Holocaust Memorial
Niskayuna, NY
The town is seeking public input on a new proposal for a Holocaust memorial along Route 7 that would be the first of its kind in the Capital Region.
The new design comes after a controversial original proposal by Michael Lozman, a Latham-based orthodontist, was met with some resistance from community members last year. Neighbors had concerns about traffic around the site, and others were concerned not enough opinions from the Jewish community were being gathered, or that there were enough educational elements included in the initial memorial plan.
The town planning department will host two community forums on the new design, one at 7 p.m. May 15 and the other at 7 p.m. May 22, at the Little Theatre at Niskayuna High School.
The new design for what is being called the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial calls for it to be about the size of a roundabout, according to renderings posted on the town’s website. That size would not include a parking lot that would be built adjacent to the parcel at at 2501 Troy Schenectady Road.
Shaped with the number of points that make up a Star of David, the memorial would have displays focusing on different aspects of the Holocaust’s history during World War II.
Neil Golub, head of Price Chopper, helped spearhead a new design, working with Lozman's Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial group and the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York headed by Robert Kovach. Lozman said the group held nine meetings to come up with a more modern design that would likely be acceptable to the larger community.
The new design includes more elements than the one initially proposed by Lozman, which included railroad tracks in the shape of the Star of David leading up to a box car, the method used to transport people to concentration camps. A stone wall was also meant to represent a gas chamber.
The new renderings show six sides to the memorial, one of which is a representation of a box car, with the faces of people visible through two missing planks. Another panel is reminiscent of the fencing used at concentration camps. People would also be able to walk inside of the memorial as well, where there would also be structures.
Quotes would also be included in each panel, including a modified line from Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller's "First they came for..." statement of regret about not speaking out earlier against the Nazi regime. At least two quotes would be from those who experienced the Holocaust first hand.
Lozman said Sunday he wanted such a memorial to remind people what happens when hate and bigotry can spread.
"The new design touches on all the horrors of the Holocaust but presents it in a modern perspective," he said. "That kind of design seems to be more acceptable to the general public but the message we're trying to convey is still present in the new design."
The memorial, if approved by the town, will be located at 2501 Troy Schenectady Road, near the Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery on land donated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.
The Niskayuna Town Board twice delayed a vote last year on a special use permit for the site after residents voiced concerns over the original design and over potential traffic concerns.
It's unclear what the proposed cost for the memorial is. Lozman’s Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial group has been raising funds for the project but he said Sunday there wouldn't be a total cost estimate for several months.
Cited from: Times Union Article