Horrified
Being horrified means feeling intensely shocked and repulsed. When people attend museums they may prefer to feel satisfied and informed rather than such an overwhelming emotion, so it’s important to represent these feelings.
By Adam, Yossie, Libby and Annie
Explore the Collection
Toy Truck
A red toy truck with the letters ‘LMS’ on the side. The truck belonged to Barney Greenman who was born on 17 March 1940 in Rotterdam. His father Leon made the truck for Barney during World War 2.
It evokes horror because it reminds the viewer that real people suffered from World War 2 and the Holocaust. The truck symbolises the millions of ordinary children (who also would have played with such toys) whose lives were taken and ruined.
Adam, Year 12
Toothbrush and linen bag
A small 10cm piece of wood with a mere stump of material attached to the end of it in order to form a toothbrush. Alongside it is a white linen bag to carry the toothbrush. Both the toothbrush and the bag are in no condition to be used for their purposes today.
An object we take for granted in our contemporary society was a ‘luxury’ in the Theresienstadt ghetto. I found it a horrific thought that while we can replace our toothbrush regularly, when Lily Fischl had to take great risks to have her stick with material, in circumstances where people were without any possessions.
If this was a ‘luxury’ for Lily, how horrific must life have been in the camps?
Yossi, Year 12
Barbed wire from Auschwitz
Two pieces of rusted barbed wire. There are smaller pieces wrapped around to make spikes in order to injure anyone trying to escape.
This object represents the horrors of concentration camps where men, women, and children were imprisoned, embodying the inescapable reality of these camps where innocent people were kept trapped as they suffered.
What would daily life feel like being trapped behind wire?
Libby, Year 12
Announcement of Anti-Nazi League meeting 1990s
A meeting to combat the Neo-Nazi belief that the Holocaust was a hoax or exaggerated. It advertises the Auschwitz survivor Leon Greenman as a speaker, as well as Harry Cohen MP.
This object shows that the suffering people endured during the Holocaust didn’t end after the war, it carried on and translated into other antisemitic struggles.
What would it have been like to be a Holocaust survivor and have others deny your suffering and experience?
Annie, Year 12
