American Memorial to Six Million Jews of Europe facts for kids
| Warsaw Ghetto Memorial | |
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| Coordinates | 40°47′17″N 73°58′56″W / 40.788177°N 73.982325°W |
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| Location | Warsaw Ghetto Memorial Plaza, Riverside Park, Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York City |
| Type | Public Holocaust memorial |
| Material | White granite |
| Dedicated to | The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust |
The American Memorial to Six Million Jews of Europe is also known as the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial. It is a public monument located in Riverside Park in New York City. This memorial honors the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the six million Jewish people who were killed during the Holocaust. It was officially opened on October 19, 1947. This makes it one of the first memorials in the United States dedicated to the Holocaust.
Contents
History of the Memorial
How the Idea Started
The idea for a memorial to the six million Jews of Europe came from Adolph R. Lerner. He was a Jewish journalist and publisher from Poland. Mr. Lerner had to leave his home in Austria in 1938 when the Nazis took control. He first went to France, then to the United States. In New York, he worked for the official Polish news agency. He edited important messages from the Polish underground resistance.
In January 1946, Mr. Lerner and his group suggested creating a special flame. This flame would honor the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto and the six million Jews killed by the Nazis. They wanted it to be called the "American Memorial to Six Million Jews of Europe."
Getting Support for the Memorial
Adolph Lerner gained support for his idea from Robert Moses, who was the parks commissioner. On May 2, 1947, Moses approved the location for the memorial.
On April 27, 1947, Lerner officially started an organization. It was first called "Eternal Light Monument in the City of New York in Memory of Six Million Jews of Europe." Later, on May 20, 1947, the name changed to "The American Memorial to Six Million Jews of Europe, Inc."
William O'Dwyer, who was the Mayor of New York City at the time, became the Honorary Chairman. Robert Moses was also a member of the committee.
Fundraising and Cornerstone
A wealthy friend of Lerner's, Israel Rogosin, joined the group. He promised to donate $1,000 and help raise more money. He aimed to get most of the needed $6,000 from his friends.
On October 19, 1947, a special ceremony took place in Riverside Park. A granite plaque was placed near 84th Street. This plaque served as the first stone for the planned monument. Mayor O'Dwyer placed the cornerstone. About 15,000 people attended the event. This included 100 survivors from concentration camps like Buchenwald and Dachau. News outlets from around the world covered the ceremony. Many important Jewish and non-Jewish leaders supported the project.
In 1948, Israel Rogosin became the leader of a fundraising effort. They aimed to raise $600,000 to build the monument.
Challenges in Design
Over many years, at least six different designs were suggested for the memorial. These ideas included an eternal flame, statues of heroes, and tall stone pillars. Some designs featured a large menorah or tablets with the Ten Commandments.
Several artists submitted their ideas. These included Jo Davidson in 1948, Percival Goodman in 1949, and Erich Mendelsohn and Ivan Meštrović in 1951. Later, Nathan Rapoport also submitted a design in 1964. However, all these proposals were turned down. People thought they were too sad, too ugly, or would distract drivers on the nearby highway. Also, none of them received enough money to be built. The effort to build a large monument stopped in 1964.
One design, approved in 1952, was by Meštrović. It was planned to be a very large monument, about 102 feet long and 80 feet tall. The government of Yugoslavia even offered to donate the granite stone. This design included two large tablets with the Ten Commandments. It also had a long wall showing people trying to follow the Commandments, and a huge carving of Moses. But this monument was never built. When Erich Mendelsohn passed away in 1953, the project lost its energy. Over time, the original granite plaque itself became the memorial.
Design of the Memorial
The memorial today is a square white granite plaque. It sits in the middle of a large, landscaped area that is about 12,000 square feet. A metal fence surrounds this area.
The plaque has these words carved into it:
This is the site for the American memorial to the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Battle April–May 1943 and to the six million Jews of Europe martyred in the cause of human liberty.
Beneath the plaque, two boxes are buried. These boxes hold soil from the Theresienstadt Ghetto and Sereď concentration camp. These were two places where Jewish people were held captive during the Holocaust. Also buried there is a special scroll. It describes the brave defense of the Warsaw Ghetto. The Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, wrote it in Hebrew. Rabbi David de Sola Pool translated it into English.
The scroll reads:
This monument set up in New York in the name of the people of the United States of America stands as a memorial of the unparalleled horror committed by the fiendish inhumanity of the Nazi leaders of the German people during the years 1939 to 1945 in destroying six million Jews, one-third of the whole Jewish people.
In 2001, the plaza around the memorial was repaired and made better. This was a joint effort by the Riverside Park Conservancy and New York City. The Deedy and David Goldstick Foundation provided major support. The International Masonry Institute also helped. Architect Gail E. Wittwer-Laird designed the improvements. The area is now called the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial Plaza. The surrounding wall was fixed, and new benches and lights were added. The ground is now made of bluestone and granite. The plaza was officially reopened on October 19, 2001.
Annual Ceremony
Every year on April 19th, a special ceremony is held at the memorial. This date marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Several Jewish organizations, including the Congress for Jewish Culture and the Jewish Labor Committee, organize the event. The ceremony honors all the Jewish people who fought, those who died, and those who survived the Holocaust. People often call the plaque "der shteyn," which means "the stone" in Yiddish.
Caretaker of the Memorial
Since 1991, David T. Goldstick has taken care of the memorial's gardens. He is a former lawyer and lives nearby. He started volunteering to restore and beautify the plants around the memorial. He also designed and planted the gardens along the edges. Mr. Goldstick used to work to help people with their rights. As a young man, he even traveled to Mississippi in 1963 to help with civil rights cases. After he retired, he began volunteering as a gardener for the park and has continued ever since.
On June 5, 2018, David Goldstick received the "Robert M. Morgenthau Citizenship Award." This award was given to him at a special event for the Riverside Park Conservancy. The award honors people who have given great service to the park and the community. It was created by the Riverside Park Conservancy in 2016.
