Emotions run high at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. This place is very powerful and for me seeing the piles of shoes that came from the concentration camps just set me off with the tears. It is a place where one should visit and pay their respects. It makes see the dark side of the human spirit, but its good to know that it exists so history does not repeat itself.

I suggest to everyone and anyone it is an absolute must that they visit this museum once during their lifetime- it brings home the reality of how dangerous isolated power in the hands of an unelected few becomes. It reminds anyone who visits the depth of depravity man has sunk in the just recent history (and in some places on earth still to this day). It makes cheap those who consistently compare incongruent points in history (eg Bush is a Nazi) by showing clearly what systematic extermination was like- even what it smelled like. It makes of mockery of those who would still argue we do nothing in the face of evil because it poses no threat to us, or because the problem was isolated. I say go smell the shoes of those who were exterminated. I say go read about the St. Louis and how we turned them away because "they weren't our problem".

I liked to say what I think is laughable coffeman, but I do not feel that would be necessary. Your remarks are nothing more than a blatant show of Anti-Semitism. Yes, there are several others like you who crawl out from underneath the garbage dumps where they dwell and spew out racially bigoted remarks. My father was on the frontlines in Germany and France during WWII, the things that he saw after the Allied forces moved throughout Germany and into the concentration camps was something that he would never talk about. He told me once that he had written a journal of the atrocities that he witnessed there that were forever seared in his memory, I later found out that he had burned the journal. The laws of science have nothing to do with the infallible eyewitness documentations of the extermination of six million Jewish men, women and child and millions of others of non-Jewish descent who were murdered for nothing more than being of a different race, different religion, or considered too weak or inferior. I too had the opportunity to visit the museum in DC and like Irish mentioned, I am glad that I did and also wished that I had not.

Graymalkin, very accurately and eloquently said. It boggles the mind how anyone can deny what happened to the Jews. As Jaywilton said, the both deny it, and they're happy it happened. Go figure.

Like Coffeeman,I haven't been there,but I give it a 5 based on what friends of mine have said. Coffeeman,who I believe sits at his computer,wearing a sheet,began sending me messages on July 12, telling me I'm going to the oven-then denies The Holocaust with his insane comment...Possibly,some mental hospital can open a museum for people who deny The Holocaust publicly,but privately are happy it happened.

For all of you people saying this wasn't an american issue you are absolutely right. THIS WAS A WORLD ISSUE. This was the absolutley horrendous slaughtering of over 6 MILLION INNOCENT PEOPLE. The vast majority of them being mothers and their children because they were considered to weak to work. That is something that the world should reflect on. Including us here in the USA

I'm probably going to get hate mail for this- but this museum belongs somewhere (anywhere) else than D.C. (Israel? Germany?) It doesn't fit in with the rest of the monuments or experiences in D.C.

I never understood why this was built, and why in Washington DC? It is totally unneccessary and a waste of our tax money ... Look, there is no slavery memorial in Washington DC, but there is a Holocaust memorial?!? Slavery happened in America. The Holocaust didn't happen anywhere near America and didn't have anything to do with America at all. What kind of sense does this make? .... I will echo TriSec: WHY WAS THIS BUILT?

Why did my tax dollar go to build this? I'm not a holocaust denier, far from it. I have still-living relatives that fought to liberate these camps, and I know all too well what went on there. America didn't slaughter the Jews; we rescued them, and we have nothing to atone for. Tell me again why this was built?

I was very moved by this place. It's very sad. I'm definitely glad I went there, though. It's a place you don't want to miss. Definitely go there the next time you're in D.C.

I was moved and impressed until I came to the section where the museum had vignettes of people and countries who turned their collective heads whilst Hitler reared his ugly head. However, there was one important omission: Joe Kennedy Jr, the Ambassador to England under FDR, promoted appeasement with Hitler. He made statements encouraging appeasement in speeches, letters and comments to the press. Ultimately, that's why FDR cut him loose. However, his name was no where to be found. It was an egregious omission, particularly when apolitical types like Avery Brundage, Pres of the Olympics, were pictured and discussed.

A superb collection, showing well one of the most appalling chapters in the long and sordid history of the human race. It amazes me that there are still subhuman swine like stormtrooper who claim to believe that the Holocaust was faked. Scientifically impossible. What do YOU know about science, you little squeaking vermin? Calling you pig-ignorant is an insult to good pigs. UPDATE: I see stormtrooper is no more. Farewell: you complained about free speech but you failed to understand that it is a serious concept, and comes with a bit of responsibility. Come back when you grow up.

A terrifying place. I am glad I went, and I also wish I had never seen it.

(5=must see) A chilling place to visit, it's hard to imagine the atrocities that happened even when confronted with the barrage of artifacts in this museum. Various artifacts from clothing to photographs, reconstructed bunks, railcars are on display, along with castings of various objects as well. Keep in mind, however, that though special exhibits don't require passes, the main exhibit requires a timed pass, it would be wise to carefully plan your day to see this. For more info., visit http://www.ushmm.org/.

Very, Very well done...depressing though...

How any human being can spend hours walking through this museum and not feeling a sense of sadness and depression at the horrors of the Holocaust is beyond me. This museum is a GRAPHIC exhibit of the terrible torture and murder of Jews and other non-Aryans by Nazi Germany. The Children's Exhibit is the most touching and depressiong- how could any human being do this to a child- whether he be Jewish or not? The Medical Experiments exhibit and video are very graphic and almost made me puke at how human beings were being treated as lab rats. This museum is not to be missed- be prepared to spend a few hours in there and be prepared to leave depressed and disgusted. However, this museum is a reminder- a reminder of man's cruelty. A reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. And it is our job in this generation and the generations that follow to ensure that no such thing occurs ever again on this planet. As Elie Weasel said, "For the dead and the LIVING, we must bear witness".

Don't miss this amazing tribute. And, if you can, go there on a Wednesday in the summer (more about that later). You start on the 4th floor and work your way down. You start in post-WW1 Germany. The country has just come out of a devastating war. They are searching for an identity, for a leader. Hitler comes to power. You see 2 short (10-15 mins) movies as you walk slowly (it's mesmerizing) through the exhibit. You go down to the 3rd floor and the horrors start getting worse. You think, and you are saddened. For anyone who ever thought the Holocaust was made up, they now know that's not true. And, the horrors continue. By the time you get to the 2nd floor, you're emotionally exhausted. You know that on that floor, the concentration camps will be freed, but still you wait and hope, because you've gotten so emotionally in to it. And, finally, you emerge, an exhaustes soul, happy to be back in the 21st Century. And, if you're lucky enough to be there on a Wednesday in the summer, they have these "First Person" lecture where an actual holocaust survivor speaks to he audience. If you're in Washington DC and only have time to visit one place, this should be it. You'll never forget it.

I visited the memorial YEARS ago, but it remains one of my most vivid memories...Informed and effectively displayed, the exhibits there will teach and move even long-time students of the Holocaust. I vote to pour even more tax dollars into, say, a Chinese Holocaust Museum for the victims under Japanese occupation as well. After all, are tax dollars better spent than on 'brainwashing' (i.e. ENLIGHTENING) US citizens--not to feel guilty for--but to reflect on some of the most notable atrocities in world history? (NB: I don't recommend this Museum for anyone who promotes ignorance or provincialism in this country. Or for anyone who is too self-centered to realize that the Museum isn't aimed at convincing its visitors that the Hebrews are the only ones who've suffered in history, or that the Hebrews are the only ones who count. And if a celebration of humanity is what you're looking for, I recommend a basketball game, maybe Disney World. But everyone else should see it.

What the HELL are we doing wasting our tax dollars on a Holocaust Museum here in America? It's only a propaganda tool used to generate sympathy for support of Israel. We Americas have nothing to feel guilty of, WE freed the enslaved under Nazi Germany, and now we are being trained to be ashamed of ourselves. We should have a memorial celebrating our spirit of humanity, not one that puts us down. Funding for that clap trap should come from Germany or Israel, but not America. What's next a Chinese Holocaust Museum for the victims under Japanese occupation? I hope the rest of you can recognize brainwashing when you see it. I'm sick of it all. Hebrews aren't the only ones to suffer in history, but if you listen to them, they are the only ones who count.

Very well done, but it made me so sad I felt sick and depressed for the rest of my vacation.

i haven't been there in a long time so maybe it's been added to a little since i first saw it. but i'd had plenty of education on the tragedy of it all so when i went in, the depressing display of emptied shoes and personal effects left over didn't seem to completely suffice. i should've liked more background info on the war, and on hitler and the non-jews' service to him out of fear...stuff like that..

Of all the moving, graphic, and often horrifying images which I saw in this powerful memorial to the holocaust, the Children's exhibit was the most difficult for me to bear. Told in a simple diary format, it depicts a child's perception of the descent into madness that was the holocaust. This memorial should be required for everyone.

The Holocaust Museum is an extremely memorable site in the Metropolitan area. It is unforgettable.

This is a fantastic interactive, multimedia museum. The whole presentation is downright spooky. It really makes you feel like you're there. This is a very important place to visit for anyone to understand the potential depravity of humanity.

This is a very emotional and amazing Memorial. I would definitely recommend this to anyone coming to D.C. Be prepared=it sells out fast and plan on spending some time there. Warning for parents: it can be very very emotional + there are some graphic images, the museum does try to warn you though. The children's exhibit is NOT to be missed.

People need to learn how other people were treated in other cultures besides the United States of America.

A great representation of a horrible time.

Extremely powerful.

This is a great way to spend your day. Make sure you have a full day, because you need plenty of time to see all the exhibits. Might not be suitable for young children, but a great way to educate anyone about history.

The United States Holocaust Museum is something everyone should see.