DANIA BEACH, Fla. – A prominent anti-Nazi exhibit will soon be unveiled for all to see for the first time in South Florida.
The exhibit, "State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda," was produced by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and will open this weekend at the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center in Dania Beach.
"This is the first traveling exhibition on our property," said Rositta Kenigsberg, president of the center.
Kenigsberg said bringing the project to South Florida has been in the works for some time and it's very important to not only showcase how World War II-era German Nazi leader Adolph Hitler became a dictator, but the lessons we can take away from it today.
"I think it's very important for people to realize what propaganda is, one; two, recognize it; three, realize how it could be used in a very negative and really horrific way," Kenigsberg said.
The exhibit takes people throughout a dark 30-year period.
"The first section looks at the years 1918 through 1933 when we see Nazis as a political party," said Sonia Booth, of the Holocaust museum.
From there, the exhibit highlights Hitler's rise to power, and how propaganda was used for war and mass murder through hateful messages. The fourth and final section takes viewers through the post-World War II era, also known as the denazification period in Germany.
"This exhibit really shows us the consequences of hateful propaganda when it is unchecked," Booth said.
"There's lessons that need to be learned and we want to stop the hate, the violence, the prejudice," Kenigsberg said.
The exhibit opens Sunday and will run at the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center until May 6.