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Holocaust
Memorial
Center
Acquires
Historic
World
War II
Railway
Boxcar
Rare
Artifact
Formerly
Used to
Transport
Jews and
Other
Prisoners
From
Camp to
Camp
Arrived
Sept. 23
FARMINGTON
HILLS,
MI – The
Holocaust
Memorial
Center
announced
that it
has
acquired
an
authentic
World
War
II-era
railway
boxcar
from
Germany.
With the
cooperation
of the
German
National
Railroad
and the
Technical
[Railroad]
Museum
in
Berlin,
the
10-ton
boxcar
was
delivered
Friday,
Sept.
23, at
the
Holocaust
Memorial
Center,
where it
will
undergo
careful
conservation.
Believed
to be
one of
the last
in
existence
and the
only one
exported
to the
United
States
from
Germany,
this
boxcar
will be
shown to
school
children
and
other
visitors
and will
stand in
mute
testimony
of the
horrors
of the
Holocaust.
“To be
able to
display
an
object
of such
great
significance
at our
center
helps us
fulfill
our
mission
of not
only
remembering
those
who
perished
and
survived
the
Holocaust,
but also
using
this
tragic
period
as a
model
for
teaching
righteous
behavior
and
responsible
decision-making,”
said
Holocaust
Memorial
Center
Executive
Director
Stephen
M.
Goldman.
“Hearing
about
what
went on
during
the
Holocaust
is one
thing,
but
being
able to
actually
show
people,
particularly
the
younger
ones,
actual
physical
objects
from
this
period
is an
extremely
powerful
tool.”
The 10-ton boxcar was
delivered Friday, Sept. 23, at the Holocaust Memorial Center
in Farmington Hills, MI.
Once
completed,
this
permanent
exhibit
will be
comprised
of the
boxcar
placed
on rails
in a bed
of wood
and
concrete,
reminiscent
of the
station
platforms
where
Jews and
other
victims
of the
Holocaust
were
gathered,
often
100 or
more at
a time,
and then
pushed
and
shoved
into a
car such
as this.
The
boxcar
will be
approachable
from all
sides
and
close
enough
to touch
or allow
the
Jewish
custom
of
placing
stones.
This
silent
sentinel,
itself a
killing
place,
will be
a
memorial,
or a
matzevah,
for all
to see.
An
entrance
gathering
place, a
stone
plaza,
will
provide
an area
for
docents
to
explain
what the
visitor
is about
to see.
From
this
plaza,
the car
will be
visible
through
a gate
in a
wire
fence,
replicating
the
theme of
the
Holocaust
Memorial
Center
building.
The
educational
material
will be
etched
on a
triangular
monument,
where
visitors
can
learn
about
the
boxcar’s
historical
significance.
The
backdrop
of this
unique
exhibit
will be
a mural
on a
translucent
curtain
showing
ghostly
figures
of men,
women
and
children
awaiting
their
unknown
and
unimaginable
fate.
It is
the
mission
of the
Holocaust
Memorial
Center
Zekelman
Family
Campus
to
remember
those
who
perished
and
those
who
survived
the
Holocaust
and, in
a world
increasingly
faced
with
sectarian
strife
and
intolerance,
to set
forth
the
lessons
of
Holocaust
as a
model
for
teaching
ethical
conduct
and
responsible
decision-making.
By
highlighting
those
individuals
who, in
the
midst of
evil,
stood
for the
best,
rather
than the
worst of
human
nature,
the
Holocaust
Memorial
Center
seeks to
contribute
to
maintaining
an open
and free
society.
The
facility
is
wheelchair
accessible
and free
parking
is
available
at both
the
North
and
South
entrances.
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