Panama opens permanent Holocaust exhibition to promote human rights memory

Panama City now hosts a permanent exhibition dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and promoting human rights education with the opening of a new space at the Museum of Freedom. The exhibition guides visitors through the historical context of Jewish communities in Europe before the Nazi regime's ascent and the subsequent progression of events leading to the Holocaust.

"The purpose is to tell the story not just for people to learn the history, dates, names, and facts, but for them to learn it with a mission, a mission to understand what happened and how society arrived at this point," said Dalia Gateño, president of the EMET Foundation. Through photographs, documents, objects, and bibliographic material, visitors can understand the period preceding the persecution of the Jewish population and the consequences of one of the 20th century's most tragic episodes.

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The purpose is to tell the story not just for people to learn the history, dates, names, and facts, but for them to learn it with a mission, a mission to understand what happened and how society arrived at this point.

The exhibition also includes fragments of Adolf Hitler's speeches against the Jewish people, contextualizing the discourse of hate that preceded the genocide. Gateño emphasized that the space aims to keep the memory of victims alive and encourage reflection on the importance of tolerance and respect for human rights. Elvira López Fábrega, executive director of the Museum of Freedom, noted that the hall incorporates interactive and educational elements. "Among them, an original canister of Zyklon, a gas used in extermination camps; it's truly impactful to see these things because it gives a much more real context to what happened, and it's very rare to find these types of pieces in a country like ours," López explained.

The Museum of Freedom is open to the public from Tuesday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., offering students, researchers, and visitors a space to learn about and reflect on this chapter of history.

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Among them, an original canister of Zyklon, a gas used in extermination camps; it's truly impactful to see these things because it gives a much more real context to what happened, and it's very rare to find these types of pieces in a country like ours.