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    Thursday, December 29, 2005

    Holocaust Box Car

    Yesterday I attended a ceremony commemorating the receiving of a fully restored authentic boxcar used for transporting jews during the holocaust. The Holocaust Museum Houston is a great museum--one that I've been to many times.
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    It effectively merges pictures and items from the holocaust with art depicting survivors' feelings. Different rooms used a sundry of media to appeal to museum-goers' various senses.

    The ceremony was short, about 45 minutes, and consisted of the emcee describing the miraculous journey the boxcar made to Houston and setting the stage for the large shindig on March 5 with Pres. Clinton, the mayor of Houston, and over 300 holocaust survivors.
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    A protestant priest, Catholic father, and Jewish rabbi all gave prayers and three survivors transported by railcar lit three candles in remembrance of those that died.
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    Ultimately, it was 45 minutes well spent. As I walked around the railcar I couldn't help but grapple with the many impressions that came to mind. All the stencils were so perfect, and the boxcar was made of wood. How could something so normal become the tool of an action so evil? The latch was a simple, black, metal latch. How could something so simple have locked so many people in? So helpless, packed like cattle, on the way to auschwitz...
    The holocaust is possibly the nadir of humanity...I hope that people continue to attend functions like this and never forget what depths humanity can reach--and therefore never attain those depths again.

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