Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced on Tuesday the “Queens Holocaust Memorial,” a new public site to honor the memory of the six million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust as well as the survivors who rebuilt their lives in New York City.
A statement from Adams’ office said that the memorial will be located on the grounds of Queens Borough Hall and serve as a permanent site of remembrance, education, and unity.
The city and the Office of the Queens Borough President have allocated a total of $3 million to support the project’s development; the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) will oversee the site designation and coordination with community stakeholders and civic leaders.
The City will advance a formal design process to build a commemorative garden and public artwork. The artist selection process will be led by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs’ “Percent for Art” program in consultation with artists, historians, and Holocaust survivors.
“It is not enough to say ‘never again’ – we have to live it with our actions too. By preserving the stories of both victims and survivors, by creating a permanent space for remembrance and reflection, by promoting understanding and solidarity across generations, this memorial will live out the meaning of ‘never again,’” said Mayor Adams.
“As our city and our country confront the rising tide of antisemitism, our administration will not remain silent. We will use our office to call out hate wherever we find it, encourage compassion wherever we need it, and create a city where everyone can live side by side in harmony,” he added.
“No matter how much time passes since the evils of the Holocaust, New York City’s commitment to the pledge of ‘Never Again’ must never waver. That is why, in the face of rising tides of heinous anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial across our society, I could not be prouder to lead this effort alongside the administration and the Queens’ Jewish community in creating this critically important memorial here at Queens Borough Hall,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.
“The Queens Holocaust Memorial will not only pay a touching tribute to the six million innocent Jews murdered by the Nazis and the survivors who settled in our borough afterward, but it will also serve as daily inspiration for our fight to forge a future free of antisemitism. I thank all our city and community partners for their commitment to see this memorial through.”
“When hate crimes, vandalism, and extremist rhetoric targeting Jewish communities are happening both nationally and globally, this memorial will stand not only as a powerful testament to those lost and to those who rebuilt, but also as a rebuke to intolerance and a reminder of our imperative to confront hatred with moral clarity,” said Moshe Davis, executive director, Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
New York City is home to more Holocaust survivors than any other city in the world. Following the liberation of the concentration camps, thousands of survivors came to New York, many settling in Queens, where they rebuilt their lives, raised families, established businesses, enriched the city’s cultural institutions, and helped make New York a global center of Jewish life.
The memorial was originally proposed by the Queens Jewish Community Council in partnership with local civic and faith leaders. The City of New York will formally designate and dedicate the site for the purpose of a Holocaust Memorial through a DCAS assignment letter. The Queens Jewish Community Council will lead additional fundraising efforts to support the design and construction of the commemorative artwork.
When complete, the Queens Holocaust Memorial will be the first major Holocaust memorial in Queens, joining other sites of remembrance throughout New York City. The memorial site will host Holocaust remembrance ceremonies, educational programs for students, and community gatherings that promote understanding and solidarity across generations and communities.