08/10/2026
Over the past week and a half, I’ve enjoyed incredibly meaningful time with family during our annual trip south to visit my father and brother.
On our way home, we stopped in Washington, DC, to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Throughout the years, I’ve made a point of teaching my children about all sides of humanity - including the realities of war, persecution, and genocide. By learning history, we can better recognize hatred and understand what it takes to ensure such atrocities never happen again.
After exploring four floors and taking nearly 400 photographs, the one word we kept returning to was powerful. This was one of the most impactful museum experiences our family has shared.
Here are four images from our visit:
Beds from Auschwitz
These wooden bunk beds were used by prisoners at Auschwitz. Their simplicity and worn surfaces offer a haunting glimpse into the inhumane conditions endured by those imprisoned there.
Shoes belonging to victims
A vast collection of shoes belonging to people murdered during the Holocaust. Each pair represents an individual life, family, and story—an especially powerful reminder of the human beings behind the numbers.
Lives remembered through photographs
Thousands of photographs showing Jewish individuals, families, and communities before the Holocaust. Together, they emphasize the lives, identities, relationships, and traditions that existed before they were targeted for destruction.
Torah scrolls salvaged from Kristallnacht
Damaged sections of Torah scrolls rescued from synagogues attacked during Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass” - the Nazi-organized pogrom against Jewish communities in Germany and Austria on November 9–10, 1938. These surviving fragments represent the endurance of Jewish faith and culture in the face of persecution.
We left humbled, heartbroken, and deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn together. We must remember, we must teach, and we must never forget.
