A group of Dallas high school students recently fired up their laptops, tablets and phones for a virtual visit to the .
The field trip started like any of the thousands held every year at the facility, with the museum鈥檚 top educator leading the way.
鈥淕ood morning everybody, my name is Claire," Claire Robinson said. "I鈥檓 the Senior Museum Educator at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.鈥�
Robinson stood at the entrance of the museum鈥檚 Shoah wing, which focuses on World War II and the Holocaust.
The class taking the virtual tour included 16 juniors and seniors from Dallas鈥� Thomas Jefferson High School. They were all online, watching Robinson through a video feed handled by a colleague.
Robinson continued her introduction, facing an iPad as she addressed the students.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to ask to keep your videos off because that helps the connection when we鈥檙e in the exhibit," she explained.
With the help of a little technology, this field trip was nearly identical to what students would've experienced if they were there in person. At other museums, some virtual field trips 鈥� usually gallery tours 鈥� are pre-produced and pre-packaged. This visit, however, preserves live interaction.
鈥淢y first question for you,鈥� Robinson asked the students, 鈥淗as anybody heard of the holocaust and if so, what words do you associate with the holocaust?鈥�
Students delivered answers through their devices. 鈥淛ews,鈥� said one. 鈥滸ood,鈥� Robinson said.
鈥淕as chambers,鈥� said another student. 鈥淕enocide," said another. 鈥淕reat word,鈥� Robinson replied.
On screen, she started walking through the exhibit, detailing how Hitler鈥檚 anti-Semitic rage and his ability to infect others with inhumane hate led to the infamous concentration camps. But Robinson explained that killing squads came first.
鈥淪o as the German army moves east and takes over territory after territory, there鈥檚 a group of men that follow the German army, and they鈥檙e called the Einsatzgruppe, mobile killing squad,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淭hey would get to that town, they would round up all the Jews living in that community, with the help of the local neighbors right? Because they don鈥檛 know who鈥檚 Jewish鈥︹��
Those squads would shoot them, Robinson said, after the victims were forced to dig their own graves. Two million were murdered this way, she said, standing in front of a map showing where mass graves have been found. They鈥檙e represented by bullets, not stick pins. More than 80 years since these crimes happened, graves continue to be discovered.
It鈥檚 a lot.
Thomas Jefferson Senior Danna Reyna first learned of the Holocaust in school, years ago.
鈥淎s a kid,鈥� Danna said, 鈥測ou don鈥檛 expect that kind of hate in the world. It was kind of like shocking there was a lot of hate in the people to actually go and murder one whole population鈥� And still now with this tour, it鈥檚 still now pretty shocking.鈥�
Shock is partly the point. A tenet of the museum encourages action. Urging visitors don鈥檛 just be a bystander 鈥� become what the museum calls an upstander.
Mary Pat Higgins, the museum's CEO, said the field trip gives students an opportunity for self-reflection and action in their own lives.
鈥淲e know from past experience, if we can get students to come to the museum and go through this experience we can help them think about the dangers of unchecked prejudice and hatred," Higgins said. "And we can inspire them to stand up to it when it occurs in their daily lives."
Since student groups still aren鈥檛 visiting the museum in person because of COVID-19, online visits will have to suffice 鈥� and Southern Methodist University professor Rick Halperin says they work. As the director of SMU鈥檚 Human Rights Program, he鈥檚 taken students to see Nazi death camps in Europe, and to civil rights landmarks in the American south.
鈥淓ven via Zoom, it does allow us as educators to present material, so students can at least stop saying 'I didn鈥檛 know'. We can at least bring the awakening issue to students," Halperin said. "It鈥檚 just not ideal 鈥� but it鈥檚 better than not doing it.鈥�
Halperin said these digital tours remain both intensely important and enlightening, especially during the dark days of a pandemic.
Got a tip? Email Reporter Bill Zeeble at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on Twitter .
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider today. Thank you.
