The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum welcomed its 30 millionth visitor this week.
Estelle Laughlin, a Holocaust survivor and museum volunteer, reflected on the milestone in a video posted on the museum’s Web site.
“The museum to me represents the conscience of our nation. It represents the conscience of humanity,” she said. “Thirty million people who come here represent the voice and the witness of what America stands for, the best that is in us. I am always touched by their interest. I am always touched by their willingness to reach out and embrace all humanity because truly we cannot live in peace if others, if the rest of the world, is not in peace.”
The museum opened in April 1993. Its guests have included 8 million schoolchildren, 88 heads of state and some 3,500 foreign officials from more than 130 different countries, according to NBC Washington. Admission to the museum is free.
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