In the beginning of Hitler's reign Jews were allowed to stay in their homes, but were identified as enemies to the country and mistreated by their neighbors. Once the government decided to remove the Jewish population, they often would force them with violence to leave their homes and their belongings to be transported to ghettos. From there, they were violently and forcibly moved into overcrowded train cars to go to concentration camps. Some were told they would be moving to a place with better living conditions that the ghettos, in order to get them to go with less of a fight.
After having been taught about the Holocaust for my entire life, I sometimes catch myself forgetting that what I read about is not just an article that someone wrote, but historical fact. I distance myself from the reality of what I'm learning, but it's always shocking when I begin to think more deeply about the experiences of the people involved. When the Holocaust railcar came to CGCC I had one of those realization moments. It's one thing to read it, and another to experience it.
Kramer, Arnold. Holocaust train car. Digital image. Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 1 May 2016.