Delphos P.O. Museum

Holocaust Room

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	As one steps into The Holocaust Room, the first sight is that of a concentration camp guard with a German shepherd at his side. This wall mural represents what the holocaust victims witnessed as they stepped off trains into campgrounds surrounded by barbed wire fences, guard towers and bleak shelters.

	A second mural portrays the haunting figures of the emaciated camp prisoners. The deaths of over six million Jews at the hands of the Germans, has made those that have survived even more determined to remember what they endured and be stronger in spite of it.

	People may wonder why the Holocaust is featured in a post office museum. As visitors read the letters exchanged between two Jewish cousins, Max Schohl and Julius Hess, they realize that the written word is the path to understanding humanity. Schohl was a well-to-do chemist living in Germany while Hess was of limited means, living in West Virginia. The exchange of letters between the two men began in 1938 with Schohl's desperate pleas for assistance in helping his family leave Germany. The selfless Hess continuously labored to ensure the passage of his cousin, while other American relatives begrudgingly donated money for passage. The desperation in Schol's letters escalated until 1941, when the correspondence ended. Schohl was eventually sent to Auschwitz, where he survived only three months. History may be best understood when learned through the words of those who lived it.

People may wonder why the Holocaust is featured in a post office museum. As visitors read the letters exchanged between two Jewish cousins, Max Schohl and Julius Hess, they realize that the written word is the path to understanding humanity. Schohl was a well-to-do chemist living in Germany while Hess was of limited means, living in West Virginia. The exchange of letters between the two men began in 1938 with Schohl's desperate pleas for assistance in helping his family leave Germany. The selfless Hess continuously labored to ensure the passage of his cousin, while other American relatives begrudgingly donated money for passage. The desperation in Schol's letters escalated until 1941, when the correspondence ended. Schohl was eventually sent to Auschwitz, where he survived only three months. History may be best understood when learned through the words of those who lived it.

	The Voyage of the S.S. St. Louis is described in this exhibit. The harrowing experience of 936 Jewish passengers that fled Germany in 1939 is told through letters the passengers sent to relatives and friends who were trying to secure their safety. The ship spent months at sea, only to be denied entry into several countries, including the United States. Finally several European countries allowed entry for the Jewish passengers. The Germans had hoped to prove that the world was anti-Semitic thus allowing Germans to address "the Jewish problem". Through letters such as this collection, we are allowed to relive history.

The Voyage of the S.S. St. Louis is described in this exhibit. The harrowing experience of 936 Jewish passengers that fled Germany in 1939 is told through letters the passengers sent to relatives and friends who were trying to secure their safety. The ship spent months at sea, only to be denied entry into several countries, including the United States. Finally several European countries allowed entry for the Jewish passengers. The Germans had hoped to prove that the world was anti-Semitic thus allowing Germans to address "the Jewish problem". Through letters such as this collection, we are allowed to relive history.

	World War II propaganda is displayed, including this poster encouraging Americans to unite by speaking a common language.

	The volume of mail crossing the Atlantic Ocean during the war was so great that "V mail" was developed. A picture of a letter was taken, then transferred to microfilm and transported across the ocean in canisters that would hold many films. Once the canister reached land, the letters would be transferred into a larger image and mailed to their final destinations.

	Fearing a repeat of the poisonous gas attacks of World War I, gas masks were issued during World War II. This gas kit was issued to the Delphos Post Office. The post office also served as a fallout shelter because of its thick walls and sturdy construction.

	The Holocaust Room was made possible with funding from The Ethel and Nathan Cohen Foundation and The Arnold C. Dienstberger Foundation. The plaque reads "The letters, murals, and pictures in this room stand as a memory of those who endured World War II and the Holocaust. The words spoken here are a testament to the strength of the human spirit."

	Local artist Diane Bendele created the two wall murals with the intentions of immersing the visitor into that of a concentration camp prisoner. The plaque acknowledging her work reads "These murals have captured the hope that sustains us." To ensure that every detail was correct in her murals, Diane's research took her to the Smithsonian's Holocaust Museum in Washington D. C.