The pictures are unbelievably powerful. This portion forces the visitor to remember that the Jews had a vibrant and active culture before the Holocaust, and does not allow the images of naked bodies plowed under by bulldozers to depersonalize the tragedy of the Holocaust. Effort is made to explicate the stories of the victims, through text, film and photograph. Unlike several other plans which were considered and rejected, the exhibit does not fit the Holocaust into a redemption scheme. The ending is contemplative but not overly hopeful.
Architectural elements complement the exhibit and evoke aspects of the Holocaust.
An actual boxcar from one of the trains that carried prisoners is used as a conduit, and replicas of the wall surrounding the Warsaw ghetto and the gate to Auschwitz are presented. Paving stones from the ghetto are inserted in the floor. The permanent exhibit traverses a fine line between vivid representation and the intimation of a Holocaust theme park. The Commission hope to allow the visitor to experience some measure of the terror and sadness of the Holocaust without implying that the experience of those murdered by the Nazis can ever be replicated. By mixing photographs, computer demonstrations, artifacts, artwork and text, the planners of the permanent exhibit have created an experience with lasting impact.