Day Trip: Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills provides chilling lessons

The Holocaust Memorial Center is in Farmington Hills, Mich.

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — Chilling. That was the word of the day, both bone-chilling and soul-chilling.

The wind whipped across the parking lot pelting Best-Ever Friend Dave and me with snow and single digit wind chills as we scurried to the entrance of the Holocaust Memorial Center, 28123 Orchard Lake Road.

Joined by Cousin Judy Thomas of Monroe, Mich., we were glad to get into the warmth of the museum’s lobby.

Soon, we were warming up further as we followed a 4,000 year timeline of Jewish history. We pointed to Bible stories we’ve recently studied in Genesis and historical events we remembered.

People and events in popular culture were highlighted, too. I never realized Sandy Koufax, a pitcher for the Dodgers, was Jewish, once refusing to pitch in the World Series opening game because it fell on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day.

MORE: Read previous Day Trip columns by Phyllis Rose

From the timeline, we stepped into the Museum of European Jewish Heritage where we basked in the warmth of Jewish traditions, heritage and contributions to the world. There were placards with explanations of Jewish wedding traditions, religious ceremonies, and displays of special ceremonial items such as a plate with indentations for the various foods served in the seder meal.

A large mural of a shtetl (town) reminded us of Anatevka in “Fiddler on the Roof.” At a nearby touch screen kiosk, we viewed black and white photos of shtetl life including work, community, and celebrations.

This authentic World War II boxcar was imported from Germany. It has been restored and stands in the lobby of the Holocaust Memorial Center in memory of the Jews who were transported to the concentration camps in these boxcars. Photo courtesy of the Holocaust Memorial Center.

Throughout the museum, there are video theaters where you push a button, take a seat and learn more about Jewish culture. The first of these highlights Yiddish culture, particularly the various theater companies which performed around the world. This led to stories of Jewish actors such as Al Jolson and artists such as Marc Chagall.

On a nearby wall is a list of Jewish Nobel Prize Winners, noting that one-fourth of all Nobel Prize Winners have been Jewish, but Jews make up only 0.2 percent of the population.

The warmth began to chill as we proceeded to the signboards detailing the development of anti-Semitism, including “blood libel,” the false accusation that Jews murdered children to use their blood in religious ceremonies. Then, there was the Dreyfus affair in which Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish military officer in France, was falsely convicted of treason.

Then, we began the descent into the hell of Nazism. Walking down a ramp, we read the sign boards and viewed various videos of the Nazis’ rise to power and the effects on Jews.

Many videos featured survivors telling their stories. One man recalled being beaten in his classroom because the teacher falsely accused him of sticking his tongue out at Hitler’s picture.

There were displays and videos about the Warsaw ghetto, resistance attempts, and life and death in the concentration camps.

Just outside a replica of a boxcar used to transport Jews to the camps, we watched a video of David Kahan who told how he survived because he was a young teenager, valuable for slave labor. The rest of his family perished in the gas chambers.

The Holocaust Memorial Center is in Farmington Hills, Mich.

Other videos show concentration camp survivors returning to the camps and talking about their experiences there.

The most graphic, disturbing, and soul-chilling videos were newsreels of the liberation of the camps near the end of the war. We found them very hard to watch.

But we came out on the other side to hear miraculous stories of how survivors rebuilt their lives and vowed never to forget.

The video, “Responsibility,” reminds us of our responsibility to respect differences because “It’s up to you” to change the world for the better.

The ramp now led uphill into the light past the “Righteous Army of the Nations” display, honoring non-Jews who helped save Jews, such as the Quaker teacher, Elisabeth Abegg, who set up a network to shelter Jews, selling her possessions to finance the operation.

It was hard to think about eating after this chilling experience but we were hungry by mid-afternoon.

We chose the nearby Brass Pointe Food & Spirits, 24234 Orchard Lake Road, to revive our spirits.

Dave and I started with cabbage vegetable soup - hot and filled with chunky vegetables. Judy ordered three tacos served with rice, refried beans and coleslaw but she also envyingly eyed Dave’s Classic Burger served on a brioche roll and accompanied by ranch fries.

My large chicken taco salad, accompanied by the restaurant’s homemade ranch dressing, was very tasty. I splurged on dessert - warm chocolate spoon cake. It’s so moist you almost need a spoon to eat it.

But our day of exploring the Holocaust wasn’t over. We accompanied my brother and sister-in-law, Larry and Dorothy Rose of Troy, to hear a talk by Eric Metaxas, author of “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy,” a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer which we had read.

For the first half, Metaxas reviewed the life of Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor who stood against the Nazis and ultimately became involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler.

After intermission, Metaxas took text questions from the audience. One question asked how close the United States is to the going down the same path as Germany prior to World War II.

His answer was chilling.

If you go:

Farmington Hills is about 135 miles or two hours from Kalamazoo.

Directions: Go East on I-94 to M-14 East (Exit 171 on the left). Follow that to I-275 North (Exit 42). Then merge onto I-696 (Exit 165). Take Exit 5, Orchard Lake Road. Turn left onto Orchard Lake.

To the restaurant: From the Center, turn right onto Orchard Lake Road. The restaurant is about two miles south on the left.

For more information:

Holocaust Memorial Center

248-553-2400

Note: Allow significant time for this museum. After four hours, we left feeling as if we’d just touched the surface.

Brass Pointe Food & Spirits

248-476-1377

Eric Metaxas

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