A community forum was held Wednesday night on a redesigned proposal for a Holocaust memorial in the Schenectady County town of Niskayuna.
Just over a year ago, at a Niskayuna town board meeting focused on a proposed Holocaust memorial planned for a location just off Route 7, dozens of town residents and members of the Jewish community lined up to voice their concerns about the project.
The previous design pursued by Dr. Michael Lozman of the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial featured a wall, railroad tracks, and a box car to represent the transport of millions of Jews to Nazi death camps during World War II.
The Niskayuna town board postponed issuing a permit for the project, and the memorial went back to the drawing board.
Neil Golub, Executive Chairman of the Golub Corporation, which operates Price Chopper and Market 32 supermarkets, worked with the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York and Lozman to develop a new vision for the project.
“And what is really so astonishing is when we first started out, we had no clue if we were going to be able to resolve this. But when you bring people together and they’re of one common mind that they want to find a solution, it’s amazing what can happen,” said Golub.
Over the past several months, input was gathered and an architect was hired to deliver a new design.
Architect Dan Dembling walked the audience through a slideshow of the new memorial located on a parcel donated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany near the Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery on Troy-Schenectady Road.
“It’s a cautionary tale, isn’t it? And so we treat it as a story,” said Dembling.
The new design is in the shape of the six-pointed Star of David. Each side of the memorial offers something to represent 6 million Jews killed and the horrors of the Holocaust. Representations of railroad tracks, barbed wire, and a box car have been retained in the new configuration.
An area for reflection with benches is planned for the center of the outdoor memorial, and a gate over the exit includes the phrase associated with Holocaust remembrance: “Never Again.”
The new design was largely well received by those who attended Wednesday’s meeting. Rabbi Dan Ornstein of Congregation Ohav Shalom, an occasional WAMC commentator, praised the memorial.
“Let this memorial not only be a great memorial to what happened to my people, but a memorial and a reminder that never again, should we ever forget, that indeed, we are each other’s keepers, because we are brothers and sisters,” said Ornstein.
The memorial will have a 40-foot setback from Route 7 and will be obscured by a natural barrier. The design features 27 parking spaces and a bus turnaround. There is a plan to at first accommodate portable toilets, with the ability to construct permanent restroom facilities if they’re needed in the future.
As those present commented on the project, some told personal and emotional stories of how the Holocaust affected their own lives. Ivan Vamos was born in Hungary in 1938 and is a survivor. He works with schools to educate children on the realities of the Holocaust.
“So I’m delighted to see the coordination and the much, much improved design for the site. It is a fine memorial. I will be proud of it. I will be proud to direct the children I talk to to visit it,” said Vamos.
Niskayuna resident Meisha Rosenberg said she had sent a letter with her concerns about the prior concept.
“And after the presentation this evening, all of my questions have been laid to rest. I’m actually very excited about what I see here. This is very sensitively done,” said Rosenberg.
Some people still had concerns about the location. Schenectady resident Mary McClaine, who spent a few minutes discussing her interest in and support for remembrance of the Holocaust, asked why the nearby residents who have said “no” is not enough.
“Does this legislative body understand what it is being asked to do? It is being asked to change an American neighborhood in order to tell the story of an event that occurred in another continent. All over this country, America’s history is being destroyed because someone’s sensibilities are offended,” said McClaine.
The Niskayuna town board has scheduled a second public forum for May 22nd at 7 p.m. at Niskayuna High School.
