Further, I will compare and contrast the strategically different ways theses exhibits are presented for public consumption, including the importance of location, the design of the museum itself which creates a deliberate path for a visitor upon entering the exhibit right up until the final steps, and the reasons behind why the curators have chosen these methods
Finally, I will examine the take-away message the curators of these two museums intended for their audiences when they were initially constructed, and although different, explain why both are of equal value and importance.
Firstly, one of the most important roles of Holocaust museums and memorial sites is in facilitating the individual learning process, not only in the way they can educate us about the cold hard facts of the Holocaust, but in their ability to enable those who pass through the museums to feel connected on an emotional level with those who perished. This is an invaluable part of the experience because before we can even begin to comprehend the atrocities experienced by those who went through the Holocaust, museums give us a window into other people's lives and show us we are all the same, by standing over the victims shoes, looking at their documentation, or seeing piles of empty suitcases. Once that connection is there, we can slowly begin to comprehend what happened in those years when the world closed its eyes, and what we can do to guarantee that this kind of horror is never repeated.
Now, to compare two of the leading Holocaust museums today, I will begin with Yad Vashem, which when translated, literally means "Hand and Name". This is an appropriate name for this unique museum, as it aims to do just that, namely to put personal stories about the Holocaust to the victims and survivors. Situated in Israel's capital city of Jerusalem, and perched atop a hill that is also home to Mount Herzl, the site of Israel's national cemetery, Yad Vashem is a long triangle-shaped structure that is cleverly and purposely constructed to exhibit a particular point during the Holocaust, right from the get-go.