell a unique story of their involvement in the Holocaust. Their story is not one of complete hatred of race as what was put forth by the Nazis towards the Jews, but one where the Gypsies were more a nuisance due to their vagabond lifestyle.
Eventually, the museum council approved including the Romani Gypsies’ Holocaust stories as part of the museum. The Gypsies stories are not displayed in one particular area of the museum, but in various places throughout the museum. The Gypsy controversy remains due to the how the Gypsies are displayed throughout the museum.
The Purpose of the Holocaust Museum
The planning of the Holocaust museum became personal for everyone who experienced the genocide of World War II, but then it went further than the horrible reality of World War II. Governments, such as the United States, were forced to deal with their own history of genocide, whether it was causing it or ignoring it. This brings to light the whole purpose of why the Holocaust museum was built in Washington, D.C.; to be a reminder of how detrimental genocide can be to a society and to the genocide survivors. The reminder is to keep genocide from reoccurring.
Source:
Linenthal, Edward T. 2001. Preserving Memory: The Struggle to Create America’s Holocaust Museum. New York: Viking Press
http://www.ushmm.org/
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