An 18-foot bronze sculpture commemorating the 6,000,000 Jews martyred by the Nazis has been accepted by the City of Philadelphia as a gift, it was announced here today. The monument–the first of its kind in the United States–is expected to be placed permanently in a prominent location on the West Plaza of City Hall, Until construction and improvement work is completed, it will be temporarily erected on a city owned plot.
Unveiling at this spot is scheduled for Sunday, April 26, at a ceremony sponsored by the Federation of Jewish Agencies and the Association of Jewish New Americans on behalf of the Allied Jewish Appeal, The Association of Jewish New Americans instituted the project and raised the funds. The monument, a symbolic sculpture by Nathan Rapport, world-renowned artist, is now on its way to Philadelphia.
At the unveiling, the Jewish community will be called to rededicate itself to the cause of the Allied Jewish Appeal, as a practical means of offering tribute to the 6,000,000 Jewish martyrs and preventing a recurrence of their tragedy. All Philadelphians will be invited to join with the Jewish community in dedicating the monument as “an important addition to the city’s many historic memorials to the cause of liberty, “it was announced by Leonard Goldfine, general chairman of the Allied Jewish Appeal, and Dalck Feith, chairman of the Monument Committee of the Association of Jewish New Americans.
Mr. Goldfine and Mr. Feith expressed appreciation to the city of Philadelphia, and particularly to the Municipal Art Commission, for accepting the monument and planning to place it on a prominent site. The Art Commission acted on the offer of the gift of the monument at a meeting this week.
The monument, weighing five tons, will stand on a two-foot black granite base. Mr. Rapoport, the sculptor, a native of Warsaw, Poland, created the world-renowned monument that stands on the site of what was once the Warsaw Ghetto. He created the Philadelphia monument in Pietrasanta, Italy. He described it in a message to the sponsors as “a majestic work, full of sentiment and sorrow, which wants to signify that even in time of peace humanity does not forget.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
