Garden of Remembrance
The Garden of Remembrance was created by the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (formerly known as the Westchester Holocaust Education Center, and the Westchester Holocaust Commission). Former Westchester County Executive Andrew O'Rourke was instrumental in the creation of this memorial site in 1992.
Located in the middle of downtown White Plains, N.Y. on the side of the Michaelian Office Building at 148 Martine Avenue, this memorial was established to honor the memories of the millions of men, women and children persecuted during the Holocaust, and to pay tribute to the brave people of all faiths who risked their lives to save others.
Located in the middle of downtown White Plains, N.Y. on the side of the Michaelian Office Building at 148 Martine Avenue, this memorial was established to honor the memories of the millions of men, women and children persecuted during the Holocaust, and to pay tribute to the brave people of all faiths who risked their lives to save others.
Within the Garden stands the "Gates of Remembrance" that were designed and created in 1992 by sculptor Rita Rapaport to memorialize the suffering and death of millions during the Nazi era from 1933 to 1945. The posts supporting the Gates appear to be blown by the wind, and they evoke the memories of the flames or chimneys of the crematoria. To some, they will resemble the Hebrew letter Vov, which represents the number six, for the six days of creation, or the six million Jewish victims. The Gates themselves may symbolize the bars of a prison or the entrances to concentration camps. There are five plaques on the Gates which depict images meaning Zachor (Remember); torn fabric bearing a prisoner's number; barbed wire representing concentration camps; the Bible in flames commemorating Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) when the Holocaust began; and the broken tablets of the Ten Commandments.
In 2024, HHREC held a dedication for the planting of a sapling grown from a tree referenced in Anne Frank’s Diary. HHREC was chosen to receive the plant by the Anne Frank Center USA, an organization honoring the legacy of Anne Frank.
As you stand before the Gates, we are called to Remember what we must never forget. The Garden walls are inscribed with the names of 26 places which Jews and other innocent victims of Nazi persecution were tortured and murdered. These names represent only some of the many hundreds of locations where recorded and unrecorded atrocities occurred. Other stones in the Garden bear inscriptions of inspirational quotes from philosophers and authors. It is a unique setting for study, reflection and remembrance. and community events.
The Garden is free and open to the public from dawn until dusk seven days a week. For reservations and more information, call the HHREC at 914.696.0738 or email info@hhrecny.org.
Photo credits: Raya Cottrell Photography