In January 1943, a Jewish teacher imprisoned in the Theresienstadt (Terezín) concentration camp planted a silver maple tree and nurtured it along with a group of Jewish children, who used their precious water rations to help it grow. 78 years later, join us as we dedicate a newly-planted descendant of that tree in front of the Museum.
This dedication ceremony features keynote remarks from Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as from Dr. Michael Berenbaum, world-renowned historian and Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute at American Jewish University, and music from the Advanced Student Chorus at PS/IS 276: The Battery Park City School. Fred Terna, a survivor of Theresienstadt, shares his reflections on the occasion.
The tree bears the name “The Children’s Tree” in memory of the Jewish children in Theresienstadt who first planted the tree, and in honor of the students at PS/IS 276, located across the street from the Museum, who will become the tree’s caretakers for generations to come.
Watch the dedication ceremony below.