The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC has launched an online campaign to engage new generations with the questions that the Holocaust raises and what they mean for today’s society.
The campaign, Never Stop Asking Why, was started by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum sharing videos featuring Holocaust survivors, educators, military and law enforcement members and others asking questions such as; why did it happen? Why did some watch and do nothing to help? Why did others risk their lives to save strangers?
The museum hopes that people will respond by posting their own questions on social media, tagging the museum and using the hashtag “#AskyWhy”.
One video that the museum shared featured Holocaust survivor Alfred Munzer.
“The question that still haunts me is why the world allowed the Holocaust to happen,” he said. “I want people to know that even when they are surrounded by evil, they can do the right thing. But learning the lessons starts with asking the questions.”
The Never Stop Asking Why campaign is part of the museum’s program of events for its 25th anniversary in 2018. This Spring it will launch an exhibition and initiative on Americans and the Holocaust in an effort to stimulate people to think about their roles and responsibilities in society.
Museum Director Sara Bloomfield said: “The Holocaust asks us to consider difficult questions about human nature, our susceptibility to hate and propaganda and the fragility of societies.
“With this new initiative, we are asking Americans and people around the globe to join a conversation about what questions Holocaust history raises for them and to understand the past as a way to help them think differently about their role shaping the future.”
