Traveling Display Challenges Participants to Take Stand Against Hate
Oakhurst, N.J. – From September 7-9, Hate Ends Now’s The Cattle Car: Stepping In and Out of Darkness – a traveling exhibit created by the Orthodox Union’s Southern NCSY and Jewish Student Union that teaches about antisemitism – will be in Oakhurst, N.J. for the next stop on its tour.
The exhibit will be open to the public at Congregation Torat El, 301 Monmouth Rd. After September 9, it will be displayed at a local public school; for the school’s location and visiting information, contact info@hatenedsnow.org.
The goal of the Hate Ends Now exhibit is to counter the notion that the Holocaust was not a real event in history, and to challenge visitors to internalize the universal lessons of the Holocaust and take a stand against hatred. The traveling display was created in conjunction with ShadowLight, a national Holocaust nonprofit.
The exhibit features a replica of a World War II, Holocaust-era cattle car used to transport Jews and other targeted groups to concentration camps. Inside, an immersive, 360-degree experience displays a moving collection of imagery and footage dating from 1933-1945. The recorded documentaries of Holocaust survivors describing their inhumane experiences in the cattle car provide visitors firsthand accounts of the atrocities that took place during that time.
“With hate and intolerance on the rise, the Hate Ends Now initiative meets an important global need in a creative and impactful educational way,” said Rabbi Micah Greenland, NCSY’s international director. “I am so proud that our innovative NCSY educators have been able to bring this program to the world, beginning in Florida and now in New Jersey.”
The exhibit is intended for participants to deepen their understanding of the development and aftermath of the Holocaust, and encourages them to reflect on modern-day instances of discrimination and intolerance.
“Unfortunately, it seems that hate crimes and other bigoted acts are on the rise once more,” said Southern NCSY Executive Director Todd Cohn. “Through delving into the history of the atrocities committed in service of hate, our hope is to inspire future generations on the merits of tolerance.”
“We are excited to have the cattle car exhibit in New Jersey,” said NJ NCSY Regional Director Aryeh Wielgus. “I am thrilled that people of all ages, especially the younger generation, will benefit from this important educational program. We are grateful to all who are making this possible.”
The tour stop in Oakhurst, N.J. is sponsored by B’nai Sholom/Beth El Foundation.
Hate Ends Now made its debut at Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington, Fl. on December 1, 2021, and will continue moving across the United States until June 2023. It has been displayed in cities across Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, including at 18 high schools, seven universities, and 13 other locations such as synagogues, churches, and the Miami Heat FTX arena. To date, it has had 30,400 visitors.
For more information, including the tour schedule and to host the exhibit, visit www.hateendsnow.org.