Traveling Holocaust exhibit fights to end hate, antisemitism

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Students and community members at the Bees Ferry West Ashley Library had an opportunity Friday to immerse themselves in an experience to learn more about the Holocaust and hear from Holocaust survivors.

Stepping in and out of darkness to stomp out hate.

“It’s a place to learn about dehumanization and prejudice and hatred and how all those things still exist today and what we can do about those,” Jordana Lebowitz, executive director of Shadowlight, said.

The place she’s referring to is a cattle car used to transport Jews to death camp. The exhibit is a replica of one of those cars.

“Inside the cattle car,” Lebowitz said. “We created a 360 projected exhibit featuring Holocaust survivors speaking about what it was like for them to be transported in this space.” 

Lebowitz created the experience in college after taking a trip to Auschwitz that changed her life.

“Standing in the spaces where people were dehumanized so severely and were murdered in such great numbers,” she said. “It really changed my whole perspective on the world, and on my place in the world.”

Fred Volkman’s parents are Holocaust survivors who rode in several cattle cars. He says this experience was very emotional for him.

“My father,” Volkman said. “He told me about three different episodes where he was in the cattle cars going to different concentration camps where it was completely packed, where you couldn’t barely breathe; there was nowhere you could relieve yourself.”

Lebowitz says children are the leaders of tomorrow, and with proper education, they can stomp out hate.

“It’s not about the uncomfortableness of learning about it,” she said. “It’s about the empowerment of let’s do something today, and that’s what we’re doing here.”

The Hate Ends Now Tour’s final stop in the Lowcountry will be Monday, March 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Congregation Dor Tikvah.