United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a national institution situated in a prominent location adjacent to The National Mall in Washington, DC; however, it is not a constituent instiution of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum is dedicated to documenting, studying, and interpreting the history of the Holocaust. It also serves as the United States' official memorial to the millions of European Jews and others killed during the Holocaust under directives of Nazi Germany. While the United States government provided the majority of funding for both the building and continued operations of the museum, a large portion of funding comes from private sources, Jewish movie director Steven Spielberg being amongst the most notable donors. The street that the museum is located on is named Raoul Wallenberg Place, after the Swedish diplomat who is believed to have saved 10,000 Jews in Hungary during the Second World War. Currently, the museum is headed up by Fred Zeidman, Chairman, and Dr. Joel Geiderman, vice-chairman, along with a board of directors and many volunteers who make the museum financially possible (it does not charge admission fees).
The museum was chartered by a unanimous act of the U.S. Congress in 1980. It was first opened to the public in April 1993 after President Clinton and noted Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel lit the eternal flame in the museum's Hall of Remembrance during a somber dedication ceremony. The facilities house a number of exhibitions, artworks, publications, and artifacts relating to the Holocaust. The museum collects and preserves material evidence, distributes educational materials, and produces public programming. The Holocaust Museum also holds annual Holocaust commemorations and remembrances.
Additionally, the museum houses the offices of the Committee on Conscience[link], a joint governmentally and privately funded think tank, which by Presidential mandate engages in genocide research in all areas of the world. Recently, it has established itself as a leading non-partisan commenter on the Darfur Genocide in the nation of Sudan, as well as on the war torn region of Chechnya in Russia, a zone which the Committee believes has the capacity to produce genocidal atrocities. However, the committee does not have policy making powers, and serves solely as an advisorial institution to the United States government and those of other nations who seek its services.
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