Verona, NJ – They are memories so painful, they’re fueling a heated debate in an unexpected spot.
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A neighborhood in Verona, New Jersey is divided over a Holocaust memorial. Some residents say the memorial is a daily reminder of death, and they want it moved.
The memorial is a railroad track leading to a barbed wire-wrapped star bearing the names of concentration camps. It’s the vision of Sarah Kriegel, the daughter of Holocaust survivors.
“The tracks are the ones that carried all the people to the death camps, to the labor camps,” Kriegel says.
“We have to remember the Holocaust,” a Verona resident said.
The memorial, just outside Congregation Beth AHM of West Essex in Verona, brings Jane Janoff to tears – but not for the reasons you may think.
“When my 10-year-old daughter thinks something like this is going to happen to her, she’s too young to understand that it’s not,” Janoff says. “But she really thinks something is going to happen to her because of this memorial.”
Janoff, whose husband, Michael, is Jewish, says she doesn’t mind having a memorial across from her home. However, she says she’s offended by the 11 wooden railroad ties representing the six million Jews and five million Christians killed in the labor camps.
“Really, it’s a symbol of death to us,” she says.
Janoff and some of her neighbors want the tracks pulled.
“I feel that this memorial is very extreme,” one neighbor says.
“I wouldn’t even mind if it’s temporary, kind of like you have Nativity scenes from Christmas. Fine, I get it. To me, that would be more acceptable,” Michael Janoff says. “But every day, day in and day out, I have to think about, ‘wow, people died during this event.’ It’s just horrible.”
Rabbi Aaron Kriegel says the tracks are an important teaching tool, and he has no plans to remove them.
“If we took out the tracks, we would just be giving in to the senseless kind of thinking that says, ‘well, I can close my eyes while evil happens and pretend that it’s not there,'” Rabbi Kriegel says.
It’s a lesson no one wants to live through again.
Residents complained to the Town of Verona, but the town manager says there’s nothing they can do because the memorial doesn’t violate any statutes or codes.
The point of a memorial is not to remember something for the people. It is to remind the people who see it to remember for themselves. Everyday.
Of course this is a very sad reminder, and of course the neighbors would rather not see it and forget, but that’s the point of the memorial. To see it everyday and remember the atrocities that occurred. And be sad.
This is called real bored people!
To bad people are spoiled these days and take our freedom for granted, a daily reminder of what we’ve got to appreciate isn’t to bad, in away its recommended so you appreciate and thank god every morning for every breath of freedom you have. Iguess for some that’s to much to handle (thanking god)
If she is offended then she will just have to deal with it. This should be the worst thing she has to face. It is real death that is the most difficult. That is the wonderful thing about freedom of speech and freedom of religion – as long as no one harms her, it is only her mind and beliefs that are making difficulties. If she wants she can walk on the other side of the street and if she wants she can, l’havidal, even spit when she is bothered by it.
being the daughter of two survivors, i appreciate the memorials. but in their right place. i dont think a residential street is the right place. the photo illustrates a very strong memorial. perhaps the best i’ve ever seen. perhaps too strong for a residential area.
Hey, Jane Janoff, think about this:
If you lived in Nazi Germany, you would have gotten off the hook (apparently, you are NOT Jewish – what luck!), your husband (who IS Jewish – too bad) would’ve been sent to a labor camp, and your daughter (who is NOT Jewish!) would be sent to the gas chambers!
But, no. Let’s pull out the memorial so we don’t have to be reminded of the 6 million Jews(including 1.5 million children) who actually were sent to their deaths.
Jane, you’re pathetic.
I do agree with the those folks. Its a little too much all that drama in front of a synagogue, in a residential neighborhood. Put in a museum , put it inside , but outside I’m sorry, but I can see it bothering neighbors.I am a frimme yid, grandson of holocaust survivors from all sides , My grandparents hardly could get them selfs talking about the subject.
would they say this if they lived next to Funeral parlor? of course not.. this reminds them that they are jewish or that jews suffered .
I heard the lady interviewed by the news and I can hear where she is coming from. Realize that she isn’t emotionally attached to the memorial as we are therefore from a realistic standpoint the memorial is death related and scary.
She does not ant to know that G-D is our Leader and she wants to forget the golus,ignore our people’s suffering Self-hating Jews,need to be educated
maybe it’s subconscious – this lady doesn’t want to be reminded that her marriage basically accomplishes exactly what Hitler wanted – to wipe out the Jewish race…
Those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
I can appreciate the neighbors concerns. For some people, this is not just a reminder that we must not forget and always honor those who were lost , but horribly depressing to constantly be reminded of such barbarism and cruelty and that g-d allowed this to happen. For those of you who think this is a good thing to always have in your face, why have you not put a similar memorial on your front lawn?
Seriously People! To say that Jane’s marriage accomplishes what Hitler wanted. How dare you say something like that. People who believe this are morons! Is two people loving eachother wrong? Saying that two people with two different religions should stay apart…do you know or love anyone outside of you religion or race? You just took our society back decades with a comment like that! Pathetic!
She’s taking freedom for granted? Everyone is attacking her for her freedom…freedom to play in the yard with her child without being reminded of death!
Memorials have accomplished nothing. It is precisely these people who have no Yiddishkeit and don’t understand why the Holocaust happened that they keep pushing it into people’s faces. With all the Holocaust museums and memorials, the reason of Eisov sonei l’Yaakov escapes them.
The ones in my family who have emerged from the flames of the Holocaust broken and beaten and have gone further to establish their lives and set up religious Jewish families who are living testimonts to Jewish survival, would never think of setting up a Holocaust memorial on their front lawn.
I have a question…Would the Rhabi himself or any other member of this synagogue approve of a woman’s marriage or parenting skills be critisized in this manor simply for her own opinion? After all aren’t people allowed to their own opinions? To get that personal is inmature and pathetic. It’s her freedom to feel the way she does. You don’t have to like it but it has nothing to do with her being married to a Jewish man or the type of mother that she is. I cannot believe people would sink this low!
In response to whatajoke #13 . You say her marriage to a Jewish man accomplishes Hilter task in taking out the Jewish…Here’s a tidbit of information for ya…The Rhabi himself…his son is married to a Christian woman. Do you want to make the same statement to him and his family?
Without taking a position on this memorial, I wanted to inform the readers of an incident, which was only recently brought to my attention. A survivor of the Holocaust who regularly speaks to high schools and universities, told me that one day he received a disturbing telephone call from the Mother of a student. She had the unmitigating gall to blame the survivor for her daughter becoming upset, upon hearing of his experiences! If there was ever a medal to be awarded for chutzpah, this would have been it. Incidentally, the person who was complaining was sadly one of our own!
To all those haters and people who have no idea the type of person I am I feel sorry for you that you have to be spiteful to other people to make yourselves feel better. My marriage to my husband is not the issue at hand nor are my parenting skills, but to tell you I have been happily married for 11 years and wouldn’t change a thing.
The issue here is whether a memorial of this magnitude belongs in a residential neighborhood. The memorial is fine and we don’t have any issue with having a memorial it is the railroad tracks and what they mean. You choose to visit a memorial and are prepared emotionally when you choose to visit. This congregation did not think of the feelings of the neighbors on this street. The congregation chooses when and if they want to visit the memorial, they do not live near, next, or across the street from it. We had that choice taken away from us. All we are asking is that the railroad tracks be taken up and lay down a walkway to the stone wall with the remembrance. Why would want a daily reminder of how millions of people were transported to their deaths sitting right outside your window/door?
The rabbi and his congregation have said that they wanted the neighbors in on the design and sent out letters and never heard back from anyone. They never heard back because there were never any letters sent out to us or any of the neighbors that I have talked too.
The rabbi says that we close our eyes while evil happens and pretend that it is not there, is ridiculous. He goes home, doesn’t have to look at it day in and day out.
This rabbi is a man who insults my father in law, who is Jewish and went to this synagogue and had his bar mitzvah at this synagogue, because my father in law disagreed with the railroad tracks being there. He tells my father in law that he doesn’t know G-D. How does a “MAN OF G-D” talk to someone like that for having a different opinion then the rabbi.
It is a reminder that we are thank the Holy Good G-d that we are free now… you are also free to move…just like you are free to say whatever you please. It is a welcomed gift, what this child of survivors gave, and I would love to congratulate her. This is better than all the graffiti vandalized on people’s property. There are memorials with wreaths put down too, doesnt that remind you of the death??? Please lady, explain to your child the freedom we have now, and cherish it….So few of us are around to speak, and advocate for the freedom we have NOW , who knows how long that will last?
I can see both sides, but a memorial to human savagery does NOT belong on a residential street for crying out loud. Why are so many here so obtuse?
Many houses of worship are in residential areas,some have a Crucifixion mounted on a wall,or standing as a statue in front of a church.I would think that the Crucifixion is a much stronger symbol and yet no one is complaining when it’s displayed publicly,or worn as jewelery!!!!!!!!!!!!!