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New England Holocaust Memorial
Category: Public Services & Government Landmarks & Historical Buildings Landmarks & Historical Buildings [Edit]
Congress StBetween North St and Hanover St
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 635-4505
- Nearest Transit:
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Congress St @ North St (191, 192, 193, 325, 326, 4, 92, 93)
Congress St @ Hanover St (191, 192, 193)
State St Station - To Bowdoin (Blue Line)
42 reviews for New England Holocaust Memorial
Review Highlights
"I stumbled across this as I was walking the Freedom Trail."
(in 9 reviews)
"The numbers etched in the glass that seem to stretch..."
(in 9 reviews)
"somber ambience, very moving, totally worth it."
(in 4 reviews)
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42 reviews in English
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Review from Nikolette C.
Malden, MA
1/15/2012
This is an absolute must-see for anyone who lives or visits the Boston area.
It only takes about 20-30 minutes to walk-thru, even if you are reading and absorbing it all--which everyone should do! It's also located in a very T-accessible area (right next to Haymarket), so there is no reason why anyone should miss this.
The quotes and information given at the Memorial do an excellent job at reminding us, and informing us, about this horrible mark in our world's history. A time that, although horrific, we should never forget.
The numbers etched in the glass and the smoke rising through the columns always give me goosebumps. This is a Memorial that I encourage everyone to see! -
Review from Christina B.
Chicago, IL
12/7/2011
We stumbled across the memoral when walking through the area looking for a place to eat. It's a self-guided tour through glass pillars with smoke and light and there's really intense quotes etched into the glass. My favorite one...the one that brought chills to my skin was this:
"Ilse, a childhood friend of mine, once found a raspberry in the camp and carried it in her pocket all day to present to me that night on a leaf. Imagine a world in which your entire possession is one raspberry and you give it to your friend."
- Gerda Weissman Klein. -
Review from Yvonne B.
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I honestly don't know how this could be a better memorial. It is tasteful, dramatic, and edgy.
Six glass smoke stacks stretch toward the sky with vapor from floor vents soaring through the numbers of Holocaust victims toward the heavens. Each stack represents a concentration camp and each number is a person. Moving quotes from survivors and witnesses swarm around you as you walk through the stacks.
There are no garish images of death and suffering, but the vapors and quotes touch your soul in a moving reminder of World War II. Never forget. -
Review from Cory B.
Hopedale, MA
1/1/2012
This memorial to the Holocaust is haunting and beautiful at once. It's hard to wrap one's head around all of the numbers etched in the glass. The problem with the smoke is that it is all too reminiscent of the gas chambers where the Jews suffered horrible deaths. What were the architects thinking by having smoke? I find the smoke insensitive and a little thoughtless. I understand the dramatic effect but couldn't they have come up with something else?
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Review from Mckenzie G.
Providence, RI
7/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love this memorial. Standing under one of the towers and looking up at all the numbers etched in the glass is a moving and somber experience.
It's amazing how your whole body can change by just walking along this memorial. All around is the chaos of the city, but once you're in the memorial, all of that goes away.
I do think it's an unfortunate location - right next to all the bars - because I have heard that people pee on it at night. The thought of that just sickens me, not because of the pee but because of the disrespect. -
Review from carly r.
Boston, MA
5/18/2011
I used to work at the Purple Shamrock right next to the memorial, so it was always on my radar. I love that it's placed in an area where thousands upon thousands of tourists stumble on it. Tourists think of the Revolutionary war, not WWII, when visiting our city, so the high profile placement of the memorial is great to get people thinking and to make people take a short detour to simply "remember."
Recently, I walked through the memorial with two little cousins visiting from Buffalo. We noticed men setting up a stage and asked them why; turns out holocaust remembrance day was the next day and we decided to attend the 10am service. I was so proud of my cousins for being interested and willing to wake up earlier on Sunday. One of them was raised strictly Baptist and has grown more tolerant of other religions; the other was studying European history at age 15 for NY Regents and she was very interested in hearing first hand survivor stories etc....
The memorial is always quite moving, but the service really enhanced our appreciation. I had heard about plenty of survivors through second and third parties, but never had heard stories directly. There are few survivors left, most of whom were teenagers or younger during the holocaust. They made a big point of the passing the torch to future generations theme.
You could vaguely hear neo-nazi protesters in the background, but even Polish survivors themselves were able to ignore that clamor. I was a tad shocked a few years back when working at the Purple Shamrock, by those protestors holding signs like "free ham sandwiches" etc. It's scary people have these opinions.
I hope to visit the Holocaust museum in DC again soon. In the meantime, I'm proud of my city for erecting this memorial in such a high profile location and continuing to hold special events there. The commentary on the memorial itself is spare, but extremely thought provoking. I'm not architect or designer, but the appearance of the memorial is quite effective. -
Review from Mary L.
3/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Extremely moving memorial, free, and along the freedom trail. Make sure to visit this site in the evening, because the effect is haunting.
The structures are massive, and the steam below your feet adds the ghostly reminder of how so many people's lives were taken. -
Review from Jen K.
5/26/2010
Do you remember their names?
Life is filled with joy and sorrow. Pushing forward and pulling back. I always feel this so profoundly whenever I visit a Holocaust Memorial.
I've spent a fair bit of time reading about this time in our history, talking to survivors and have visited camps in Europe. When I spent several weeks in Munich last year it was certainly on my mind and I started reading modern literature about the current state of 'German guilt' and once again talked to people. It was just after the election of Obama and life felt full of possibilities. It was a joyous time to be out in the world.
I wanted to visit this memorial while in Boston, but the time needed to be right. You see these places tend to wreck me emotionally. So it was a cold and rainy night. I was walking back to downtown from the North End and there they were, six columns illuminated in the mist. I was cold in my bones and the steam that rises from the grates at the base of the columns promised warmth and protection from the night.
Each column represents one of the primary Nazi death camps.
Do you remember their names?
Majdanek
Chelmno
Sobibor
Treblinka
Belzec
Auschwitz-Birkenau
What was more disturbing than the six million numbers etched in the glass, were the pits beneath the columns. Coals at the bottom of each pit emit steam. Warmth is death.
Some other memorials I've visited are more focused on moments of humanity that survived despite the circumstances. This memorial doesn't allow any room for beauty or humanity. It is what it is. A version of what was and will never be again.
Do you remember their names?Listed in: Boston = Wicked Awesome!
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Review from Michael F.
Phoenix, AZ
9/13/2010 6 photos
This is a very moving and reflective memorial. I stumbled across this as I was walking the Freedom Trail. The six pillar's simple design is very effective and the quotations inscribed on the glass walls are very powerful. I noticed that each monument is engraved with millions of I.D. numbers of those who were executed during the Holocaust. The towers also have water vapors rising in the chambers, sorta like gas chambers. It's somberly impressive.
When you factor in what it stands for it is even more powerful. -
Review from Meghan P.
3/21/2009
This memorial is gorgeous, breath-taking, and awe-inspiring... I saw it again while in Boston last year but remembered it vividly from a trip to Boston as a middle schooler. This last trip, I had a chance to see the memorial at night time when it is even more beautiful than during the day...
Tall glass structures are etched with names of people who were killed during the Holocaust. Steam rises from the holes below the ground. However, I should not even be describing this as I can not do it justice... please check it out yourself if you can!Listed in: Boston/Cambridge Adventures
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Review from Amy K.
10/15/2007 1 Check-in Here
This is an amazing memorial. Definitely take the time to read the quotes. I've visited here three different times over three years, and every time it leaves me very emotional. The symbolism is amazing.
This is the description of the design from the web site http://www.nehm.org:
"The Memorial design features six luminous glass towers, each reaching fifty-four feet high, and each lit internally from top to bottom. Six million numbers are etched in the glass. These numbers represent the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and are suggestive of the infamous tattoos the Nazis inflicted on many of the victims.
"Visitors walk a black granite path through the Memorial, passing under the towers. At the base of each tower, a stainless steel grate covers a six-foot deep chamber. On the wall of each chamber is inscribed one of the names of the six primary Nazi death camps: Majdanek, Chelmno, Sobibor, Treblinka, Belzec, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. At the bottom of the pits, smoldering coals illuminate the names of the camps.
"Always suggestive, but not literal, the New England Holocaust Memorial design arouses countless acts of memory, response, and understanding as many as there are visitors to the Memorial itself."
At first the memorial seemed to be placed in a strange location to me, since it's in such contrast to the other buildings on the Freedom Trail, but maybe that's the point. Not to be missed.Listed in: My Boston Experience
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Review from Cat J.
Flushing, NY
8/12/2009 2 photos
(A Haiku in Six Parts)
On the Freedom Trail,
my mother, sister, and I
come across this place.
We are solemn and
thoughtful as we look upward
to glass columns
inscribed with prison
ID numbers. They fill the sky
with a sense of loss.
We then look downward
at slabs of granite, where they
bring us readers down
to Earth-- savoring
quotes of tolerance and hope.
I also read a
word on the ground that
strikes a chord for its simple
message/
\"Remember." -
Review from Katy H.
10/8/2009
If you're in/around Gov't Center or Haymarket and have 5 minutes to spare, this memorial is wonderful to visit. When I spent a year in Boston for college I actually didn't know about this spot until I stumbled upon it one day. It's a beautiful and heartbreaking reminder of suffering and loss than anyone can relate to.
The 6 towers you walk through are lit from within and represent 6 of the major death camps responsible for killing 6 million Jews during WWII. Each tower has 1 million numbers etched in it representing the actual ID numbers people were given in the form of tattoos. It's a devastating, yet beautiful way to represent such an ugly part of world history. As you walk between the towers you see smoke and embers to remind you of the tragic way in which millions of innocent lives were taken. Real quotes from survivors are also on display.
Just thinking about this spot makes me want to revisit it. Although it's sad it's important that we never forget this ugly part of our history and continue to learn from it and teach our children that hate will get you nowhere. I see it as a great educational tool for children especially. Seeing literally millions of numbers etched in the glass really helps drive the point home that this event was so big we can't forget it. -
Review from Jack M.
Boston, MA
10/20/2009
This is, without a doubt, one of the WORST pieces of art in Boston.
Boston has the WORST reputation for producing decent displays of public art. And if you question that, go look at this monstrosity, or the creepy starving family outside Borders a couple blocks away.
This thing is a joke. I like how the numbers of the people are displayed VERTICALLY. Unless you are someone who stands 40 feet tall, how are you supposed to read the numbers way up top? What if one of them is related to you and you want to see it? Stupid design.
I don't get the thing with the burning-glowing coal-like steaming embers below you as you walk down the middle of the art piece. Is that supposed to be charred bodies down there from the nazi furnaces? Creepy and weird and a total JOKE.Listed in: Stupid Yelp Entries
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Review from Lester H.
Saint Leonard, MD
2/24/2007
If you can get through this without feeling something, you're a heartless bastard. The quotes along the ground and on the glass panels are moving. The sheer number of people represented by the numbers etched into the glass panels towering up a few stories for each segment is mind-numbing. People should be reminded of what their fellow man is capable of. Never forget.
Remembering is the only way this can be prevented from happening again. -
Review from angela n.
7/24/2007 1 photo
Aptly located near the Freedom Trail, this is stark and powerful, on par with the Vietnam Memorial in DC. Tall glass columns are etched with six million numbers (not names). When you're inside a column, the numbers are almost invisible, reminding us that the world ignored the Holocaust for much too long.
The Memorial is also inscribed with facts. Example: "At the end of the War, 99% of Denmark's Jews were still alive." It's also etched with eloquent statements from witnesses and survivors. Example (Gerda Weissman Klein):
"Ilse, a childhood friend of mine,
once found a raspberry in the camp
and carried it in her pocket all day
to present to me that night on a leaf.
Imagine a world in which
your entire possession is
one raspberry and
you give it to your friend."Listed in: More than a feeeliiing...
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Review from Jim W.
8/21/2008
The first time I visited the New England Holocaust Memorial was unplanned. I had a meeting nearby, I arrived early and had a little bit of time to wait before my appointment. I was walking and came across the Memorial. As I got closer and realized what it was I was stunned. Profoundly. This Memorial is very affecting. Whoever designed it was genius at creating visual and emotional impact.
The placement of the glass towers over steam vents creates a haunting evocative feeling and pulls you out of the surrounding city bustle. The numbers etched in the glass that seem to stretch endlessly toward the heavens...The numerous quotes...The names of the camps...
I brought my wife here the same way, she wasn't planning a visit, didn't know it was there. It may sound mean but she really appreciated it. We brought my brother-in-law and our kids the same way. It just seems to have a very deep impact when suddenly there it is.
The last time we were there with our children we met an older gentleman from Germany who was visiting New England. He told us about how when he was 9 he was taken from his home and put in the Hitler Youth. He was terrified but things fell apart shortly after he was drafted. We talked for a little while about humanity and how easily people can be convinced to hate.Listed in: IGO (Institute of the Great…
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Review from Kori M.
1/10/2010 1 photo
Definitely worth a visit. The 10 minutes I spent here was enough to make me teary-eyed and somber.
A beautiful presentation like none I've seen before to represent this aspect of the Holocaust. -
Review from Anya S.
4/21/2009
I dont particularly like the location, but this is Boston, so a pub across the street....no I understand a good piece of real estate near Freedom Trail is expensive.
The memorial is very symbolic and suggestive. The quotes are quite fitting. Definitely makes you think. Ive been to all Poland's extermination camps, and I didn't think that this memorial would have any affect on me. I was thinking I saw it all, but this memorial did give me goose bumbs. Its very moving. Very well done.
"For your benefit, learn from our tragedy. It is not a written law that the next victims must be Jews." -Simon Wiesenthal -
Review from Simon L.
Portland, ME
4/4/2007
Pretty friggin awesome, as memorials go. If there was every anything that stuck in my mind about Boston, before I moved here, it was this--it's haunting, kind of terrifying, really concise, clean, well-maintained, and really hits the point home.
I think people would be, in general, hesitant to critique a memorial of any sort in even a slightly negative manner, because they might risk sounding insensitive to the cause being memorialized--not me. I really honestly think this is a great concept, well thought-out, and executed. Architecturally, it's stunning, to boot.
Check it out, for sure. -
Review from Shaina S.
Somerville, MA
4/9/2008
Well I had to find certain numbers on the pillars for a scavenger hunt.
Besides that frustration, this small grassy area (between two streets, backed up against a row of bars, sidling a T stop and the biggest tourist destination in Boston) is surprisingly haunting. It toes the line of over the top, but I think it successfully remains both respectful and tragic. -
Review from Scott F.
Barnstable, MA
6/13/2009
While walking one day in the middle of the winter I saw this.
It looked interesting from a distance. Just these three hollow , glass towers with steam rising from some grates under them. You don't realize how amazing it is until you get close to it. -
Review from Steph P.
Los Angeles, CA
4/18/2010
This was so depressing yet amazingly touching. You feel cold as you are walking through, for your spine will tingle in nervousness. But then you learn to appreciate the art in this memorial.
I wonder how jews feel about this memorial... -
Review from Caitlin S.
Atlanta, GA
3/10/2009
We were told when we came to visit that we had to see the Holocaust Memorial while we were here. We came across it accidentally while walking the Freedom Trail. I really liked the Memorial and thought it was done very well and tastefully. Each of the six columns represented a different Concentration Camp and there are six million tattoo numbers etched into the glass of each column. Smoke rises from the tall columns as a symbol of the souls of the victims rising.
This is a must see if you visit Boston; it doesn't take up a lot of time and it's right near all the tourist stuff. Definitely take time to visit this memorial. -
Review from Kate G.
Burlington, MA
9/29/2009
I am a World War II history buff and have come to try to gain as much information about this time as possible. In my search for information,and moreover stories from survivors and victims I have come across many wonderful books, films, and the like but the most breathtaking experience in my quest for this knowledge have been my many trips to this Memorial.
Whenever I am in this area I try to at least take a few minutes and quietly walk through it. As my sign of respect towards those lost in this terrible moment of history that has forever changed the world.
The numbers and how the smoke rises from the Memorial remind us and anyone who can see it from the street in passing of the eerie reality of what to most of us seems like fiction or at best a nightmare.
I have yet to be able to visit the Memorial Museum in Washington, DC but I am sure that is done with just as much grace and dignity as this much smaller one in Boston.
When in Boston do take the time to pay your own respects and remember that time in history and how lucky we are to have our basic freedoms. -
Review from Xander S.
Seattle, WA
1/20/2010
I've been to several Holocaust memorials throughout my lifetime; each one so unique, and able to bring out the sad horrors of what happened during that time. This one is perhaps the most simple, a small plot of land with six(?) glass pillars, over a grate of light steam.
The quotes were well chosen and each reflect the great sadness of a single individual affected, and they stand in strong contrast to the barely legible numbers etched into the glass around it.
It's a powerful reminder and very humanizing to one of the most dehumanizing events in human history.
I would have loved more information on the designer, and/or the symbolism, but I won't complain. -
Review from Doreen M.
San Francisco, CA
10/27/2009
My fiance is from Burlington so he took me around Boston on one of my first visits.. we were in the area near Faneuil Hall and I remember walking through the Holocaust Memorial. It's interesting that the Freedom Trail is right there so it really puts an emphasis on the significance of freedom.
The design is interesting if you really look at the meaning behind the components. There are six glass towers (six main death camps) that have light from the inside so you should try to stop by at night. With smoke rising throughout the memorial, I was really impacted by this experience.. it gave me chills.
Can you believe that six million numbers are etched in that glass? Six million significant of six million Jews tattooed with those numbers who lost their lives. Such a profound memorial that helps remind me how blessed and grateful I am for my freedom. -
Review from Gourmet G.
San Francisco, CA
10/10/2005 1 photo
Located along the Freedom Trail across from City Hall, this stunning reminder of one of history's most horrific periods was designed by San Francisco artist Stanley Saitowitz, who was raised Orthodox in Johannesburg. Six fifty-four-foot towers of glass and steel, representing the major camps, are etched with one million numbers in memory of all the victims, along with quotations and text. Each tower sits adjacent to a small pit, from which a small cloud of steam rises, and fiberglass panels help create the illusion of fire. An overwhelming sense of shock and extreme sorrow follows the sudden recognition that these elements are evocative of the gas chambers. At the end of the memorial, a cylinder containing ashes from the camps is buried beneath the dedication panel. In the midst of downtown Boston's hustle-and-bustle, this is a sobering spot for serious reflection.
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Review from Sean L.
Boston, MA
4/20/2006
The Holocaust Memorial is much more than a breathtaking, emotional, and beautiful piece of art. It is history and people. The memorial is covered with quotes of those who suffered during the holocaust and facts about this tragic human event. I walked back and forth through it multiple times, reading everything I could and was nothing short of moved. If you are site seeing do no neglect this stop. It is moving and educational.
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Review from Dylan C.
Boston, MA
4/20/2006
The first time I saw this memorial, I was pretty young. But, I distinctly remember getting upset. Something about the devastation was apparent to me, even tough I didn't even fully understand the events that were represented. Seeing it now, I recognize the same feelings and I can appreciate the magnitude of this memorial. It's truly beautiful and captures the essence of what it is representing at the subliminal level.
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Review from Irene F.
5/24/2006
This memorial is absolutely stunning...despite being right next to the craziness and bustle of Faneuil Hall, it has a sereness to it that really makes you forget about everything else and concentrate on it and it alone. As you walk through, definitely examine the engravings, and take your time, no matter how busy it is. Slowing other people down will be a good thing!
Listed in: The Jew Crew
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Review from Gloria L.
6/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
overwhelming... simple memorial and yet moving!
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Review from Anne H.
Charlestown, MA
7/13/2006
The Holocaust Memorial is best experienced when it is just getting dark outside - light enough to read everything, but dark enough to really experience the steam and the lights. Also, there are less tourists around at night so you can take it all in without being bothered.
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Review from Susan P.
Sudbury, MA
7/26/2010
This is a magnificent Holocaust memorial. It is moving and incredibly beautiful. It was also designed to be very accessible to children. My 8- and 10-year old daughters really "got" it. I deeply appreciated the thought and effort that went into the creation of this disturbing and haunting memorial. I can't recommend it highly enough.
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Review from Allison T.
Allston, MA
6/26/2007
The first time I ever saw this memorial it actually made me tear up. I'm not one to get so emotional about things but standing here literally made me pause, take a minute out of my night of acting like a drunk asshole (aah, the old days) and just think about what really mattered. The memorial is quiet, dignified, and very appropriate. Despite being next to the insanity that can be Faneuil Hall, I don't think there's a better location for it.
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Review from reese w.
San Francisco, CA
4/20/2006
This memorial is incredible and, like the other reviewers noted, very moving. What I particularly enjoyed was that they have you stop and read quotes along the way, and they try to make you feel something physically as well. For example, one of the quotes in about the burning heat of the ovens and there is a vent that blows hot air on you while you stand to read the quote. It's very well-done and is a must-see.
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Review from Jen F.
5/4/2010
I didn't even know it was coming, but it was perfect.
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Review from Juggy W.
Waban, MA
8/3/2007
Tears streamed down my face when I walked thru this thing because the steam coming from below hurt my eyes. Tricky!
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Review from Sally T.
San Francisco, CA
5/5/2006
Read all the engravings... some pretty moving stuff.
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Review from Marie D.
1/6/2009
I was on my way to a bar (and visiting from San Diego) when my sister said, "You haven't seen this yet let's check it out." Well, I'm still a bit speechless. All I can say is that the quotes were very well done and the sheer numbers of those excecuted stretching towards heaven is overwhelming. The gas coming up at you from the grates below was a little too much for me and I ended up feeling like I needed to run the heck out of there. Did it make me remember the atrocities? Yes. Did it make me uncomfortable? Yes. Did it make me sad? Yes. Did it make me really need a drink? Yes. Artist's mission accomplished.
