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The New Mexico Holocaust Museum is an excellent educational experience for anyone visiting Albuquerque. It’s located downtown at 616 Central Avenue SW.
Visiting
The New Mexico Holocaust Museum is free to the public and relies on donations. Adult admission is US$6 (as of May 2023) and it’s open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 3:30pm.
History
The New Mexico Holocaust Museum, formerly the New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum, was founded in 1998 and opened its doors in 2001. It was founded by Holocaust survivor Werner Gellert (1926-2019), his wife Frances, and Julianna Lerner.
The goal of the museum is to eliminate hate and intolerance through education. They provide tours for school groups, host monthly discussion groups, and provide training for teachers and school administrators about intolerance and hate prevention.
The Museum
The New Mexico Holocaust Museum covers a broad range of historical conflicts, including local, national, and global issues. The exhibits include artifacts, photos, documents, videos, memorabilia, books, and more. There are permanent exhibits as well as temporary exhibits throughout the year.
Holocaust
About 60% of the museum focuses on the Holocaust, covering the atrocities committed by the Nazis against both Jews and non-Jews.
The exhibit contains some horrifying photos and artifacts from concentration camps, including armbands from Dachau, and a child’s shoe and gas shower head from Majdanek. There are also works of art that capture the horror of the Holocaust.
Another section of the exhibit contains information about Holocaust remembrance and survivors. One board includes photos of the Righteous Among the Nations. They were non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis.
Genocide of the Christian Minorities in the Ottoman Empire
One particular exhibit that affected me personally focused on the genocide of Christians in the Ottoman Empire. It comes complete with maps, photos, telegrams, and quotes describing the murders of Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek citizens of what is now Turkey.
Armenian Genocide
The section on the Armenian Genocide includes several photos and a brief history of how the perpetrators systematically erased the Armenian people from their homeland of 3,000 years. It also covered the continued genocide denial by Turkish authorities. It’s estimated up to 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were killed, sent on death marches, or deported between 1915 and 1917.
Greek Genocide
The section on the Greek Genocide was very emotional for me, as my ancestors who survived had to live through the pain of being expelled from their homeland. It’s estimated between 350,000 and 900,000 ethnic Greeks were killed, sent on death marches, or deported between 1913 and 1922.
In Smyrna (now Izmir), thousands of Greeks were forced into the sea. The city burned while those who could reach boats were taken to safety. The sea was red with blood and bodies floated on the waves.
The Pontic Greeks, living along the Black Sea and in cities such as Samsun and Trabzon, had to endure mass deportations and massacres. Today, many of their historic monuments have been left in ruins and the Turkish government is uninterested in restoring them. They prefer to erase as much of this chapter of their history as possible.
Native American Genocide
A section on the Native American Genocide displayed several photos and some artwork. The before and after photos of Native Americans forced to assimilate at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania are heartbreaking.
African-American Experience
The African-American Experience highlights the evils brought on by slavery, the Civil Rights movement, and the rise of hate groups within the United States. Along with photos, there were accounts of slaves describing their sale and life with their owners.
Rwandan Genocide
The final exhibit on display during my visit covered the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. It explained the roots of the genocide dating back to the 19th century and Belgian occupation along with photos and videos.
