Contemplating History at the Holocaust Memorial in Boston, MA
In downtown Boston, six glass towers rise 54 feet high, representing the main concentration camps where six million Jews died during the Holocaust. The New England Holocaust Memorial, on the historic Freedom Trail, is a richly metaphorical monument: Smoke rises from dark chambers underground, below your feet—a creepy but effective element of the structure. The glass towers stand on a black granite path, and six million numbers are engraved on their surfaces, reflective of the tattoos the Nazis inflicted on many of the victims. At night, the towers illuminate from the inside. Visitors are contemplative and respectful, and you are, too, as you wander down the path, seeming to feel the steam from below—and the quiet power of the memorial.
It is currently a Jewish custom to put a pebble on the headstone when one visits a grave to mark that you have been there and that you respect the one who has passed on. At the New England Holocaust Memorial, it is apparent that tradition is sure to leave its mark on a once tragedy. Celebrate the lives of those lost and do not dwell on the past that will never change. Make it a tradition and leave your rock on the rock.
In downtown Boston, six glass towers rise 54 feet high, representing the main concentration camps where six million Jews died during the Holocaust. The New England Holocaust Memorial, on the historic Freedom Trail, is a richly metaphorical monument: Smoke rises from dark chambers underground, below your feet—a creepy but effective element of the structure. The glass towers stand on a black granite path, and six million numbers are engraved on their surfaces, reflective of the tattoos the Nazis inflicted on many of the victims. At night, the towers illuminate from the inside. Visitors are contemplative and respectful, and you are, too, as you wander down the path, seeming to feel the steam from below—and the quiet power of the memorial.
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