New England Holocaust Memorial
42°21′40″N 71°03′26″W / 42.36125°N 71.05727°W
New England Holocaust Memorial | |
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General information | |
Address | 98 Union St |
Town or city | Boston, Massachusetts |
Inaugurated | October 22, 1995[2] |
Height | 16.5 m (54 ft)[1] |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Stanley Saitowitz[3] |
The New England Holocaust Memorial in
Description
Founded by Stephan Ross, a Holocaust survivor, and erected in 1995, the memorial consists of six glass towers under which visitors may walk. Engraved on the outside walls of each tower are groups of numbers representing the
The New England Holocaust Memorial is located a few steps off the Freedom Trail, making it a popular tourist attraction.[7]
The site is maintained by the Boston National Historic Park and is located in Carmen Park, along Congress and
Messages
On some of the panels of the glass towers are messages, for instance the
FROM OUR BARRACKS we could see
the gas chambers.
A heart-rending cry of women and
children reached us there.
We were overcome
by a feeling of helplessness.
There we were, watching and
unable to do anything.
WE HAD ALREADY worked out
a plan of escape.
But at that moment I decided —
We must not simply escape.
We must destroy the fascists and the camp.
Alexander Pechersky
New England Holocaust Memorial
ILSE, A CHILDHOOD FRIEND of mine,
once found a raspberry in the camp
and carried it in her pocket all day
to present to me that night on a leaf.
IMAGINE A WORLD in which
your entire possession is
one raspberry and
you gave it to your friend.
Gerda Weissmann Klein
New England Holocaust Memorial
Threats and vandalism
The Boston memorial as well as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., was targeted for destruction in a 2002 white supremacist terror plot by a neo-Nazi and his white supremacist girlfriend.[8] In the 2002 federal trial, the jury convicted both defendants on all counts.[9]
In the early morning hours of June 28, 2017, one of the 9-foot (2.7 m) glass panels on the memorial was smashed with a rock. The 21-year-old suspect was charged with malicious destruction of property and destruction of a place of memorial. The suspect was denied bail due to violations of probation. The lawyer for the suspect said he suffers from mental health issues.[10][11]
On August 14, 2017, the memorial was damaged for the second time in two months by a 17-year-old who threw a rock at one of the glass panels. The suspect was quickly accosted and restrained by a Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent and Boston firefighter, both of whom were off duty, until Boston police could take the suspect into custody.[12] Initial charges of willful destruction of property were quickly filed, and the incident is under investigation as a possible hate crime.[13]
On March 22, 2021, members of the Nationalist Social Club photographed themselves in front of the memorial and posted it to social media. This was viewed by many American Jews as a provocation.[14]
References
- ^ "Design of the Memorial | New England Holocaust Memorial". 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "History | New England Holocaust Memorial". 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ "About the Architect | New England Holocaust Memorial". 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ a b Introduction Archived 2012-10-21 at the Wayback Machine. - New England Holocaust Memorial
- ^ "New England Holocaust Memorial". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- ^ Markos • •, Mary. "New England Holocaust Memorial Unveils New Features at 'Critical Time'". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
- ^ Boston: Museum/Attraction Review: The New England Holocaust Memorial Archived 2013-07-31 at the Wayback Machine. - Frommers.com
- ^ Staff Writer (2002-07-16). "Boston Couple Plotted Blasts to Incite Race War, Prosecutor Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
- ^ "UNITED STATES v. FELTON". FindLaw. Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ Warren, Victoria (2017-06-28). "Arrest made in connection with vandalism at New England Holocaust Memorial". WHDH (TV). Archived from the original on 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
- ^ Staff Writer (2017-06-28). "The Latest: Suspected Holocaust memorial vandal held on bail". The Sentinel Newspaper. Associated Press.
- ^ "Firefighter, DEA agent tackled alleged Holocaust Memorial vandal - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
- ^ Vaccaro, Adam; Ortiz, Aimee; Karasin, Reena (2017-08-14). "Boston's Holocaust memorial damaged for second time this summer". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ "'Disgusting and despicable': Neo-Nazi group gathers in front of New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston". Boston Herald. 2021-05-25. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
External links
- Media related to New England Holocaust Memorial at Wikimedia Commons