The Holocaust Memorial Park

Two members of the Manhattan Beach community, Alfred Gollomp and Ira Bilus, approached then-Mayor Edward I. Koch with the idea for a Holocaust Memorial Park. The land was available, and Mayor Koch agreed that the site was ideal, allocating it for the project. Gollomp and Bilus then approached the Brooklyn Borough President at the time, Howard Golden, who allocated $933,000 for the park's construction. Over the next two and a half years, Gollomp and Bilus worked on the design and inscriptions. At the dedication ceremony during Koch’s term, Simon Wiesenthal served as the keynote speaker, and approximately 8,000 people were in attendance. The park was officially designated as Holocaust Memorial Park in 1985 by Mayor Koch. Initially, it consisted of a grove of established London plane trees and a seating area. Following a planning process led by the local nonprofit organization, the Holocaust Memorial Committee, Borough President Golden allocated $933,000 toward the construction of a permanent memorial, which was designed and built by the City. Construction began in 1986 and the memorial was dedicated that same year by Mayor Koch, Borough President Golden, Abraham Foxman—National Director of the Anti-Defamation League and a Holocaust survivor—and other officials. ==Design features==

The memorial designed by landscape architect George Vellonakis consists of a tower sculpture of granite and exposed steel with a bronze “Eternal Flame” on top. The word “Remember” encircles the top of the tower. The tower stands on three circular pedestals of granite, bearing the names of the countries where people were persecuted during the Holocaust. A twenty-one-foot granite slab extending is inscribed with a brief history of the Holocaust, written by Alfred Gallup. Donors are asked to provide the victim's name and a brief history of his or her Holocaust experience. The committee then meets to verify the authenticity of the proposed inscription. For events and facts like the Wannsee Conference, the Death marches, the Nuremberg Laws, the Evian Conference, Kristallnacht, the Warsaw Uprising and more. ==Annual gathering==

Since the dedicated Annual gatherings take place at the memorial on occasions throughout the year for remembering, memorial programs, and to honor leaders, educators, and heroic figures. Such as on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. ==Vandalism==

The Memorial Park has been vandalized several times over the years. One such incident was in 2012 when vulgar language graffiti was sprayed on the Memorial. Another incident took place in 2019 when the Memorial Park was again vandalized with graffiti. ==References==