The New England Holocaust Memorial begins at the head of a paved trail between two facing, granite monoliths. Between the two monoliths is a buried time capsule preserving the names of perished family members and loved ones submitted by New Englanders. The memorial is specifically defined by six large glass towers. Each of the towers represents one of six death camps in the Holocaust. The towers are composed of glass plates inscribed upon which are millions of white registration numbers used by the Nazis and representing the lives lost in each of the death camps. Inside each tower is a quote from a survivor about life either before, within, or following their experience in the death camps. A path runs between each of the towers and through them. Lining the path and inscribed in granite are informative quotes about what happened throughout the Holocaust. While walking through each of the six towers you realize that you are standing on metal grates, from which rise heated steam, "like human breath as it passes through the glass chimneys to heaven," said the designer Stanley Saitowitz. If you were to get down on your hands and knees, which most visitors do not do, you would notice that beneath the grates lies a pit of sharp, jagged rocks, lit by searching lights and by one solid light. At the end of the walk rests a single granite monolith baring the famous quote,
"They came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up." -Martin Nieomeller
No comments:
Post a Comment