Group restores historic New Haven Holocaust Memorial By Stacey Dresner NEW HAVEN - A group concerned about the upkeep of the Holocaust memorial in New Haven has founded an organization to take care of the memorial so that it can be restored to its original state. The New Haven Memorial Tribute to the Six Million, located in Edgewood Park on Whalley Avenue was built in 1977 and was the first Holocaust memorial in the country to be built on municipal land. In the 30 years since it was dedicated, some of the elements of the memorial have begun to deteriorate. The Greater New Haven Holocaust Memory (GNHHM), headed by President Doris Zelinsky, hopes to repair the deterioration that has occurred at the memorial in the many years since it was constructed. Zelinsky learned of the memorial's deterioration after giving a talk about the Holocaust last year. Zelinsky, the child of Holocaust survivors mentioned the New Haven Holocaust memorial during a talk after a screening of the film "Paper Clips," then decided to go on her own to visit the memorial. She was shocked by what she saw. "I found the wear and tear of the elements and the dimming of memories threatening to take away our memorial and our rich legacy," she said. "While several of the stone markers commemorating the camps had recently been cleaned and renovated, the larger structure and plaza appeared worn and poorly cared for." Zelinsky immediately decided to do something about the memorial's disrepair. Calling neighbors and friends, she set up the committee charged with restoring the memorial. The committee consists of Holocaust survivors and their children, former New Haven Mayors Frank Logue and John Daniels, and a cross section of educators, artists, architects and other professionals. The organization is a non-profit organization whose mission it is to "secure the memorial's structure and history and to unlock its rich educational potential for visitors and residents of Greater New Haven." Restoring a rich legacy The New Haven Holocaust Memorial was built nearly 30 years ago on public property at the direction of then-Mayor Logue. The base of the monument is a Star of David with six iron shafts connected by barbed wire - reminiscent of the barbed wire fences at concentration camps. At the ground-breaking ceremony, a group of survivors buried a box filled with ashes collected from Auschwitz in the center of the memorial. One of the first things that the Greater New Haven Holocaust Memory has done is to replace the cover that had protected the box of ashes. The cover had somehow disappeared, but with the rabbinic guidance of Rabbi David Avigdor of nearby Bikur Cholim Sheveth Achim, a new cover was made and secured back on top of the box of ashes, Now the group is working on a plan that would restore the physical monument and the landscaping surrounding it. A capital campaign has begun and Zelinsky said they hope to raise between $60,000 and $100,000, which would cover the restoration as well as annual maintenance. But already, the group has raised awareness of the memorial and of the stories of Holocaust survivors from around New Haven. Andy Horowitz, director of the New Haven Oral History Project at Yale - and the son of Gladys Deutch, one of the members of the Greater New Haven Holocaust Memory -- offered to help the group with an oral history of the memorial. For the past six months, Michael Brown, a Yale senior majoring in history, has been busy collecting the memories of the monument held by a number of community members, many now in their 80s. New Haven photographer David Ottenstein was recruited to take photos of those telling their stories. To celebrate the memorial and its history the oral history collected by Brown will be presented at the Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale on April 26. At that time, Brown will talk about the memorial and will share the stories of the people he interviewed while Ottenstein's photos will be on display. "We in New Haven are no longer at risk of losing the very rich legacy and distinctive place our memorial and our history hold in commemorating the Holocaust in the United States," Zelinsky said. The Oral History Presentation commemorating the Greater New Haven Holocaust Memorial, will be held Sunday, April 26 at 4 p.m. at the Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale, 80 Wall St., New Haven. The event is open to the public.