Visit to Holocaust Museum Reminds One of Respect For All Groups

Editor's Note: This column was written by Yousef Abdallah, east zonal manager for Islamic Relief USA

On Monday, April 2, I, along with my wife, joined my colleagues from Islamic Relief USA, a nonprofit humanitarian and advocacy organization based in Alexandria, Va., to visit the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum, located at 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, in Washington, D.C.

I remember hearing about the Holocaust for much of my life, but seeing images and listening to stories of survivors gives one a completely different perspective on the suffering so many people experienced. Millions of Jews paid a heavy price for no other reason than their ethnic and religious affiliation.

The guide told us many stories about the Jews taken to concentration camps, where they had to face death in mass numbers. The Jews, as a religious group, have suffered many times throughout their history, but the Holocaust is one of the worst instances of ethnic cleansing in the history of man.

I was heartbroken when I heard detailed stories, and got to learn more about this tragedy. I asked myself, why would any group of people treat another group the way Nazis treated Jews for no reason other than their religious belief and ethnicity?

When my oldest daughter, Rana, was in high school, I helped her take part in an interfaith project to help at a homeless shelter in Union City, N.J. She worked with Jewish and Christian girls for three months to raise funds for the shelter. During this time, she visited her Jewish friend’s house and had dinner with her and her family. I remember my daughter recalling the experience and how much she enjoyed it. At the end of the three-month period, the girls hosted a small fundraising event and raised a good amount of money.

Back then, I wanted to teach my kids to love everyone regardless of religious and ethnic differences, and the visit to the museum reinforced that all-important lesson. I will not let that lesson end with me, but rather, I will advocate what I learned and teach others to learn how to respect others.

We live in one world, breath the same air, we should learn how to live together in peace and respect one another. Once we all learn how to do that, this world will become even more beautiful.