—Memorial to Launch at mjhnyc.org on Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 8, 2021—
New York, NY – The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will share the stories of Holocaust survivors who lost their lives over the last year – to the present day – through a new tribute site to be launched on Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 8, 2021. The tribute page on the Museum’s website will feature the testimonials of relatives and images of those who lost their lives to COVID-19, and due to other causes, since the pandemic began.
The memorial, a new section on the Museum’s website, is designed to remember those who survived the Holocaust, and provide a space for relatives to share their memories of loved ones. The Museum is now seeking those stories and encouraging relatives from the New York metropolitan area and beyond to submit those stories – along with photos – at https://mjhnyc.org/those-weve-lost-memorial-submissions/.
“Over this past year, as we’ve endured a devastating pandemic, we have heard from relatives who have sought ways to share the stories of perseverance and resilience in times of pain and in times of hope,” said Jack Kliger, President & CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. “Since our founding days nearly 25 years ago, the Museum has dedicated our work to both those who lost their lives during the Holocaust, and those who survived, and their children and grandchildren. Through this new tribute page, we will ensure their lives will not be forgotten.”
It is estimated that more than 38,000 survivors – who are older than 75 – live in the greater New York metropolitan area, and it’s expected that population will decline to 23,400 within the next four years. Though there is no definitive account of how many have lost their lives due to COVID, some 900 people who survived the Holocaust died from COVID-19 in Israel, according to the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
All Holocaust survivors are at least 75 years old and COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, is particularly lethal to seniors. Since the pandemic began, the Museum of Jewish Heritage has enlisted staff to regularly engage with survivors affiliated with the Museum, calling them weekly, teaching those who normally would speak in person with students and other groups how to connect with them through technology, and supporting its café owner’s delivery of meals weekly to survivors in New York as they self-isolated.
To date, the Museum has collected 15 stories, mainly from New Yorkers who have lost loved ones who lived in New York, Ohio, and other states.
Contributions to the new tribute page will not end on April 8. The Museum will continue to unveil the stories of those who have passed moving forward, and encourages anyone who has lost a loved one who survived the Holocaust to submit those stories.
About the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The third largest Holocaust museum in the world and the second largest in North America, the Museum of Jewish Heritage anchors the southernmost tip of Manhattan, completing the cultural and educational landscape it shares with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains a collection of close to 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, a resource center for educators, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The Museum is the home of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.
Currently on view is the acclaimed exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. This is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust ever presented in North America, bringing together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world.
Also on view are Ordinary Treasures: Highlights from the Museum of Jewish Heritage Collection and Rendering Witness: Holocaust-Era Art as Testimony.
The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.