Emmons Ave Holocaust Memorial Site Raises Controversy


by on Jun 8th, 2009

holocaust memorial stone markers

Just a few days ago, we wrote about the planned addition of markers to honor non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust at New York’s first public, outdoor Holocaust memorial, park, and musuem.

Now, the NY Post is reporting that Assemblyman Dov Hikind with others of like mind staged a protest of the planned memorial to honor “homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the disabled, political prisoners and Roma and Sinti Gypsies, who were also persecuted and killed by the Nazis.”

Apparently, Dov Hikind speaks for quite a few Jewish people when he says that only Jews are allowed at the symbolic cemetery. One Sheepshead Bay resident we spoke with, a survivor of the Holocaust whose entire family was killed, said,

I don’t want to talk about sex, but gypsies are okay to be in the memorial. But, homosexuals I don’t know…this memorial should not reflect anything about the homosexuals. If they want to honor them, that should be in another memorial. Those days in the forties, people didn’t talk about that. It was hidden, so the gypsies were there in the camps, but the homosexuals — well, we didn’t have any idea about that.”

Another Sheepshead Bay resident, whose grandmother managed to escape the suffering by emigrating to the United States, had always felt that any Holocaust memorial should honor those lost in the massacre by celebrating life, not in a display of headstones. He said that when she visited the site as it turned from a green patch to a semi-cemetery, she remarked that it might have been better identified with a plaque and set up as a place for children to play and laugh, instead.

Readers, we would like to hear from you about what you think should happen with the city-owned Holocaust memorial park. We want to know what to expect when Mayor Bloomberg heads over to Shore Parkway & Emmons Avenue this coming Sunday afternoon for the 25th Annual Gathering and Exhibit put together by The Holocaust Memorial Committee.

Will we have Jewish protesters speaking out while the homosexual and Gypsy representatives lay the new headstones? Or will everyone keep their opinions on the blogs and in the newspapers, thus allowing the memorial to remain solemn?

UPDATE from Tuesday, June 9, 2009:
The New York Jewish Week reports that:

Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz, who represents Sheepshead Bay, released a statement in support of the new markers, saying “the park’s purpose is most definitely to educate as well as commemorate. Excluding Holocaust victims who were not Jewish would be sending a message that is 180 degrees opposite of what we need to communicate.

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  • Jim

    This is a solemn site dedicated to all who suffered under the Nazi powers.

    Contrary to Mr. Hikind’s belief, Jews are not the only people who can suffer, although many of them seem to make a passtime of it.

    There have been many holocausts. Ask the Turks, and the Russians. No one has a patent on it.

    But that is the past. Now is the time to celebrate life and what it holds for all of us.

  • local broker

    It should be kept as is. There is no question that lots of different people suffered and they should have a memorial but a new one. It just seems like that people were complaining that it shouldnt be just about jews where were the people when the memorial was made a few years ago. There is another park on corbin place called babi yar and it is dedicated to jews that died there. and its not about mixing different back rounds its more about people wanting to change something thats already there make a new one there is a perfect piece of land next to the belt on emmons and knapp that no one can figure out what to do with.

  • itsok2beright

    Saying that the memorial will be for homosexuals and gypsy’s is ridiculous. That is like saying that Obama is cutting taxes for sex offenders, just because he cut taxes.

    The Nazi’s hated and killed almost every ethnicity and social group!

    If this were to be a Jewish only memorial, it should be labeled as such. Before that, those who want it to be Jewish only, should buy it from the city and support it with their own money.

  • local broker

    do you really think the city paid for it. i dont know 100% but just because the city owns it doesnt mean they paid for it. lets be realistic about this the park is in this location because the area of manhattan beach and brighton beach is mostly jewish. i am not saying that other people who were slaughtered by the nazis shouldnt be remembered. if marty can afford 64 mil for a new theater im sure they can come up with a couple mil for a new memorial.

  • Anonymous

    This is a quote from Elie Wiesel’s speech in Buchenwald, Germany.

    “The time has come — it’s enough — enough to go to cemeteries…Memory must link people together, not to set them apart…”

    You can see the news conference video and viewer response at VDO Online.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisanne001/ Lisanne!

    The world knows well the history that led to the horrific extermination of six million Jewish people. Five million others were killed, and are merely a footnote in our collective memory. If we are to fully understand the depravity which led to the extinction of 6 million Jews it is necessary to place that in the context of the totality of the Nazi Holocaust. Doing so does not diminish their loss, it reminds the world that evil has no boundaries. Had we not stopped the Nazis there would have been millions upon millions more dead, all those considered to be less than perfect specimens of Aryan heritage.

    If Assemblyman Hikind has any respect he will avoid a repetition on Sunday of his insensitivity towards others. As there are still Jews among us, there are also gays, lesbians and transgendered people. There are still Roma and other gypsies. And many, many disabled people as well. These and the members of other groups targeted for extinction in that time deserve acknowledgment and the memorializing of those members of their communities who died in that time. Persecution has not died, even today members of all the groups persecuted by the Nazis are victimized by those who hate.

    A memorial to the victims of hate should not be defined by exclusions. Were this memorial to do so it would become an example in miniature of what hate does. I don’t believe that Dov Hikind and others who oppose this inclusion quite understand this. They need to stand outside themselves and their collective experience and see what the wider world sees.

    None of us are alone. Our experiences are universal. The holocaust should be understood in an universal context.

  • http://whitetrashbbq.blogspot.com BrooklynQ

    Enough with the exclusivity.

    Anyone who was systematically exterminated by the Nazis in the holocaust deserve to be remembered in this park.

    Jews, Catholics, Gays, Gypsies, whomever.

  • Gene B.

    BrooklynQ nailed it in one – “enough with the exclusivity.”

    The memorial should not only be about remembering those atrocities that happened to millions of people, but also should celebrate life – how far we’ve come and how much further we have yet to go.

    To have separate memorials for separate groups who suffered equally sounds contradictory to what we should be doing and what this point in history teaches us.

  • local broker

    i agree with most of what you guys are saying going forward thats fine but they shouldnt have to change an existing memorial that has been there for years because of politics

  • RandyRP

    Interesting mention of Babi Yar. Senseless massacre, but 67,000 gentiles were killed along with 33,000 Jews. Granted the Jews were killed first and over a course of two or three days, while the getiles were killed over a course of years.

    As far as the other being add, we should remeber that ever Yehuda Bauer reminds us the Polish Gentiles were a victim of genocide, not a total persecution (Isreal Guttman concurs). By reconginizing other it’s how we can see how Nazi persecution extended to a number of groups but he Jews were most definately the main victim and while some will argue Romani we are also presecuted in way to anihilate them as a group there is some legitimate debate – genocide for sure, but total anihilation ???. And even if one concurs they were, it was not “official” until Eichman suggest in Dec, 1942 the the ‘Gypsy roble” be “solved simultaneously” with the “Jewish Problem”. it should be noted that by Dec 1942 nearly 80% of all Jews that died, had already been killed. In essence even if both were victims of a “total anihilation policy” the Jews were still the priority.

    All that said, it is tragic to she eclusivist behavior, expecially from an elected official, he should apologize and resign at once. His action only engender antisemtism, not fight it.

  • http://carriertom.typepad.com/sheep_and_goats tom sheepandgoats

    As it turns out, the oldest (103 yrs) surviving male concentration camp survivor is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which is not at all what one would expect, given their relatively tiny numbers. He travels, and gives seminars on the holocaust. This California station covered his stop in Los Angeles:

    http://cbs2.com/video/?id=102822@kcbs.dayport.com

  • Andrew

    Many non-Jewish victims groups, including Gypsies, homosexuals, Serbian clergy, political prisoners are already mentioned in the Holocaust Memorial Park.
    But in this case, we are not talking about specific names of victims or concentration cams/ghettos. Look at the proposed text for one of the ne markers.

    AFTER THE NAZIS SEIZED POWER IN 1933, THE PERSECUTION OF THE HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY DRAMATICALLY INTENSIFIED IN GERMANY. ON MAY 6, 1933, DR. MAGNUS HIRSCHFELDÂ’S INSTITUTE OF SEXUAL RESEARCH WAS VANDALIZED AND ITS LIBRARY AND PHOTO COLLECTION WERE BURNED.

    BY 1935 THE LAW THAT CRIMINALIZED HOMOSEXUAL ACTS (PENAL CODE PARAGRAPH 175, PASSED IN 1871) WAS EXPANDED. IN 1936 S.S. CHIEF HEINRICH HIMMLER ESCALATED THE PERSECUTION BY FORMING THE POLICE TASK FORCE TO COMBAT HOMOSEXUALITY AND ABORTION.

    AROUND 50,000 MEN WERE CONVICTED UNDER PARAGRAPH 175 AND SENT TO PRISONS, PENITENTIARIES OR SANITARIUMS. SOME WERE RELEASED ONLY IN ORDER TO BE CONSCRIPTED INTO THE GERMAN ARMY (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). HUNDREDS, POSSIBLY THOUSANDS (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), OF MALE HOMOSEXUALS DIED IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS. SOME WERE IDENTIFIED BY PINK TRIANGLES THEY WERE FORCED TO WEAR. THESE DEATHS WERE THE RESULT OF HARSH CONDITIONS, HARD LABOR, MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION, BEATINGS AND MURDER.

    AFTER THE WAR, WHILE MOST OTHER INMATES WERE LIBERATED AND SOME GIVEN RESTITUTION (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), HOMOSEXUALS CONTINUED TO BE ARRESTED AND PROSECUTED UNDER PARAGRAPH 175 UNTIL ITS REPEAL IN 1969 (is it about Holocaust???????!!!!!!!!!!!).

  • Jim

    This is a solemn site dedicated to all who suffered under the Nazi powers.

    Contrary to Mr. Hikind’s belief, Jews are not the only people who can suffer, although many of them seem to make a passtime of it.

    There have been many holocausts. Ask the Turks, and the Russians. No one has a patent on it.

    But that is the past. Now is the time to celebrate life and what it holds for all of us.

  • local broker

    It should be kept as is. There is no question that lots of different people suffered and they should have a memorial but a new one. It just seems like that people were complaining that it shouldnt be just about jews where were the people when the memorial was made a few years ago. There is another park on corbin place called babi yar and it is dedicated to jews that died there. and its not about mixing different back rounds its more about people wanting to change something thats already there make a new one there is a perfect piece of land next to the belt on emmons and knapp that no one can figure out what to do with.

  • itsok2beright

    Saying that the memorial will be for homosexuals and gypsy’s is ridiculous. That is like saying that Obama is cutting taxes for sex offenders, just because he cut taxes.

    The Nazi’s hated and killed almost every ethnicity and social group!

    If this were to be a Jewish only memorial, it should be labeled as such. Before that, those who want it to be Jewish only, should buy it from the city and support it with their own money.

  • local broker

    do you really think the city paid for it. i dont know 100% but just because the city owns it doesnt mean they paid for it. lets be realistic about this the park is in this location because the area of manhattan beach and brighton beach is mostly jewish. i am not saying that other people who were slaughtered by the nazis shouldnt be remembered. if marty can afford 64 mil for a new theater im sure they can come up with a couple mil for a new memorial.

  • Anonymous

    This is a quote from Elie Wiesel’s speech in Buchenwald, Germany.

    “The time has come — it’s enough — enough to go to cemeteries…Memory must link people together, not to set them apart…”

    You can see the news conference video and viewer response at VDO Online.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisanne001 Lisanne!

    The world knows well the history that led to the horrific extermination of six million Jewish people. Five million others were killed, and are merely a footnote in our collective memory. If we are to fully understand the depravity which led to the extinction of 6 million Jews it is necessary to place that in the context of the totality of the Nazi Holocaust. Doing so does not diminish their loss, it reminds the world that evil has no boundaries. Had we not stopped the Nazis there would have been millions upon millions more dead, all those considered to be less than perfect specimens of Aryan heritage.

    If Assemblyman Hikind has any respect he will avoid a repetition on Sunday of his insensitivity towards others. As there are still Jews among us, there are also gays, lesbians and transgendered people. There are still Roma and other gypsies. And many, many disabled people as well. These and the members of other groups targeted for extinction in that time deserve acknowledgment and the memorializing of those members of their communities who died in that time. Persecution has not died, even today members of all the groups persecuted by the Nazis are victimized by those who hate.

    A memorial to the victims of hate should not be defined by exclusions. Were this memorial to do so it would become an example in miniature of what hate does. I don’t believe that Dov Hikind and others who oppose this inclusion quite understand this. They need to stand outside themselves and their collective experience and see what the wider world sees.

    None of us are alone. Our experiences are universal. The holocaust should be understood in an universal context.

  • http://whitetrashbbq.blogspot.com/ BrooklynQ

    Enough with the exclusivity.

    Anyone who was systematically exterminated by the Nazis in the holocaust deserve to be remembered in this park.

    Jews, Catholics, Gays, Gypsies, whomever.

  • Gene B.

    BrooklynQ nailed it in one – “enough with the exclusivity.”

    The memorial should not only be about remembering those atrocities that happened to millions of people, but also should celebrate life – how far we’ve come and how much further we have yet to go.

    To have separate memorials for separate groups who suffered equally sounds contradictory to what we should be doing and what this point in history teaches us.

  • local broker

    i agree with most of what you guys are saying going forward thats fine but they shouldnt have to change an existing memorial that has been there for years because of politics

  • RandyRP

    Interesting mention of Babi Yar. Senseless massacre, but 67,000 gentiles were killed along with 33,000 Jews. Granted the Jews were killed first and over a course of two or three days, while the getiles were killed over a course of years.

    As far as the other being add, we should remeber that ever Yehuda Bauer reminds us the Polish Gentiles were a victim of genocide, not a total persecution (Isreal Guttman concurs). By reconginizing other it’s how we can see how Nazi persecution extended to a number of groups but he Jews were most definately the main victim and while some will argue Romani we are also presecuted in way to anihilate them as a group there is some legitimate debate – genocide for sure, but total anihilation ???. And even if one concurs they were, it was not “official” until Eichman suggest in Dec, 1942 the the ‘Gypsy roble” be “solved simultaneously” with the “Jewish Problem”. it should be noted that by Dec 1942 nearly 80% of all Jews that died, had already been killed. In essence even if both were victims of a “total anihilation policy” the Jews were still the priority.

    All that said, it is tragic to she eclusivist behavior, expecially from an elected official, he should apologize and resign at once. His action only engender antisemtism, not fight it.

  • http://carriertom.typepad.com/sheep_and_goats tom sheepandgoats

    As it turns out, the oldest (103 yrs) surviving male concentration camp survivor is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which is not at all what one would expect, given their relatively tiny numbers. He travels, and gives seminars on the holocaust. This California station covered his stop in Los Angeles:

    http://cbs2.com/video/?id=102822@kcbs.dayport.com

  • Andrew

    Many non-Jewish victims groups, including Gypsies, homosexuals, Serbian clergy, political prisoners are already mentioned in the Holocaust Memorial Park.
    But in this case, we are not talking about specific names of victims or concentration cams/ghettos. Look at the proposed text for one of the ne markers.

    AFTER THE NAZIS SEIZED POWER IN 1933, THE PERSECUTION OF THE HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY DRAMATICALLY INTENSIFIED IN GERMANY. ON MAY 6, 1933, DR. MAGNUS HIRSCHFELDÂ’S INSTITUTE OF SEXUAL RESEARCH WAS VANDALIZED AND ITS LIBRARY AND PHOTO COLLECTION WERE BURNED.

    BY 1935 THE LAW THAT CRIMINALIZED HOMOSEXUAL ACTS (PENAL CODE PARAGRAPH 175, PASSED IN 1871) WAS EXPANDED. IN 1936 S.S. CHIEF HEINRICH HIMMLER ESCALATED THE PERSECUTION BY FORMING THE POLICE TASK FORCE TO COMBAT HOMOSEXUALITY AND ABORTION.

    AROUND 50,000 MEN WERE CONVICTED UNDER PARAGRAPH 175 AND SENT TO PRISONS, PENITENTIARIES OR SANITARIUMS. SOME WERE RELEASED ONLY IN ORDER TO BE CONSCRIPTED INTO THE GERMAN ARMY (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). HUNDREDS, POSSIBLY THOUSANDS (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), OF MALE HOMOSEXUALS DIED IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS. SOME WERE IDENTIFIED BY PINK TRIANGLES THEY WERE FORCED TO WEAR. THESE DEATHS WERE THE RESULT OF HARSH CONDITIONS, HARD LABOR, MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION, BEATINGS AND MURDER.

    AFTER THE WAR, WHILE MOST OTHER INMATES WERE LIBERATED AND SOME GIVEN RESTITUTION (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), HOMOSEXUALS CONTINUED TO BE ARRESTED AND PROSECUTED UNDER PARAGRAPH 175 UNTIL ITS REPEAL IN 1969 (is it about Holocaust???????!!!!!!!!!!!).

  • Barkingspider7

    “Another Sheepshead Bay resident, whose grandmother managed to escape the suffering by emigrating to the United States, had always felt that any Holocaust memorial should honor those lost in the massacre by celebrating life, not in a display of headstones. He said that when she visited the site as it turned from a green patch to a semi-cemetery, she remarked that it might have been better identified with a plaque and set up as a place for children to play and laugh, instead”

    I agree with this – totally.  I think that instead of keeping this such a sad place, that the idea of a park where children can play, laugh and be happy should be considered.  Place a plaque, even a statue of some kind there to honor those who were victims.    The holocaust will never be forgotten.  Have the annual memorial services.  But make it a place where people want to go.  I’ll tell you the truth, I avoid the area completely.  I walked through it once, and it was so depressing, that I could not bring myself to walk through a second time.