“…America’s national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history, and serves as this country’s memorial to the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust”: this is part of the mission statement of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (hereafter USHMM) in Washington D.C., which opened in 1993.  The mission statement gives little indication of the controversy that has surrounded the USHMM since it was first suggested in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter.  This essay will focus on the main controversies within Holocaust Studies associated with the USHMM: location, building, how exhibits are displayed, the use of ID cards, emphasis on Jewish victims and its political usage.

The most logical place to start is with the location of the USHMM itself.  The site has “turned out to be one of the most controversial places in Washington”.  Why should this be the case?  Arguably, a museum of such national and international importance should be located in the capital.  However, according to Dane Stone, “Merely the placing … is problematic in some people’s eyes”.  The museum is next to the Mall and 15^th Street, which was “officially renamed Raoul Wallenberg Place -- honoring the Swedish diplomat who led one of the most extensive and successful rescue efforts during the Holocaust”. This renaming of the street is interesting in itself, a further example of the centralisation of Holocaust memorial in the U.S. capital.  This central location has unsettled many people, both inside and outside Holocaust Studies.  

Read the full article here:
http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/essays&editorials/0308e1.html

The Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team

www.HolocaustResearchProject.org