Statement from the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial Board on October 7, 2024 (Issued October 6, 2024)
On October 7 it is one year since the terrorist outrage when Hamas attacked, raped, murdered, and kidnapped innocent children, men, and women who were living in peace in Israel. This heinous and unprovoked attack was the most brutal in Israel’s history and marks the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. We, members of the Board of Directors of the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial, will never forget what unchecked hate has done and is still doing to our people. We will never forget the lessons of the Holocaust and stand against antisemitism and hate.
In this time of terror, war, and the crisis of rising antisemitism, we stand firmly with our brethren in Israel. We believe in and support Israel’s right to exist, her right and obligation to provide a safe and democratic homeland for the Jewish people, and her right to defend herself against her enemies. We mourn those who have been murdered and passionately pray for the release of the hostages who remain in bondage in Gaza. We mourn for those who have died defending the Jewish state from the terror groups who seek to destroy her, and for all the innocent Israelis and Palestinians who have perished since the attack. May God who is the eternal source of peace, grant peace to all who mourn, and bring peace to us, to all of Israel, and to all humanity. Am Yisrael Chai.
Just recently, in Southlake, Texas, a school district administrator advised teachers that if they have a book about the Holocaust in their classrooms, they should also offer students access to a book from an “opposing” perspective.
That this idea should find its way through the school district or even be suggested by a professional administrator is the canary in the coal mine.
With anti-Semitism on the rise in the United States and beyond, the importance of the future Capital District Holocaust Memorial can’t be overstated.
And it was the interfaith friendship between Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of the Diocese of Albany and Dr. Michael Lozman that brought the memorial one step closer to reality on Aug. 20.
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