Holocaust Memorial Exhibition opens in Auckland
The Children’s Holocaust Memorial will be officially opened at the Central Library in Auckland on 22 July, 2019.
The Memorial honours the 1.5 million children
killed during the Holocaust (including children related to
New Zealand’s own Holocaust survivors and
refugees).
The Memorial is the first of its kind in
the world, taking the simple everyday button as an icon –
chosen by the then Principal of the Moriah Jewish Day School
in Wellington in an effort to communicate to her students
the enormity of the number of children killed. Over 1
million buttons have been collected from around New Zealand
and internationally to symbolise the 1.5 million innocent
lives lost.
The majority of the buttons will be
contained in a truly unique design and installation by
Matthijs Siljee of Massey University’s School of Design.
Other key elements of the Memorial include an interactive
educational section - especially relevant for schoolchildren
- and a reflective reading space with a selection of books
from the Library’s substantial Holocaust
collection.
“The Children’s Holocaust Memorial
represents the culmination of many years work, especially
the passion and dedication of a number of our Holocaust
Survivors. The enduring lesson of the Holocaust for New
Zealanders is a preparedness to stand up to discrimination
and prejudice and the violation of human rights…in
essence, to be an Upstander not bystander” says Jeremy
Smith, Chair of the Holocaust Centre of New
Zealand.
The Memorial will be at the Central Library
from 23 July 2019 to 4 November 2019. After Auckland, it
will then travel to the new Public Library in Christchurch.
The Children’s Holocaust Memorial is an initiative of
the Holocaust Centre of New
Zealand.