Dubai, UAE - WE REMEMBER - 2 of 3

The “We Remember” exhibition at CCM showcases the first-hand testimonies of Holocaust survivors. Rabbi Elie Abadie, senior rabbi at the Jewish Council of the Emirates, says this new permanent exhibition is hugely significant as nothing similar has ever been staged in the region. He said “Although most people in the Middle East know the Holocaust took place, they do not speak or learn about it as much. Now, the region is opening up, and this exhibition gives tribute to what has happened and demonstrates the public recognition of history. The Holocaust also took place at a smaller scale in Middle Eastern countries in the 1940s, where Arab Jews in Libya, Tunisia and Iraq were persecuted because of Nazi-inspired teachings. The mission is to educate and raise awareness about the Holocaust among Dubai’s over 200 different nationalities.

At the center of the exhibition is a life-sized image of a young boy from one of the best-known photos of the Holocaust, “Warsaw Ghetto boy.” Sadly, 1.5 million kids died in the Holocaust and the questions and captions of each photo hanging there with a child shows that each had a story. The image of the boy is surrounded by real World War II-era weapons from the museum’s collection, aimed at generating discomfort to draw attention to the magnitude of the catastrophic event. A section of the exhibition is devoted to Arabs and Muslims who helped save Jews during the Holocaust. It highlights the rich history of and coexistence between Arabs, Muslims, Christians and Jews in the 20th century. When people talk about the Holocaust and the Arab world, there are a lot of good stories that need to be told where Arabs and Muslims helped Jews.

For example, hundreds of Jews sought refuge in Albania in 1943 and were welcomed by the majority-Muslim population. One of Albania’s most sacred cultural traditions is discussed in the exhibit, “Besa” (“word of honor.” ) It places emphasis on protecting people in times of need, irrespective of where they come from. “Albania is the only country where the number of Jewish people actually went UP as a result of the Holocaust. At the end of the exhibition’s section, there is a verse from the Quran written in Arabic which says “Whoever saves one life, saves the whole entire world” (also in Talmud).

An unexpected but day full of so many feelings. This was a Holocaust museum in the most unexpected place (an Arab country), and was filled with exhibits that were meaningful and had stories we had never heard before and gave perspectives we had never had. All of this in a virtually empty museum with no other visitors, left all to ourselves for 4+ hours. And on a day when we were focused on Israel and had earlier finished putting together a Memorial and Independence Day Celebration for that evening. Yes it was an incredibly special, meant to be, day.Lue lisää