Saint Louis Holocaust Museum And Learning Center

From its inception the plans always called for this to be much more than a museum. It would also be a true center of learning. The HolocaustMuseum was established to commemorate the tragic loss of life and potential and the LearningCenter was established to teach the lessons about the dangers of indifference that resonate from Holocaust history through today.

By exploring the roots of religious, ethnic and racial hatred we know that intolerance is passed on from generation to generation. If such intolerance can be learned, it is important to understand that human beings can be presented with information to broaden their perspective to counter previously held beliefs.

During the 1930s and 1940s there was no cohesive community to defend the Jews or any other group whose rights and humanity were being violated. When sharing their stories, Holocaust survivors often implore those in the audience to not only remember but to act.

Our work at the LearningCenter focuses on building a community of defenders. Even in the face of this world's history of genocidal injustices perpetrated in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and most recently Darfur; we cannot lose hope that the next generation will hear, understand, feel compassion, and take action to end such tragedies.