Dallas Holocaust Museum

«The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.» — Edmund Burke
Located in an unsuspecting building, a little sign beckoned us into the tiny museum and a security guard pointed the way into a lobby. After paying the ten dollar fee, we receive instructions about our experience, the museum, and the audio equipment (which was a phone-​like device) and our small group was on our way.
The first part, which is in the main lobby, gives an overview of what was going on in world events, the location of the concentration camps, and a lead-​in to the actual exhibit. Each picture has a number to match the pictures. 201 will lead into 202, 203, and so on. The next hundred digit would start a new topic, or a new section.
As soon as you finish the first overview, the audio tour takes you into the actual exhibit, focusing on one day in particular: April 19^th, 1943. The audio tour highlights three very powerful events that happened on the same exact day… an astounding coincidence.
The first section is the 20^th Deportation Train from Belgium. Three men, everyday people like you and me, break onto a train headed to Auschwitz and save over a hundred lives. I don’t want to give it all away for you before you even get to the Museum, but this section gave me chills like no other. I had never heard of the 20^th Train before, but this is a story of courage and bravery by three students when they decided not to stand still and do nothing.
The second section was the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was a thorough example of the complete destruction of the Nazi power but also a story of resistance, even in the most impoverished places, to resist being silent. This section does a great job describing what a ghetto is and what lead to the final point of the uprising: the burning of the Ghetto.
The third section culminates in the overall message of what the Holocaust Museum is trying to get at: resisting apathy. The beginning of the Bermuda Conference on April 19^th, 1943, by our own politicians, was a complete failure of action by our government (mind you, they already knew that hundreds of thousands were being killed by the Nazi régime) to do anything about the crisis on the other side of the world. Note to readers: the concentration camps weren’t liberated until two years later and 1944 was one of the deadliest years in Europe.
I can’t properly describe all the feelings I experienced, except I could see how some reviewers would have to leave from being emotional. The loss of human life is never an easy thing to comprehend, but it’s even worse when many lives were destroyed based on apathy. Such a condemning word.
Two points of personal beauty on this tour: the complete restoration of a boxcar from Belgium. On the television screen that is beside the boxcar, the audio tour specifically mentions a mother, who is also a Jewish singer, who soothes her children as the boxcar ships them off to a death camp. Her singing resonates as one contemplates what she must have endured to try to give a small solace to her children amidst the fear. The second personal beauty is the memorial, dedicated to those who perished in the Holocaust. It’s quiet and simply beautiful: you place a rock on a memorial with each concentration camp etched to the side.
Couple things I do think the Museum can adjust: the setup and the audio. Oftentimes I was confused where I needed to be. After the introduction to the three events that happened on April 19^th, the tour doesn’t tell you where 400 starts. Most people turn to the right (which is easiest), leading right into the 20^th Deportation, when 400 is actually the boxcar and artifacts from the war. I feel like this can be easily corrected by updating the audio with directions where to go or changing the numbers around. I couldn’t help but be confused on that point, not just that one time. Also, audio tour says «press play» when in fact there is no play button on your equipment.
Even for the couple of flaws mentioned, I really appreciate everything that this small museum is trying to do. I still think about this museum all the time, even though I only spent an hour and a half on the audio tour. It’s a very personal experience but invigorates something more into our world: don’t sit on the sidelines. Stand up against what is wrong, even if you stand alone.

I’ve been taking my students to this museum for years. The Dallas Holocaust Museum does a really great job of coordinating with area school districts in order to give students the opportunity to experience this place.
I have taken both large and small groups to this museum. Even with the larger groups, the students did well, and they provided plenty of room/​audio devices for the kiddos.
With that being said, the last two times we’ve been, they did not have the videos playing in the theater room. Instead, they had guest speakers discussing their Holocaust experience to the students. As an adult, I was moved by their stories and touched by their bravery. My students were getting somewhat fidgety, but that is not the speaker’s fault. Today’s students sometimes cannot connect to the past.
A very well-​done museum.

The museum is small, but they are moving to a bigger location shortly. For its size, it is a solid place. You are given a phone like device to listen to descriptions of the exhibits. It is all self guided, and well laid out. There are some amazing artifacts, most of which are from survivors living/​lived in the DFW area. There is also a video at the end of the tour that has first hand accounts of concentration/​death camp experiences. Not as large or informative as the museums in DC or LA, (Museum of Tolerance) but worth the trip.

Visited Dallas last August and found myself downtown post-​Kennedy tour. We checked out this museum and found it interesting. It’s very short but authentic and moving.
Its my opinion that anytime you have the opportunity to see artifacts from this chapter in world history, there should be no question. Just go.
The video of the survivors is especially moving and sometimes, difficult to hear.
This is a small but tastefully done exhibit.

Across from the popular Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas Holocaust Museum is a small museum focusing on one day in the Holocaust: April 19^th 1943. The museum has two small exhibits: a larger permanent exhibit that focuses on that specific day and a smaller rotating exhibit. You can finish the whole museum within an hour, assuming you can emotionally handle its entirety.
The permanent exhibit is separated into three sections for the three events that happened on that day: the liberation of a concentration camp railcar in Belgium, the Warsaw rebellion, and the Bermuda Conference. While the first two sections displays the resistance and the bravery of the Jewish population against the Nazi oppression, the third section is perhaps the museum’s main message: the world’s apathy during the early stages of the Holocaust, which is probably best summarized by Dallas’s local newspaper on that particular day that has the Holocaust as a short second-​page blurb while the gossip of an eloping celebrity dominated the front page.
Yet, the most somber aspect of this museum is the memorial hall that follows the exhibit of apathy and houses ashes from the Auschwitz victims.
Dallas Holocaust Museum’s main message is that atrocities occur if we ignore mass unchecked discrimination, and it does an excellent job delivering that message through its well-​designed exhibit that has some actual artifacts including confiscated goods from Auschwitz victims and the liberated rail car with the German requiem constantly looming in the backdrop and the unintended rumble from the nearby light rail. that created the atmosphere of the doomed transport decades ago.
Although I do not recommend this museum for families with children because of its content, I highly implore you to experience this thought-​provoking museum.
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ADMISSION:
$ 10 adult, $ 8 student. Admission includes audio guide that has detailed explanations for the items and photos.

I think it is a must see. but once is enough. It is VERY SMALL. Self guided which is nice with a personal audio device detailing the exhibits. Lots of information was provided and you could listen for hours about each photo and/​or exhibit. It also gives you the option to continue learning about something by pressing another button on the device. Because there was no interaction whatsoever, listening for more than 1 – 2 hours I began losing my interest. I personally prefer more interaction… but that’s just me.
The memorial room is beautiful and very powerful but the video of the interviews at the end was the emotional explosion. It was very disturbing and hard to listen to.
The museum is worth the $ 10 entry fee and I’m glad I went to experience it, although I, most likely will not go again.
It is on the first floor of a office building (which is odd) and you have to get the «code» for the restroom. But the restroom was clean and easily accessed outside the museum in the lobby.
We happen to get lucky as there was a 9 – 11 memorial gallery going on as well. We got two exhibits for the price of one.
They have parking across the street but we parked around the corner… meter parking. Paid for three hours… was done in two.
Personal comment: WHERE ARE THESE PICTURES COMING FROM!!? I am sooooooo disappointed to see these pictures! They specifically said… NO PICTURES IN THE MUSEUM! You could take a picture of the first wall (as I did) and the front banner… but they made it very clear to not take pictures. Sad.

Small but contains a lot of information! I enjoyed my time here! Learned some facts that I did not know before and the Curious George exhibit is a must!

Small museum takes about an hour to complete. Well worth the $ 10 a person. You get a phone type device that you punch the numbers on the picture into the device and it tells you about the picture and time period. A lot of photos some I’ve seen in books and the Internet some personal to do families in the Dallas area.
It’s a quiet place due to the phone like devices which is nice because it should be a quiet kind of place. They have a tail car from Germany that was brought over to the states in the 70s. They have a lot of artifacts from camps and a memorial room. They have a theater that has interviews with some survivors that recall memories that they have.
Probably a one time stop unless they expand with more artifacts and things but still a nice stop on a rainy day.

The museum was very educational. What I really liked about was that it was guided by personal audio remotes instead of a person. This made the tour itself more meaningful, because I was allowed to view each exhibit without disruption and could process each bit of information personally. This also allowed for the museum to have a very quiet library feel, which I enjoyed as this should be quiet and reflective experience. The museum is on the small side but they are working on moving to a larger location where they can accommodate more exhibits. Overall very somber, leaves you speechless by the end.

Was a little small but everything inside was well set up. Liked the curious George set up they had a lot. Really peaceful place to go if you want a little history lesson. To me the best part was the memorial room… to see all the stones placed there in memory of lost loved ones really touched my heart. Also gave a two dollar military discount so that was nice.

Giving a bad review to the Holocaust Museum is a little bit like shooting Jews, but I have to do it. At the beginning, two girls were at the ticket counter, one on her phone and the other on the desk phone (for all I know, they could have been talking to each other) ignoring people at the counter. I finally paid and was told the «tour» was audio-​driven — I looked around, and everyone had audio devices glued to their ears. I chose not to take one and guided myself around the (tiny) museum. The audio tour is perfect for the young iPhone generation because no one interacts with anyone around them — they just listen to the audio tour and they stare blankly at the exhibit. No human interaction whatsoever. For an experience demanding the utmost in humanity from everyone, this audio tour forces everyone into their own little bubbles, no interaction at all. Sad.
Worst of all, the museum was tiny. I mean TINY. Just a couple of rooms and very few exhibits. Some were labeled «re-​creations», so clearly faked just to demonstrate a point. It was a very disappointing experience. Instead, go over to the Sixth Floor Museum a block away — it’s a much better museum experience.

I have read enough about the Holocaust so that there we no surprises at the museum. And yet, it broke me. I had to leave because it’s such an emotional place. Very hard to think this actually happened. And that’s why it is important for everyone to visit.
It gives us context, helps us value what we have and how we live. It is also a place to make us think about prejudice, racial segregation, discrimination and apartheid. When we look at current events (i.e. Palestine) after visiting this museum, we see things through a new lens. Not many museums can adjust your point of view — this one does.

Small but worth that stop. There are several very pointed displays and even though I am, in the loosest sense, a history buff I learned quite a bit in my short stay. Unlike some audio-​tours where you hear a few minute discussion on a particular section you can go into minute detail or go for the reader’s digest versions and just get the overview. This place was a little tricky to find though using the Unilocal app. It is on the back side of the block with the auxiliary gift shop to the Book Repository. The staff, even though they were teenagers, were pretty helpful and knowledgeable.
Overall, definitely worth a stop.

The museum is amazing. Very dramatically powerful and emotional. It’s literally brings you to your senses. You need to be strong in order to view some of the images. However, I think this is the smallest museum I have ever been to. Less then 15 minutes and we were done– and I had to make sure that «is that it?» Overall, it’s ok.

This museum is very powerful & some of the pictures are really graphic. The music gives a feel to the whole museum really, you leave very inspired & well, disgusted that an incedent like that even happened in the first place.
It’s a walk through, & the staff gives you a remote that you click numbers into & you get to listen to the narrator. It’s very quiet which is good bc you need to listen to the audio. I love how the museum had the rocks put out so guests can put it on the memorial. There are soo many artifacts. It’s insane. The exhibit even had teeth & bones. It’s crazy.
There is a media room but it took so long so my boyfriend & I just left. (We came in just as it ended) I’m pretty sure there was a little wait but we weren’t patient enough I guess. Lol
The staff is very friendly & the museum leaves a very lasting impression.
Also, we came here on a group on so very good deal!

Went today with my coworkers (we designed their website), however, this review is NOT biased. We had an amazing docent who was so insightful and incredibly well informed. (He’s visited the death camps among other atrocities.)
When the tour was over none of said said a word for awhile. The exhibit was truly fascinating and really «takes you back» without ever having been there in the first place…

This really brought me to reality! I can’t believe some of the stories that were being shared. Even though this museum is smaller then others it still makes an impact. The pricing of $ 10 is not bad. I recommend sitting in the theater room and listen to the stories that are being played.
I don’t recommend taking small children because of some of the images are shocking and because you really want to be quiet within the museum rooms.

First visit using Groupon coupon at the sr. rate. What a deal! Small museum most would take an hour+ not much more time needed. Groups welcome. If this is your first such museum to visit also plan on seeing the one in DC, much larger. The Dallas museum has a new building being planned as of Feb 2014.

What a pleasant surprise in Dallas.
I’m not sure how after a decade living here I am just now making it to this museum but it’s better late than never!
With admission at only $ 8, this is a great place to go no matter what age you are. The exhibit is touching without being overwhelming for the young visitors. It is a fairly compact museum but they managed to put a good amount of items on display.

I am fascinated and intrigued by the Holocaust. I was so happy to discover this museum through Groupon. It’s much, much smaller than the famous museum in DC, but the information here is extremely thorough and I felt like it was very informative.
It’s a self-​guided audio tour, which is nice because you can go at your own pace and choose which pictures/​artifacts you would like to hear more about. There was a media room where a movie was playing of survivors telling short stories about their experiences. I loved that part. I also loved the room dedicated to Anne Frank and littered with pictures from her and her sister’s childhood. It was particularly interesting to be able to see her history and realize that she was just a normal kid in a normal family before the tragedy struck. I hope that’s a permanent collection because it was very moving.
I would recommend this museum to anyone with an interest in the Holocaust. I hope to return soon.