On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Rep. Brown Leads Ohio Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Designate Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial as National Memorial

WASHINGTON – Today, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Rep. Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), along with Reps. Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Troy Balderson (OH-12), Tim Ryan (OH-13), Dave Joyce (OH-14), Mike Carey (OH-15) and Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16), introduced bipartisan legislation to designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial in Bedford Heights, Ohio, as a national memorial. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

Erected in 1961 by survivors of the Holocaust residing in Northeast Ohio, the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial is one of the oldest Holocaust memorials in the U.S. For more than 60 years, the Kol Israel Foundation has preserved and enhanced the memorial, which has the ashes of Jewish victims and other tokens of remembrance buried at its base.

“On Yom HaShoah, we remember the six million Jewish victims whose lives were cut tragically short by the Nazi regime,” said Rep. Brown. “We also honor the survivors, who from the ashes of Europe found refuge across the United States, including in Northeast Ohio where they dedicated a memorial to all who perished. Like those who first erected the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial six decades ago, we must continue to honor the memory of the Jewish victims who endured unimaginable pain, suffering and loss during the Holocaust. Recognizing this site as a national memorial ensures future generations understand the true legacy of this dark chapter of history and reminds us that we must stand against rising antisemitism today.”

“The Kol Israel Memorial Foundation educates Ohioans and preserves the memories of those lost to the horrors of the Holocaust. When we pass that knowledge on to future generations, we recommit ourselves to ensuring it never happens again, and to fighting for a more just and peaceful world,” said Senator Brown. “I’m honored to join my colleagues in introducing this important bipartisan legislation with my colleagues in Ohio’s Congressional Delegation.”

“We must never forget the horrors of the Holocaust and the enormous suffering endured by the Jewish people,” said Sen. Portman. “The Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial was erected six decades ago in Northeast Ohio to honor the victims of the Holocaust and to serve as a lasting reminder of the evil that occurred,” said Senator Portman. “On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am pleased to join in the effort to designate Kol Israel a National Memorial.”

“Dedicated over sixty years ago, the Kol Israel Memorial in Bedford Heights, Ohio, has stood as a solemn reminder of the greatest atrocities our world has ever seen,” said Rep. Beatty. “As we witness continued violence and unfettered destruction on the global political stage, the need to honor and remember victims of genocide is all the more pressing. This Yom HaShoah, we stand with Holocaust victims, survivors, and the Jewish American community in calling for federal recognition of Ohio’s oldest Holocaust Memorial so that we may continue to live up to the promise of ‘Never Again.’”

“For 60 years, the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial has stood as a lasting marker to the 6 million Jews who perished at the hands of their Nazi murderers,” said Rep. Kaptur. “In the decades since its raising, the memorial has brought countless survivors, relatives, and everyday people to its hallowed grounds – gathering together in solemn reflection. Just as its granite will endure through the ages, so too will the memories of those senselessly taken. Its worthiness of designation as a national memorial is unquestionable, and I am honored to join in the effort to see it through.”

“One of the best ways to honor the 6 million lives lost during the Holocaust is by vowing to never allow anti-Semitism to take root again, through education,” said Rep. Balderson. “This legislation is an opportunity to remember those who perished, teach future generations about the dangers of bigotry, and recommit us all to combating anti-Semitism. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this effort to elevate the designation of Ohio’s own Kol Israel Foundation Memorial.”

“I’m proud to stand in solidarity with our Jewish community by supporting this legislation to designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial as a national memorial,” said Rep. Ryan. “This designation will support the Foundation’s crucial and enduring work of preserving the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and serve as a solemn reminder of our obligation to speak out and act against hate and injustice.”

“I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this important bipartisan legislation to designate the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial as a National Memorial,” said Rep. Joyce. “By honoring the memory of the Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust, we ensure the next generation can continue our critical efforts to prevent the hatred that fuels anti-Semitism from taking root in our society.”

“I am proud to join this bipartisan effort to designate the Kol Israel Foundation Memorial as a national memorial,” said Rep. Carey. “Ohio proudly stands with our Jewish community in keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive so that we can confront anti-Semitism and hatred of all kinds and teach about the personal responsibilities we all have to ensure those atrocities never happen again.”

"We wish to thank Congresswoman Brown and Senator Brown for the introduction of this legislation to honor the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial and seek its designation as a National Memorial," said Mark S. Frank, Past President and Memorial Chairman of the Kol Israel Foundation. "We are so grateful that Congresswoman Brown and Senator Brown have a deep appreciation for this Memorial, that is considered to be hallowed ground to the Jewish community, and that this legislation will permanently enshrine one of the first Memorials in the United States to honor victims of the Holocaust.  We look forward to welcoming Members of Congress at the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial, and doing our part to help see this legislation through."

“We are grateful for Congresswoman Shontel Brown’s leadership in seeking designation of the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial as a national memorial, and we urge strong bipartisan support for this effort,” said J. David Heller, Chair, Board of Trustees, Jewish Federation of Cleveland. “The Kol Israel Memorial serves as the central site for Holocaust commemorations in Cleveland and is cherished by our entire community.”

“Holocaust commemoration and memorial increases in importance each year as the number of survivors & liberators - and their first hand eyewitness accounts - become fewer and fewer,” said Howie Beigelman, Executive Director of Ohio Jewish Communities. “With Holocaust misappropriation, trivialization, & denial on the rise, the bipartisan efforts to secure national historic recognition of Cleveland's Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial is all too timely.  Ohio's Jewish communities statewide are grateful to Congresswoman Shontel Brown, a newer member of our delegation but an old friend of our community, for her leadership in sponsoring this resolution. We are likewise grateful to the seven original cosponsors from across Ohio, Reps. Balderson, Beatty, Carey, Gonzalez, Joyce, Kaptur, and Ryan for their leadership and partnership.  We join all of them, the Ohio General Assembly & Governor DeWine in supporting such a designation."

“The Kol Israel monument was my grandfather Morry Malcmacher’s passion project. He felt strongly that the Holocaust survivor community must have a place in a cemetery which survivors pay their respects to lost loved ones,” said Joshua Kramer, Director of American Jewish Committee New York. “The survivors of Kol Israel buried ashes of concentration camp victims beneath the monument to form a literal grave. My grandfather witnessed the very worst of Nazi cruelty, having been a prisoner or forced laborer of Majdanek, Belzec, Auschwitz, and Dachau concentration camps. He and the survivors who formed Kol Israel were able to pick up the broken pieces of their lives and rebuild life anew in Northeast Ohio. Their resilience is an inspiration to us all, and AJC is proud to see their work recognized in this important piece of legislation.”

“With Holocaust denial and distortion on the rise, it is more important than ever to memorialize and teach the next generation about the horrors that happened all those years ago,” said James Pasch, Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League Cleveland. “New generations are growing up with far less knowledge about those distant events. As survivors pass away, there are fewer and fewer individuals to tell their personal stories to kids, at community events, and before government officials. ADL welcomes the effort to designate Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial to be a national memorial. Remembering the Holocaust and educating the world about it should remind leaders of what can happen if the international arena becomes a place for extreme competition and nationalism instead of cooperation and the rule of law.”

For the bill text, click here.

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