Over 150 people gathered as a sculpture commemorating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was unveiled on Sunday, April 19, at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County in Glen Cove.
The ceremony marked the installation of “Monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,” a 1976 work by Polish-born artist and Holocaust survivor Natan Rapoport, which became a permanent addition to the center’s grounds.
The unveiling coincides with the anniversary of the 1943 uprising, when Jewish residents of the Warsaw Ghetto launched a resistance against Nazi forces.
The uprising was the largest Jewish revolt against Nazi Germany during World War II, sparked by the final deportation of the remaining ghetto population to extermination camps. Fighting went on for nearly a month, becoming a symbol of Jewish resistance and dignity during the Holocaust.
Alan Mindel, the chairman of the center, told the story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising at the ceremony, saying that Jews should stand up for their faith, just like those who did during the Holocaust.
“Let this memorial be more than stone and bronze. Let it be a promise. We promise, we will not hide, we will not bow our heads, we will not accept a future in which our children are afraid to be who they are,” he said.
The sculpture is the third in a series of works by Rapoport honoring the uprising. With its installation, the Nassau County center joins a small group of locations worldwide displaying the artist’s work, including Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and Zamenhof Square in Warsaw.
The event also featured the opening of a temporary exhibition highlighting Rapoport’s work and the individuals who took part in the uprising.
Bali Lerner, the executive director of the center, said at the ceremony that people should stand up for those who are marginalized.
“Let this monument also serve as a warning and a call: every Jew must stand up against today’s rhetoric,” he said.
Source: LI Press
