The Holocaust Memorial Park facts for kids
The Holocaust Memorial Park is a public park in Brooklyn, New York City. It is located by the water in the Sheepshead Bay area. This park remembers the millions of people who suffered and died during the Holocaust. Many Jewish people who survived the Holocaust settled in nearby communities like Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, and Brighton Beach after World War II. This park is the only public Holocaust memorial park in New York City. The city owns the park, and a group called “The Holocaust Memorial Committee” helps manage its special markers.
History of the Memorial Park
The park became a Holocaust Memorial Park in 1985. This was decided by Edward I. Koch, who was the mayor of New York City at the time. The park first had a group of trees and a place to sit. Later, a local non-profit group, The Holocaust Memorial Committee, helped plan a bigger memorial.
Howard Golden, who was the Brooklyn Borough President, gave money for the new memorial. Construction started in 1994. The memorial was officially opened on June 22, 1997. Important people like Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Abraham Foxman attended the dedication. Mr. Foxman was a Holocaust survivor and a leader of the Anti-Defamation League.
Design of the Memorial
Landscape architect George Vellonakis designed the memorial. It has a tall sculpture, about 14 and a half feet high. This sculpture is made of granite and steel. On top, there is a bronze “Eternal Flame.” The word “Remember” is written around the top of the tower.
The tower stands on three round granite bases. These bases have the names of countries where people were persecuted during the Holocaust. A long granite slab, 21 feet long, tells a short history of the Holocaust.
At the end of this slab, a special message is written:
"This memorial is dedicated to the eternal memory of the six million Jewish men, women and children methodically murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust.
To the five million other innocent human beings who were also murdered under German rule during World War II. To the heroes of the ghettos and the Jewish armed resistance. To the partisans and allied soldiers who fought for freedom. To those who survived the horrors and degradation of the Nazis. To the few righteous among the nations who risked their lives to shield those targeted for death. And to all those who wage battle for freedom and human dignity. Humanity, must learn, understand, and remember so that it will never happen again. Remember!"
The tower is surrounded by two gardens with crushed gravel. These gardens hold 234 granite markers. These markers have names, places, and historical events related to the Holocaust. They look like tombstones with broken edges. This design shows the shattered lives of Holocaust survivors. Each marker is different in shape and size. This reminds us of the many different people who were persecuted by the Nazis.
People can have the names of friends or family members lost during the Holocaust added to these markers. This requires a donation to the Holocaust Memorial Committee. Donors provide the victim's name and a short story of their experience. The committee checks these stories to make sure they are real. Thousands of names have already been added to the markers.
Among the granite markers, you can find names of places like Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Belzec, Buchenwald, Babi Yar, Mauthausen, Dachau concentration camp, Treblinka, Sobibor, Theresienstadt, and Majdanek.
There are also markers for important events and facts. These include the Wannsee Conference, the Death marches, the Nuremberg Laws, the Evian Conference, Kristallnacht, and the Warsaw Uprising.
You will also see names of people like Raoul Wallenberg, Anne Frank, Michael Ber Weissmandl, and Mordechai Gebirtig. Poems and messages from famous people like Abraham Sutzkever, Elie Wiesel, Simon Wiesenthal, and Dwight D. Eisenhower are also there. The Partisan Anthem and the poem First they came ... are also remembered. Many Jewish communities from before the war are also honored.
Annual Gatherings
Since the memorial was dedicated, annual gatherings take place there. These events remember the Holocaust and honor leaders, educators, and heroes. One important gathering is on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
