I, along with Senator Yuko, sponsored a resolution to urge Congress to designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial, as a National Memorial. Senate Concurrent Resolution 11 (SCR 11) was unanimously adopted by the Senate on March 30, 2022.
Located inside Zion Memorial Park, a not-for-profit Jewish cemetery, the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial and Monument was built to honor those who died in World War II, provide a grave for the 6 million Jews lost in the Holocaust who have no burial site, and to act as a sanctuary for those who lost loved ones. For the past 60 years, it has served as a gathering place, sacred site and reminder that history must not be repeated. The Holocaust Monument is also the site of an annual memorial service, held each year on the Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as well as an annual Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) Commemoration.
Senator Yuko and I had the opportunity to visit the memorial and attend the 60th Annual Kol Israel Foundation Memorial Service. It was a humbling and moving experience to hear the first-hand accounts of the survivors, as well as the experiences of their children and grandchildren and how they are impacted today.
It is important that we support the Kol Israel Foundation in their work to preserve and protect this important site for future generations. Once the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial receives designation as a National Memorial, it will open up new sources of support and funding for the site. We want to ensure that the memorial receives the designation it deserves, and is protected for years to come.
The goal of SCR 11 is to support the Kol Israel Foundation’s efforts to obtain federal designation as a National Memorial, which requires an Act of the United States Congress. SCR 11 has been sent to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration.
|