Long Beach Holocaust Memorial Monument facts for kids
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| Coordinates | 40°35′21″N 73°39′59″W / 40.589138°N 73.666464°W |
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| Location | Kennedy Plaza at the Long Beach City Hall, Long Beach, Nassau County, New York |
| Type | Public Holocaust memorial |
| Material | Black granite |
| Dedicated to | the six million Jews who were victims of Nazi persecution and the non-Jews who tried to save them |
The Long Beach Holocaust Memorial Monument is a special public memorial. It is located in Kennedy Plaza at the Long Beach City Hall in Long Beach, New York, USA. This monument remembers the terrible events of the Holocaust.
It was officially opened on June 7, 1987. The memorial honors the six million Jewish people who suffered and died during the Nazi persecution. It also remembers the brave non-Jewish people who tried to help save them.
History of the Memorial
The idea for this monument came from Dr. Stanley Robbin and Architect Monte Scott Leeper. Dr. Robbin was a survivor of the Holocaust. He was also a doctor for Oskar Schindler, a man famous for saving many Jewish people during the Holocaust. Dr. Robbin was also the founder of the Long Island Holocaust Memorial Commission.
Dr. Robbin began working on the idea for the monument in 1982. The dedication ceremony happened on June 7, 1987. About 250 people attended, including important leaders from New York. After it was revealed, the memorial became known around the world. It was even featured in a documentary by an Austrian TV company.
Before this monument was built, a steel sculpture called "Homage to Noguchi" was in its place. This sculpture was moved to the Nassau County Museum of Art.
Design and Meaning
The monument is made of shiny black granite. It looks like an upside-down pyramid. This pyramid has white pictures etched into each of its sides. It sits on a three-sided base, which also has special words carved into it. This base is placed inside an even larger three-sided area with plants. Three triangular benches surround the monument.
The monument stands 12 feet tall. Its base is 10 feet long on each side.
Each side of the upside-down pyramid and its base tells a part of the story.
- One side of the pyramid shows Janusz Korczak. He was a brave man who went with Jewish orphans from the Warsaw Ghetto. They were taken to their deaths in the gas chambers of the Treblinka extermination camp. A Nazi guard is shown in the background. Korczak is holding a young child, and other children are around him.
- Below this picture, the base reads: "To the sacred and Eternal Memory of the Million Jewish Children; who perished in the Holocaust". This remembers the many children who died.
- Another side of the pyramid shows a Burning bush with barbed wire across the fire. This image reminds us of the terrible Extermination camps.
- Below this, the base says: "The Burning Bush which was not consumed". This phrase means that even through great suffering, hope and memory remain.
- The third side of the pyramid lists the names of Raoul Wallenberg, Oskar Schindler, and Maximillian Kolbe. These were non-Jewish heroes who saved many lives during the Holocaust.
- Below their names, the base reads: "Their Brother Keepers". This honors those who protected others.
The lower base of the monument has five plaques. These plaques thank the people and groups who helped make the monument possible. They also explain that Dr. Stanley Robbin designed the etched pictures and Monte Leeper designed the overall structure.
Restoration Work
Over the years, the monument faced wear and tear. It was also affected by Hurricane Sandy. Because of this, the monument needed repairs. A two-year restoration project was finished in June 2016.
The restoration was mostly paid for by Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg and a group called General Restoration Associates.
