Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Encyclopedia
The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMOTH) is a renowned holocaust museum
in Los Angeles, California
.
. In 1961 at Hollywood High School
, a group of holocaust survivors taking English as a second language
classes got together to talk about their experiences. They began to realize that each of them had a photograph
, an artifact, concentration camp uniforms, or other precious primary source objects carried with them from the Holocaust era. They decided that these objects needed a permanent home where they could be displayed safely and in perpetuity. The Survivors also realized that a place was needed to memorialize their dead and help to educate the world so that no one would ever forget. Many of these survivors still remain active on the LAMOTH Board of Directors.
The Museum is always free and open to the public, as the founders never wanted to turn anyone away for want of an entry fee. Over the last 50 years, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust has created unique programming in the field of holocaust education
. LAMOTH was the first museum in the country to create a teacher training program to train educators on how to teach the holocaust in the classroom. The Museum created the first Catholic
/Jewish dialogue in California
, and the first dialogue between the families of victims and families of perpetrators in the early 1980s. The Museum published the first holocaust curriculum guide in Spanish
for bilingual education, and in 2003, curated the first Holocaust exhibit displayed in Cuba
. The Museum has hosted groundbreaking exhibits, including The Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals, which LAMOTH was the first in the country to host. Currently the Museum is hosting artifacts from the Auschwitz Museum in Poland, which are on display, as well as the largest collection of Erich Lichtblau-Leskly original ghetto diary collection paintings.
The Museum strongly believes in educating about the Holocaust in order to encourage civic and social responsibility in today's youth. This is done by providing inquiry based tours of the Museum. Students learn about the Holocaust by exploring original historical artifacts and documents. Visiting the Museum also provides the opportunity to meet a first-hand witness of history, a Holocaust survivor.
In October 2010 the Museum opened its new and permanent home in Pan Pacific Park. The new Museum space, with its ground-breaking architecture and innovative exhibits, is visually stunning inside and out. The permanent home includes extensive archives, interactive exhibits, an audio visual room, and opportunities for special events and cultural programing.
The Museum is open M-Th:10am-5pm, Fri:10am-2pm, Sat-Sun:10am-5pm
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
History
The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust is the oldest holocaust museum in the United States of AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1961 at Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...
, a group of holocaust survivors taking English as a second language
English language learning and teaching
English as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
classes got together to talk about their experiences. They began to realize that each of them had a photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
, an artifact, concentration camp uniforms, or other precious primary source objects carried with them from the Holocaust era. They decided that these objects needed a permanent home where they could be displayed safely and in perpetuity. The Survivors also realized that a place was needed to memorialize their dead and help to educate the world so that no one would ever forget. Many of these survivors still remain active on the LAMOTH Board of Directors.
The Museum is always free and open to the public, as the founders never wanted to turn anyone away for want of an entry fee. Over the last 50 years, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust has created unique programming in the field of holocaust education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. LAMOTH was the first museum in the country to create a teacher training program to train educators on how to teach the holocaust in the classroom. The Museum created the first Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
/Jewish dialogue in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and the first dialogue between the families of victims and families of perpetrators in the early 1980s. The Museum published the first holocaust curriculum guide in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for bilingual education, and in 2003, curated the first Holocaust exhibit displayed in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. The Museum has hosted groundbreaking exhibits, including The Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals, which LAMOTH was the first in the country to host. Currently the Museum is hosting artifacts from the Auschwitz Museum in Poland, which are on display, as well as the largest collection of Erich Lichtblau-Leskly original ghetto diary collection paintings.
The Museum strongly believes in educating about the Holocaust in order to encourage civic and social responsibility in today's youth. This is done by providing inquiry based tours of the Museum. Students learn about the Holocaust by exploring original historical artifacts and documents. Visiting the Museum also provides the opportunity to meet a first-hand witness of history, a Holocaust survivor.
In October 2010 the Museum opened its new and permanent home in Pan Pacific Park. The new Museum space, with its ground-breaking architecture and innovative exhibits, is visually stunning inside and out. The permanent home includes extensive archives, interactive exhibits, an audio visual room, and opportunities for special events and cultural programing.
The Museum is open M-Th:10am-5pm, Fri:10am-2pm, Sat-Sun:10am-5pm
Mission statement
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMOTH) has a twofold mission that has remained constant since its inception in 1961.- Commemoration: LAMOTH dedicates itself as a primary source institution, one that houses the few precious artifacts that miraculously weathered the war, the ghettos, and ultimately, the death camps.
- Education: LAMOTH is committed to providing free education to the public of Los Angeles and Southern California. We are the only Jewish/Holocaust organization in Los Angeles which guarantees dialogue with an actual Survivor, a living embodiment of history.
See also
- LAMOTH participates in the Austrian Holocaust Memorial ServiceAustrian Holocaust Memorial ServiceThe Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service is an alternative to Austria's compulsory national military service / alternative service founded in 1992. Since 1998 it is part of the Austrian Service Abroad...
of Austrian Service AbroadAustrian Service AbroadAustrian Service Abroad is a non-profit initiative and was founded in 1998 by Andreas Maislinger and Andreas Hörtnagl. Since 2001 Michael Prochazka is part of the managing committee.-General Information:...
.