Rail car used during Holocaust serves as reminder of dark history

A rusted old rail car is a sobering reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. That car was used to transport Jews to concentration camps during World War II where more than 6 million were ultimately killed.

"When I go inside I keep thinking about the amount of people that they would put onto this rail car," said Jody Kipnis, president of the Holocaust Legacy Foundation. "It could have been days having to stand with a bucket to use for the bathroom."

WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE

Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

Kipnis wants to bring the story of this car to Boston's new Holocaust museum, which is expected to open in 2026.

"This rail car tells a lot of stories and some of them we will never ever know," said Kipnis.

Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.

The car will sit near the top floor of the museum and be visible from Tremont Street. Inside, visitors will be able to walk through it and hear audio testimony from survivors.

"There’s so many emotions that ran through me every time I see it," she said.

The rail car was donated by a woman from Arizona whose father survived the concentration camps. Kipnis said it originally came from Macedonia.

Joshua Crane's company Daedalus Conservation is helping to restore this sensitive piece of history.

"We’re piecing together what that had looked like using images and other documentation we can find," said Crane.

It's an emotional and meticulous job that could take several months.

"As we get going on it, I’m sure the more I get into it and involved the more those feelings will come," he said.

The train car is a reminder of a dark past. Kipnis hopes people will learn the lessons of the Holocaust so that they are never repeated again.

"We are hoping that by building this museum that people will at least be able to hear from those who survived…what it was like to be on a rail car like this," said Kipnis.