The student visited the Museum of Tolerance with their class. They learned many tragic facts about the Holocaust, including that over 1.5 million children died and gas chambers were a more efficient killing method than shooting. They were surprised to learn details about Anne Frank, such as how much she admired her father and wanted to visit Hollywood. Visiting helped the student gain sympathy for Holocaust survivors and a new perspective on judging and accepting others regardless of attributes. The student intends to be more tolerant and less prejudiced as a result of learning about the importance of human life and dignity for all.

1. Dylan Doan Sacred Heart Parish School
Literature November 17, 2014
Museum of Tolerance
Before we went on our class field trip to the Museum of Tolerance, my
expectation was that everything would be sad and heartbreaking because of all the
horrible things we heard about the Holocaust. I knew this trip would leave a
lasting impression on me knowing that Adolf Hitler went to great lengths to create
a “perfect” society. Many people who have visited the Museum of Tolerance are
forever changed in how they live their lives and view society. Visitors become
more tolerant and less discriminatory and prejudice towards other people. Also,
before going on our field trip to the Museum, I knew the paperclips that the Jews
wore were symbols for a silent protest because we had watched the movie “The
Paperclip Project” in class. After watching the movie and having visited the
Museum of Tolerance, my views on the importance of paperclips have changed.
People use paperclips regularly to clip things without knowing or realizing the
sentimental value that paperclips have to the Jewish people. These are some of
the things that I thought about and expect as part of our trip to see for ourselves
the history of the Holocaust.
I would like to thank our tour guide Josie for hosting us, and for
sharing with us the history of the exhibits at the Museum of Tolerance as she
walked us through the emotional parts of the Museum. Josie was
entertaining and very informative. She was very interactive with our group
and asked a lot of questions along the way to see if we were paying attention
like seeing if we were awake and attentive. During the tour, I learned that a
lot of people had died from the horrible conditions of the concentration
camps. I did not know gassing people was cheaper and more effective than

2. shooting them. Another thing I did not know is that 1.5 million kids died as
are result of the Holocaust. Also, by visiting the Museum of Tolerance, I
learned about Adolf Hitler’s involvement in the Holocaust as a World War I
veteran. It was interesting to find out that there are still many Holocaust
survivors living near Los Angeles, which is not very far from San Diego.
One of the most surprising things that interested me about the Anne Frank
exhibit during our visit to the Museum of Tolerance is how much Anne loved her
father, Otto, and admired him for all he did. Otto fought during World War I.
After World War I , Anne’s father returned the horse that he borrowed during the
war back to its stable and walked all the way back home. Also , I did not know
Anne and her sister, Margot , died of a fever in the concentration camp and was
buried in a mass grave. Another fact I did not know was that Anne Frank had
lived in Austria before moving to the Netherlands so her father could continue
his business. I also did not know Anne Frank wanted to visit Hollywood. It was
an interesting fact to know that Otto was spared of the gas chamber and sent to
work in a concentration camp until he was liberated at the end of the war. The
thing that had the biggest impact on me about the Anne Frank exhibit was how
Anne thought that her diary would never be read but now it is a famous story.
My opinion about the Museum is that it was created to tell a story and
preserve the memories of this tragic event like the bible and how it preserves
Jesus’ teachings. I also think the Museum was created as a reminder for people
that something this horrific should never happen again. It forces people to rethink
their views and to be more tolerant in accepting people from different religion
and ethnicity. Another reason as to why I think the Museum of Tolerance was
created is so that when all the Holocaust survivors die, there will still be
memories so future generations will not forget about this tragic event. The
Museum will forever preserve the history of the Holocaust and it would serve as a

3. place holding images and artifacts left behind by this genocide. It is shocking and
appalling to see that people would persecute other people because of their religion
or ethnicity. Everyone is different and was created in God’s own image and
likeness and they are special in their own way. My reaction was one of disgust
and to remain calm and learn from this experience as much as possible. I had a lot
of sympathy for the survivors of the Holocaust because of all the horror they lived
through and all the loved ones they lost along the way. Seeing dead relatives and
friends, having been treated worst than animals, and being separated from family
members and loved ones was just unthinkable. Overall, I felt pretty awful
knowing that people can be so heartless and having no conscious in treating other
humans so badly.
My whole take on this trip is that everyone’s life is valuable. A human
life is more important than we think. Based on what I have learned and found
out from our visit to the Museum of Tolerance, I will encourage people to be less
prejudice and more respectful towards people of different religion and race and
to accept that everyone is different. The biggest thing that I will do to change
things in my life is to be more tolerant and less prejudice towards other people.
For example, if a homeless person is seen wandering around in a good
neighborhood, most people often jump to the conclusion that they will cause
problems. Some of these people might have been a productive member of
society but have fallen on hard times. If you “judge a book by its cover”, then
you might automatically think that they are bad and you would never give them
a chance to prove themselves. My viewpoint is that people regardless of their
religion, appearance, or ethnicity should not be profiled and discriminated
against. People should not be so quick to judge others and everyone should be
given a chance and treated equally. These are my takeaways from our field trip
to the Museum of Tolerance. My point of view about people have changed now

4. that I had a chance to learn more about the Holocaust.