The local Holocaust education center dedicated a new memorial – Pinat Hatikvah or Corner of Hope – with a commitment to remember that which must never be forgotten.
Hundreds attended the commemoration event on Sunday, April 17 at the Karl Jewish Community Campus. The Pinat Hatikvah memorial sits outside, next to the Peck entrance of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
Phillip Katz, the project designer, noted in his remarks that “Corner of Hope” is at a corner in the campus.
“Pinat Hatikvah has six pillars,” he explained, “with one central shamash, as does the menorah used in the holy temple, the days of the week and, yes, the six million.”
“The pillars and benches are rooted in the story of local survivors and our families and will be engraved as such,” he said, adding that he views Pinat Hatikvah as a “sacred space.”
The effort to create Pinat Hatikvah was driven by a committee that included local residents Bill Appel, Jane Chernof, Betty Chrustowski, Joe Devorkin, Bruce Peckerman, and Harry Pelz, with participation from many other volunteers and donors. The Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center, a program of Milwaukee Jewish Federation, was the organization behind the project.
Pinat Hatikvah will serve as an educational and memorial site, said Bev Greenberg, board chair of the Holocaust Education Resource Center, which is also known as HERC.
“We need to heed history, lest we are doomed to repeat it,” she warned. “HERC is needed today more than ever before because HERC’s mission is to teach, to learn, to create a world where we are more tolerant, compassionate and respectful human beings.”
The day included a ribbon cutting, balloons released into the air and statements from the grandchildren and children of Holocaust survivors. Several Holocaust survivors were present for the event.
“If we are not convinced of the need for places like this to commemorate what happened and to make sure that it doesn’t happen again, we only need look at evidence of anti-Semitism in Wisconsin last year on the rise,” said Don Layden, a campaign chair for Pinat Hatikvah.
“It’s a place where younger people, older people can get together and reflect at a memorial but also to learn about lessons that need to be learned.”
“As the colors move up,” she said, we are provided with a “feeling of inclusion, tolerance and diversity.”
Groups of middle, high school and college students will hold educational programs at Pinat Hatikvah, said Shay Pilnik, executive director of HERC, discussing his plans after the ceremony.
“Students will meet at the site, learn about its symbolism and engage in a conversation with the child of a survivor.”
Loading ...