These Holocaust stories raise profound moral and civic questions that grow more urgent in our own time. These personal accounts illustrate how prejudice, racism, and stereotyping  demean innocent people, laying the groundwork for discrimination, racial hatred, and persecution. As a microcosm of the Holocaust, “A Reason to Remember” asks visitors to consider how dehumanization can take hold within a community and what responsibility each of us bears when others are targeted or excluded. 

The exhibit prompts visitors to notice how these dynamics show up in their schools, neighborhoods, workplaces and communities. It seeks to foster compassion, deepen awareness, and encourage visitors to use their voices, votes, and influence on behalf of those who face injustice.

“At a time of eroding democracy around the world and in the United States, and of mass atrocity, gun violence and Holocaust denialism, we believe that this exhibit is both timely and moving.”

-Prof. Hannah Pollin-Galay, Director, Institute of Holocaust, Genocide and Memory Studies, UMass Amherst

“The exhibit opened my students’ eyes not only to the tragedies of the Holocaust, but also to wider understandings of injustice, racism, acceptance, and peace. Students have used this knowledge to appreciate the importance of keeping history alive.”

-Caroline Forni, teacher, Hampden Charter School of Science, Chicopee, MA

“If you changed the label 'Jew' to 'Black' this is my story, too.”

-African American visitor to the exhibit, Springfield, MA

“The Reason to Remember exhibit personalizes the events of the Holocaust by bringing names and faces to this history. We are so lucky to have this resource visit our community.”

-Simon Leutz, teacher, Amherst Regional High School, Amherst, MA