The Holocaust Memorial Park
Since 1985, thousands have gathered each year at the Holocaust Memorial Park to share memory, prayer and hope. L ocated at the water’s edge of Brooklyn’s Sheepshead Bay, the Park was created through the efforts of the Holocaust Memorial Committee with the support of community leaders and legislators.
Dedicated officially in June 1985 by Mayor Edward Koch, the Park has been the site of memorial programs honoring such renowned leaders, educators and heroic figures as Simon Weisenthal, Beate Klarsfeld, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Professor David Wyman, Yitzchak Arad, Jan Karski, Chiune Sugihara, Rabbi Avi Weiss, Professor Yaffa Eliach, and Tuvia Bielski and members of the Jewish Brigade – among many others.
In the years following the park’s naming and dedication, the HMC campaigned vigorously to erect a permanent memorial to the victims of the Shoah. With funding allocated by then Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden, this dream became a reality when the permanent Holocaust Memorial was completed and officially dedicated by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 1997. With historic documentation by noted Holocaust scholar, Professor Monty Penkower, and designed by New York City’s Parks Department in consultation with the HMC, thousands of names have already been inscribed on the granite markers – and the Park has become a focal point for students, teachers, visitors and surviving families, including many from the former Soviet Union.
As New York’s first public memorial to the Holocaust, this unique Memorial will stand for all time as a somber reminder of the millions of lives lost and the rich culture destroyed. An eternal light shines in lasting memory of those who perished and as a beacon of hope for the future. A field of granite markers, inscribed with names, places and historical events related to the Holocaust will educate and inspire future generations to remember- zachor!
In order to expand the initial educational experience at the Park, future plans include the establishment of a Holocaust Education Center in close proximity to the Park. The Center would serve as a powerful force for educational opportunities by providing resources to educate and inform students and teachers beyond their introduction at the Park, and to provide opportunities for the active participation of youth. As a central address for educational programming, research, exhibits and conferences - the Center would address the urgent need to prevent hatred and anti-Semitism and to educate people about the lessons of the Holocaust and the tragic impact of bigotry and discrimination.
