Quinnipiac Hosts Exhibit About New Haven Holocaust Memorial

"Memory and Legacy," an exhibit that tells the story of the New Haven Holocaust Memorial, is on display from Jan. 24-Feb. 25, 2011, at the Arnold Bernhard Library.

The exhibit highlights the creation and upkeep of the memorial, as well as the life stories of Holocaust survivors. These stories have been captured by young New Haven participants in the nationwide Adopt a Survivor Program, which aims to transfer the life experiences of Holocaust survivors to students.

The New Haven Holocaust Memorial, located at the corner of Whalley Avenue and West Park Avenue in New Haven, was the country's first Holocaust Memorial built on public land when it was dedicated in 1977. Built solely through private donations by survivors, their neighbors and friends, the monument features a large sculpture with a Star of David base. Six curved bars wrapped in barbed wire symbolize Nazi concentration camps, and small evergreens in the monument's base honor the six million Jewish Holocaust victims.

A plaque on the northeast side of the monument's base, dedicated by the City of New Haven and the New Haven Jewish Federation, reads, "We remember the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II 1939-1945."

The memorial, designed by architect Augustus J. Franzoni, stands in the center of a grassy plaza. The exterior wall features 18 granite plaques bearing the names of European killing centers that touched the lives of local Holocaust survivors. A box containing dirt and ashes from the Auschwitz concentration camp was interred in the center of the site during groundbreaking ceremonies. The monument is the site of an annual Holocaust commemoration.

The exhibit hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public. School and community groups are welcome. For more information, please call 203-582-8652.