The Oregon Holocaust Memorial was very beautiful. It was a sad yet inspiring morning. We learned about the memorial and what each piece of it represents. We then read the very touching quotes from actual survivors. We placed pebbles on the stone under which the ashes of many who perished at the six killing camps are buried.
We visited the Oregon Jewish Museum where we learned about the history of Jewish people in Portland, Oregon. We then went to the Nikkei legacy center where we had a real look at the appalling conditions Japanese Americans were forced to live in during those terrible times. Part of our Nikkei experience took us to the waterfront and the Japanese American Plaza where we reviewed the Bill of Rights and contemplated the real effects of stripping away those rights. We ate lunch here and memorized many of the wonderful poems written by people who lived in the internment camps.
Our final stop was Camp Withycombe where we saw many photos and artifacts from WWII. We got to see actual rifles and grenades and heard the thrilling stories of heroes "just doing their job". We also got to see the Adjunct General's house, which was built as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)! Of course, the coolest part was the tanks. :-)
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