As someone who grew up from an immigrant household in America, I would like to believe that I am somewhat considerate of other people’s cultural differences and values. If given the opportunity to do so, I absolutely love to hear about people’s cultures and what differences there are between mine and their background in regards to how we view the world. I’m not always one to admit that I watch 90 Day Fiance during my free time but what I can admit to is that many of the fights we view are frictions between cultures. I’m usually finding myself in the middle because, even if it’s a different perspective to mine, I am aware that people grew up with outlooks on life that won’t align with myself. I may not always agree with it and, from a Western perspective, I do think some things should be accepted but someone could easily look at my actions and think of them as heinous as well. And my results taking the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale shows that:
However, by no means am I perfect and I am aware that there are areas that I need to work on. For instance, many times with cultural discussions, I find myself lacking in interaction confidence, especially if they’re in communities completely different than mine. An example would be my confidence speaking with black people who reside in the Los Angeles area. It’s not that I’m willing to have a conversation but rather, my lack of confidence stems from having to truly face the pain my race is causing people in those groups. As much as I don’t want to always admit it, I do understand that I do benefit from white privilege and having to face that head on makes me lose confidence in interacting since it’s easier to live in a world where it’s not a real factor, though I am aware that I will need to do more to reach out and be an ally. Religion is another cultural difference that I find myself not having much knowledge and that includes the history that these groups have. From history lessons, it’s no surprise that religious groups have been persecuted in the past and even today but there’s a difference between reading it in a textbook and actually witnessing fragments of that persecution that still have remnants today.
Despite living so close to it, I have never visited the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles. I’ve learned about the persecution of Jewish individuals during WWII but I’ve personally never delved deep into this subject on my own, which is why I want to use this activity to do so. The Holocaust Musuem in Los Angeles is the first survivor founded and oldest museum in the United States and it contains an immense amount of history through the documents that survivors compiled when they reunited.
In addition to what I’m expecting to see, I’m also curious to see how my current perspective of the Jewish culture will change or be enhanced by visiting the museum. At the moment, a prior perception that I have is that Jewish people are individuals who are proud of their heritage and are family oriented. This ties into the perception that they’re highly educated as well and tend to excel in multiple lines of work by having an incredible attention to detail. It also appears that there’s a loyalty within their communities; when I was still going to my pediatrician who was Jewish, he shared his office with another Jewish individual and would recommend to me other doctors within his sphere. This also aligns with another perception that their culture, while having independence, are also able to communicate closely with one another and physical touch is acceptable with individuals they know. However, while they may be close to their families and those in their community, I also believe that they do strive for high achievements to excel in their field of practice. Of course, I’m aware that these perceptions are based on the interactions I’ve had with Jewish people over the years and what I hear from the media but I also understand that there’s more to their culture that I need to be educated on.
Overall, while I’m anxious about visiting, I also understand that I won’t learn anything without being uncomfortable and standing by with the limited knowledge I have. Not only is there a historical difference but a cultural difference that I need to learn and I think that this opportunity will open my eyes to varying perspectives.
When learning about the Holocaust in school, we were taught how horrific the event was and the consequences that occurred from it. However, going through the museum today, I learned so much more about the struggles that Jewish people endured even prior to Hitler’s regime. When looking at the images of Jewish families, they looked like people; if one were to meet a Jewish person on the street, they wouldn’t be able to tell that they were different. Yet, for centuries, they have been persecuted and distanced because of their different religious beliefs. While it was not WWII levels, they practiced religion in heavy Christian countries that showcased their differences. I didn’t go into the museum with a mindset that they were incredibly different from myself but seeing the images and stories really solidified that they are human beings and there was no reason for this immense hatred towards them. Displays throughout the museum highlighted who these people are and put names to those who had to live through atrocities, allowing visitors to recognize humanity to build that connection. Solidarity ties into this because the museum was created from this concept. As mentioned earlier, this museum came to be with survivors of the Holocaust coming together and wanting to share their story. They had this common interest and they used that to create this museum that showcases some families who endured this part of history. This allows for social justice to be prevalent as well in the museum by representing the injustices that Jewish people went through and still continue to go through to this day. They’ve always lived a life filled with antisemitism and while the Holocaust is the biggest example of that, the museum shows how Jewish people were discriminated prior and even after the event.
The museum utilized different inclusive strategies to show the Jewish community. In a way, they used the idea of strength based perspective combined with reflective practice for their message. It is no surprise that millions of people suffered at the hands of discrimination but the only way that so much history has been preserved all this time is from individuals documenting and leaving traces behind that explain the horrors they went through. And even though they would have been heavily persecuted, there were non-Jewish people who risked their lives to save Jewish people’s lives during this time. The strength that the survivors and their families have is remnant of the strength based perspective because it was through their strengths that they are able to create change. If it wasn’t for their strengths, they wouldn’t be able to get their message across and show individuals why combating antisemitism is so important. This ties into reflective practices because their stories make individuals reflect on these past injustices and see why antisemitism is a problem to this day. There are people in our world who still discriminate against Jewish people and the museum does a fantastic job making one reflect on why it’s so important to fight against antisemitism. An interaction that stood out to me was during a tour that I happened to be a part for a bit of time. As the docent explained religious items and clothing that Jewish people were expected to wear, she brought up mention of the humiliation that they had to endure with wearing specific clothing. That stuck out to me the most because I knew that Jewish people had to wear the Star on their sleeves but to the extent of having to wear capes that wouldn’t allow them to use their hands or needing to make sure clothing was black and yellow, it really put into perspective how much degradation they had to endure. These clothing rules made them stick out well before the Holocaust began and it still sickens me to think that this was done to make sure people could mock and ban them from establishments due to them celebrating different religious traditions.
As I explored the exhibits, I couldn’t help my curious side from having questions that still remain on my mind after the experience: 1.In regards to stories and testimonies, I came into the experience anticipating experiences that would have painted my Italian heritage in a negative light since they also were a part of the experience Jewish people had to endure yet I saw nothing in regards to that. Therefore, I wonder, are there stories and artifacts out there that do portray what happened to those who lived in Italy at the time? What happened in Italy and if there was a lot more leniency, why was that the case? 2.I’m also curious on how the creators of the museum came together and decided to build it to showcase their stories. How did they find each other in California? What motivated them to step outside of their hidden identities to display their heritage? 3. Prior to visiting the museum, I had an idea that there were different jobs that Jewish slaves had to do in the camps but the museum didn’t speak much on what those positions were. What jobs did Jewish people mostly do before the Holocaust? What professions did Jewish people find themselves doing after? While a painful time, for those who did survive, were they able to use any skills they may have developed in the camps and apply them to future careers?
To my surprise, I expected to cry and feel superficial emotions while visiting but I didn’t do so. Rather, if I had to describe how I felt and still feel, it’s more akin to a silent anger and sadness that makes one think profoundly. History lessons told me some of the hardships that were endured but being at the museum individualized survivors and it pained me to see these people have to live lives of horror and humiliation. Prior to the experience, using the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, I would say my view of Jewish people and antisemitism was in the minimize phase in that, I knew that people of different cultures had differences but that my world view is similar to theirs and my beliefs would be their own. Yet, that’s not the case and the museum shared that. Jewish people have rich traditions and practices that are a part of their identities and even during moments when they faced persecution, they still held onto those different beliefs at the cost of their own lives. By no means do I feel like I am at the Integration phase of the model since there’s much more I need to learn about all different types of cultures but I do feel like I have entered a state between acceptance and adaptation and understanding that I need to further my perceptions. I think the museum was a fantastic first step in the right direction but there’s more I need to do to get to the integration phase. Since I am a shy individual, it’s important that I take small steps and in the future, I would like to visit other museums similar to this one. Another famous museum in Los Angeles is the Museum of Tolerance that focuses on the stories of the Holocaust as well as other groups that have been prejudiced against. I also want to revisit the Holocaust Museum one day and be able to listen all of the individual audio tours that are available and reevaluate how I viewed the artifacts the first time. It would also be beneficial for me in the future to look deeply into the questions I gained from the experience and seek answers for them, whether that is from a scholar in the museums to an actual survivor. Understanding the hardships of history is what allows us to grow and make sure that these never happen again. After this visit, I’m even more against the antisemitism that has happened in recent months and I want to be a better ally to those who still face discriminatory comments.
Sharpe, E., Mair, H., & Yuen, F. (2016). Community development: Applications for
leisure, sport, and tourism. State College, PA: Venture Publishing.
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