“We Remember” – Holocaust Memorial Gallery

The Crossroads of Civilizations is proud to open the first Gallery of its kind in the Arab World – dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

About the Gallery:

The Gallery was developed to raise awareness of the Holocaust among the local and international public (Dubai is home to over 200 different nationalities). It looks at the chain of events leading up to the Holocaust and uses personal testimonies and stories, presented alongside the facts.

Historical sections:

This is a rare facsimile of a Mahzor (a Jewish prayer book) from the city of Worms, Germany. This Mahzor is believed to have belonged to the spiritual leaders of the Jewish community of Worms, among them the renowned Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki.

The original Mahzor was saved from the Kristallnacht, a night of atrocities against Jews, carried out all over Germany in 1938. The name Kristallnacht (literally meaning Crystal Night) refers to the shards of broken glass that appeared on the ground, following the smashing of windows of Jewish-owned stores, businesses, houses, and synagogues.

Survivor Testimony:

Testimonies from survivors and victims’ families provide a more personal understanding of the Holocaust. Included are testimonies from Srul Farkas, Yashka Glass, and Dr. Mojzis Woskin-Nahartabi – an Arabic teacher in the Theresienstadt Ghetto in Czechoslovakia.

The Children:

The Gallery pays tribute to the most vulnerable victims of the Holocaust. At its center is a life-size image of young boy from the famous photograph of the Warsaw ghetto in Poland. Real, original, WWII era weapons from the museum’s collection surround his image – creating discomfort for the viewer and drawing attention to the magnitude of this disaster.  Among the victims of the Holocaust –approximately one and a half million children were murdered.

Also featured are the stories of Anne Frank – whose diary became one of the most famous testimonies of the Holocaust, and teenage boy Petr Ginz – who created the famous drawing of the Earth as seen from the moon. A copy of that drawing was taken into space by Israel’s first astronaut, the late Ilan Ramon, whose mother and grandmother were Holocaust survivors.

Tribute to Muslim Heroes:

Of special relevance to the region is the section devoted to Arab upstanders – Muslims who saved the lives of Jewish people during the Holocaust. Included here are the stories of the rescue of Albanian Jews by Muslim Albanians; Selahattin Ülkümen – the Turkish diplomat who saved the Jews of Rhodes from deportation; and Dr. Mohammed Helmy – recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, at Yad Vashem Memorial.

Dr. Helmy saved several Jews including a woman named Anna Boros. This story has a special local connection – as Rabbi Yehuda Sarna of the UAE Jewish community is related to Anna’s daughter Carla, through his wife’s family. The museum was fortunate to be able to acquire rare items that tell this incredible story firsthand – such as the document stating Boros had (allegedly) become a Muslim – thereby saving her.

Community Stories:

This rotating collection focuses on various Jewish communities that perished and were lost in the Holocaust.

Create a Memory:

The Creating Memory project builds connections between upcoming generations and the memories of the past.

About Us:

The Dubai Crossroads of Civilizations Museums (CCM) is part of a group of three privately-owned museums housing collections of historical artifacts, rare manuscripts, and cavalry tools and weapons, curated by Founder Ahmed Obeid AlMansoori, Former Member of the UAE Federal National Council.

The CCM is part of The Museum Group and is located in a cluster of historic buildings.  The Museum Group includes The Crossroads of Civilization Museum, The Rare Books Manuscripts & Prints Museum, and The Armory Museum. Together they reflect the best of each civilization that has passed through the region. The collections reflect the diversity of cultures, beliefs, and religions of the region, and are a tribute to Dubai and the UAE as a crossroad of global trade routes and cultural exchange between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Together they tell the prolific tale of how the modern-day dynamism of Dubai and the UAE is rooted in the historic interplay of world travelers, traders, and Bedouin people.