While visiting Boston I suggest you take a few steps off of the Freedom Trail and visit one of Boston's little known treasures, The New England Holocaust Memorial. Located in Carmen Park on Congress Street near Faneuil Hall, this memorial touched me deeply.
What first drew my attention to this wonder were the six, fifty-four feet high glass towers. Each tower is illuminated internally from top to bottom and includes numbers which are etched into the sides. Each number represents one of the six million Jews that were exterminated by the Nazis.
Upon entering the memorial, I noticed the word "Remember", which embodies the reason for this memorial. A group of Holocaust survivors that had settled in the Boston area developed the idea and the memorial grew from there. Following the black granite path, I passed through the towers. Each tower represents one of the six primary Nazi death camps. At the base of each tower, I noticed a deep chamber covered by a grate. With further inspection I found that each of these chambers contained one of the death camp's names inscribed on the wall. Smoldering coals in the bottom of the pits illuminated the names, I felt as if I was peering into the gates of Hell.
While the Holocaust memorial may seem like an out of the ordinary site to see while in Boston, it is one that still touches my heart every time I think of my trip there. There are no entrance fees, no time limits, only the numbers, facts, and some inspiring inscriptions along the pathway to help each of us to remember the atrocity of the Holocaust. The street address is 44 Union Street and a phone number is 617-338-2288. For more information and to view pictures of the memorial, visit www.nehm.org/intro.html.
by Teresa Small
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