International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Saturday
DALLAS-Strolling through the quiet corridors of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is a journey through darkness. The walk made Billie Jean Goldstein emotional.
"I feel like we should have done more," Goldstein said. "We should have stopped it earlier, and our government didn't."
As International Holocaust Remembrance Day comes on Saturday, Goldstein acknowledges preserving this history is personal. It's so rooted; she's doing her part to move the community forward by bringing a young friend, Taelyn Echols, to visit the museum.
"I feel like a lot of people my age feel like they can't do anything about it," Echols said. "And that whatever they do, it isn't making a difference. But just being one person still holds...it holds value."
Museum leaders said raising the next generation of 'upstanders' is critical. And we need courageous voices like 20-year-old Echols right now.
"It's been very discouraging to see this horrific rise in anti-Semitism," Mary Pat Higgins said.
Higgins is the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum President and CEO who recognizes a rise in the wrong direction.
"It's increased almost 400% since October 7th, and that is antisemitism here in the United States," she said.
According to Higgins, antisemitism is everybody's problem. Acknowledging the problem is part of the solution, she thinks.
"We try to teach about the roots and origins of anger, of antisemitism to help people understand it," Higgins said. "And be aware and help them realize that often when they see antisemitism, hatred against other groups is just around the corner."
Higgins calls hate a 'learned behavior.' It's a trait we're not born with, she said.
"The world seems more divided than ever," Higgins said. "And so I think our work (is) to help people understand how dangerous it is to view people as 'others'. To treat them differently because of some characteristic that makes them different from us is just so dangerous."
Her concern is shared by law enforcement. In Dallas this week, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, "The Jewish community represents something like 2.4% of the American population, and yet about 60% of religiously motivated violence is directed at Jewish victims. And that should be alarming to everybody."
Goldstein thinks everyone can be a part of a solution that begins with facing the horror of the past.
"We can't look away," warns Goldstein.
Museum guests can enjoy free admission this weekend, made possible through the support of Waters Kraus & Paul. Local holocaust survivors will speak to visitors on Sunday.
Guests are encouraged to reserve tickets online in advance. Walk-ins will be accommodated based on availability.
"I hope that people leave our museum feeling hopeful. And that sounds almost impossible," acknowledges Higgins. "But when they go through our museum, they will encounter (a) history of people who were incredibly brave, who risked their lives to save others. Those people didn't think they were heroes. They thought they were just doing the right thing. We all have the capacity to do the right thing....and that makes me hopeful for what our future will be."