AMHERST, NY (WKBW) — A first-of-its-kind, traveling museum has arrived in Amherst, bringing important lessons for middle and high school students.
The Mobile Museum of Tolerance, a state-of-the-art educational tool, is designed to combat hatred.
“The intimidation. The roundups and deportation,” stated the narrator in a powerful Holocaust video featured in the museum.
“The whole reason we built the Mobile Museum of Tolerance is to ensure that students across the state have access to these crucial lessons," Michael Cohen from the Simon Wiesenthal Center remarked.
The Buffalo Jewish Federation is hosting this mobile museum created by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. It offers an invaluable resource for students in grades 5 through 12, focusing on topics such as the Holocaust, propaganda, discrimination, and hatred.
“These aren’t just lessons for the sake of history,” Cohen explained. “They are lessons to empower students, to show that they have a social responsibility in these challenging times. They can make a difference when it comes to combating hate.”
Miriam Abramovich, CEO of the Buffalo Jewish Federation, emphasized the importance of sharing the Jewish people’s story.
“It’s more important than ever to share the story of the Jewish people,” she said.
According to Abramovich, educating students about the Holocaust can also help foster empathy and tolerance.
“The hope is that, after the lessons, students will be empowered to become moral change agents,” she reflected.
Instructors aboard the Mobile Museum of Tolerance lead students through five foundational lessons beyond just learning about the Holocaust—they also focus on civil rights and other important historical events.
"Until the 1960s, there existed in America two societies—separate and unequal,” stated the narrator in one of the museum's educational videos.
Local Reactions to the Museum
School districts across the region are now signed up to host the Mobile Museum, including the Sweet Home and Clarence Central School Districts.
“We love the message that it sends of tolerance for all,” said Michael Ginestre, superintendent, Sweet Home Central School District.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have the Mobile Museum come out to Clarence later this week,” shared Matthew Fraham, superintendent, Clarence Central School District.
The superintendents from both districts emphasized the importance of these lessons for their students.
“They do a great job presenting the information, putting it into historical context, but also making it relevant for our kids who are going through similar struggles today," Fraham noted.
“If we’re continuing to teach tolerance and how to work together so that we all have a common goal, we’re going to do that at Sweet Home,” Ginestre noted.
Educators interested in signing up for their school district or school should go to this link on the Buffalo Jewish Federation webpage.
State-Funded Initiative
This Mobile Museum of Tolerance is fully funded by the state legislature, ensuring that the message of tolerance and understanding reaches students across the region.
