The Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, a department of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, is honored to bring a traveling Holocaust education exhibit, Hate Ends Now: The Cattle Car Exhibit, to McAllen’s International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS), 1900 W. Nolana Ave., on February 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance to this powerful exhibit is free, but registration by time slot is strictly required as space is limited.
“It is a privilege to be invited by Temple Emmanuel and the City of McAllen to host this traveling exhibition for our community," said IMAS Executive Director Ann Fortescue. “We are delighted to work with our museum colleagues from the Holocaust Memorial Museum to provide a safe space for immersive museum learning. Museums are at their best when they enable us to reflect and apply what we learn to our everyday actions.”
This unique 360-degree video exhibit brings history to life, teaching visitors about the devastating consequences of intolerance, bigotry, and hate. The exhibit is an immersive, multimedia presentation that takes place inside an exact replica of a cattle car used to transport Jews and other targeted groups to concentration camps during World War II. Students and visitors engage with history through video and audio remembering the Holocaust and featuring survivors’ testimonials.
The exhibit progresses through history, culminating in how hate and intolerance persist today. The ultimate message is one of empowerment, reminding visitors to stand up against ignorance, intolerance, and hate. The exhibit is recommended for ages 12+.
“The City of McAllen is proud to help bring this powerful exhibit to our community as it is a stark reminder of what can happen when hate is allowed to flourish,” said McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos. “Through this exhibit, we will see just a glimpse of the horror and brutality that Jews and other people suffered on their way to the concentration camps. May this exhibit encourage us all to let peace, love and tolerance be our guide always.”
The exhibit is a project of Hate Ends Now, a nonprofit 501c3 organization dedicated to Holocaust education. Tour stops in South Texas are presented by the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, thanks to title sponsors: Lubetzky Family Foundation, Texas Holocaust, Genocide and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, and the Texas Historical Commission.
Community partners: ADL-Austin, Barshop JCC of San Antonio, City of McAllen, Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, IBC Bank, International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS), JCC Corpus Christi, McAllen I.S.D., Shalom Austin, Temple Emanuel (McAllen).
“The Holocaust has shaped our lives as Jews and the entire course of human civilization over the past 90 years. If we held one minute of silence today for each Jewish victim of the Holocaust, we would not speak again until 2035,” said Rabbi Nathan Farb, Temple Emanuel. “It is impossible to understand the lives of Jewish families or the present-day politics of the Middle East or Europe without understanding the realities of the Holocaust. This Cattle Car Exhibit ensures that those who survived can share their stories with the next generations and that we can all learn from the terrible tragedy.”
The exhibit runs in Austin: February 8-9; Corpus Christi: February 12-13; McAllen: February 15-16; Laredo: February 19-20.
For more information or to schedule a tour, visit https://www.hmmsa.org/hate-ends-now.
The exhibit will be free and open to the public. Reservations required.
