Obj. ID: 53633
Modern Jewish Art  Monument to Jewish victims of the Holocaust in Providence, RI, USA, 1993

The memorial monument took more than 12 years to plan and create, due to organizational and financial difficulties. Survivors approached Mayor Cianci in the early 1980s requesting city support. The mayor pledged $36,000, but funds were not available, and only during a subsequent term in office was the pledge honored. In May 1988 the Rhode Island Holocaust Memorial Museum, located at the JCC, was dedicated. A committee then commissioned sculptor Barney Zeitz to create a memorial sculpture which was dedicated on Kristallnacht, November 9, 1993. The sculpture was the center of the Providence community’s Yom ha-Shoah annual commemoration for many years.

This design for the outdoor, abstract steel and bronze sculpture by artist Barney Zeitz was unanimously chosen by members of three organizations. The City of Providence contributed $36,000 toward the design, selection, and creation of the sculpture.

In a forceful speech at the monument dedication Holocaust survivor Morris Gastfreund emphasized that:

Everyone knew - the Pentagon knew, the State Department knew, and the White House knew. Most governments knew; only we, the victims in the pit of hell, did not know.

Therefore, the bystanders share almost the same guilt as the perpetrators of the crime. These acts of indifference to genocide will be a blood stain on humanity forever.

In this solemn hour in which we dedicate a monument in memory of our 6 million dead, we must pay tribute to the righteous gentiles of some nations, who - although in a very small minority - put their lives in jeopardy and in some cases sacrificed their lives to help the Jewish people.

We must, however, remember with sorrow the collaborators of most European countries who voluntarily helped the Nazis accomplish their murderous task …

Fortunately, there are some people who see the danger in renewed anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry. Today's honored guest, Mayor Vincent Cianci, is one of the m. He is a man of vision and tolerance who understood that remembering and honoring the victims of the Holocaust would be a good lesson for future generations, that hopefully they would learn to practice tolerance and understanding among all people, regardless of race or religion.

Mayor Cianci warmly embraced the idea of erecting a m emo rial for our loved ones who perished in the Holocaust and as a tribute to the survivors of this enormity. Now that this magnificent monument is to be dedicated, we, the survivors, surely are grateful for the mayor's vision and generosity.

The monument's inscription is "Zachor, " which means remember. Yes, remember we must. But what now? More importantly, what of tomorrow? The generation of survivors It is growing old and passing away.

Who will stand up to protect their memory and safeguard their message? The answer must be all of you, Jews and non-Jews alike. In particular, our children and grandchildren of the second and third gene rations, you must have the fire to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. Do not forget or let the world forget.

This monument must serve as a warning to humanity that freedom is not a birthright; it is  a principle for which we must fight every day of our lives. And you, the generations following us, must take up the challenge of fighting anti-Semitism and all prejudice, to prevent a second Holocaust.

[Gastfreund]