I was quite moved by the simple, yet powerful message of the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston.
New England Holocaust Museum
There is a path that runs beneath the six glass towers representing the main Nazi concentration camps — Majdanek, Chelmno, Sobibor, Treblinka, Belzec, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Etched in the glass are six million numbers for the six million Jews who died during the Holocaust.
At one end of the path is a granite slab engraved with this famous quotation by Martin Niemoeller:
“THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.
THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.
THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
THEN THEY CAME for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.
THEN THEY CAME for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.”
For more information: New England Holocaust Memorial
Powerful words about who they came for before they come for us – still applies today
You’re right about that, Eileen.
That quote is so so powerful.
I had heard the quote before, but it really stopped me in my tracks at the memorial.
Great shots, Cathy! What a powerful memorial. That quote by Martin Niemoeller is one of my favorites too.
Thanks, Michael. There are many aspects of the memorial that are moving, and those words fit it so well.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw the photo. I’m sure it must have been very moving to see it up close.
Ye, it was very moving. Thank you for your comment!
Oooh, reminds me of home.
A Boston guy! Boston has so much wonderful history and interesting places to visit.
I’d never heard that quote before, but I love it.
Six million numbers — I had to think about that a bit. I’m in Singapore, which is very crowded — population five million. Very very sobering thought.
I’ve done exactly the same thing — pondered on those numbers. Very sobering, indeed.
Makes you think…
Absolutely. Good to read things like that once in a while, I think.
Powerful reminder and quote !
I think we all need reminders sometimes. Thanks for coming by, Mike!
Very powerful words. I didn’t even realize that there was a holocaust memorial in Boston. It sounds very touching.
I was surprised when we came across it. The effort to create a memorial there was started by a group of concentration camp survivors who live in the Boston area.
That quote is extremely powerful, and that monument is as well. I felt very fortunate to stumble upon it when we were in Boston.
Another quote that I try to carry around in the very front of my brain: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
We kind of stumbled upon it, too. I don’t recall seeing anything about before that. Thanks for the sharing the “injustice” quote.
That poem always haunts me but it’s so important to share.
I had never seen the quote by Martin Niemoeller that you shared, but it definitely awakened something in me reading it. I think Martin Luther King has a quote that makes me feel the same way… “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I strive to live a life integrity, and I am thankful for the reminders from others along the way.
The Martin Luther King quote is excellent!
Very powerful memorial. I’d most likely be in tears upon seeing it. Great post!
Thank you, Cheryl. 🙂
I’ve heard this quote before – so important. We travelled back to Turkey via Eastern Europe once (2006, I think) just for a change from flying direct to Turkey from the UK. There are so many memorials, museums, centres, like this and you can’t ignore them. Really glad we did the journey. A moving experience but an amazing trip, too.
Julia
I’d love to visit Eastern Europe and visit the museums and memorials there. Wonderful that you took that trip.
Such a powerful quote.
I hope the generation today and in the future will appreciate this. All too often, it’s so easy to forget our history.
I agree. I think that’s why it’s so important to have memorials, monuments, & museums & to encourage young people to visit them.
Powerful photos and words Cathy. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Nancie. I don’t know if it’s obvious that the numbers on the bottom of the photo are a reflection from the glass.
What a beautiful memorial…and such an impactful quote…
A quote that should sit in front of my desk as a reminder to speak out when it is important to do so.
I should, too.
Very well documented, Cathy. I’ve heard those lines before. Putting it all together here makes a really powerful impression.
Thanks, Andrew. I had also heard the quotation before, but seeing the words at this memorial really struck me.
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