History of Genocide

Throughout history, people have been victimized because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry and sexual orientation. While discrimination does not always lead to genocide, it invariably precedes it. In the 20th Century alone, catastrophes claimed many millions of victims. One of the most insane abominations was the slaughter by the Nazis of more than 6 million Jews, simply because they were Jews. The Nazis also murdered 5 million non-Jews. Other areas that are or have been afflicted by the phenomenon of genocide include Cambodia, Rwanda, East Timor, and Bosnia.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, declared, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” (Article l) and that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment” (Article 5).

For more information, please visit our Exhibits page.