The Hague, 28 January 2018

A Holocaust memorial dedicated to Jews of The Hague to be presented after seventy years.
On 28th January 2018, The Hague unveiled the Holocaust monument in memory of the 14,000 Jewish residents of the city who were deported and exterminated during the Second World War. The project was driven by the efforts of the Dutch Jewish Monument Foundation together with the Municipality of The Hague and among the guest speakers during the opening ceremony inside the Atrium in the city hall is Ms. Pauline Krikke the Mayor of The Hague, Prof. Ernst Hirsch Ballin, Music performed by the Obermeister-Shasha family. The memorial was conceived and designed by the Israeli-born artist Anat Ratzabi and will be placed in Rabbijn Maarsenplein, which is in the city’s former Jewish quarter. It will consist of sculptures intended to arouse curiosity and awareness among spectators. A wall split in three parts, to resemble a door set ajar will be illuminated by a light installation and will feature the ‘Davidster’ plaque which was designed by Dick Stins 50 years ago. Six stone ovals with plaques representing the twelve tribes of Israel will be placed in front. To complete the memorial, both next to the door and in the square will sit two bronze suitcases, which symbolized the inhumane way the Jews were forced to abruptly depart.

“It is important, and carries tremendous responsibility to serve the memory of those who didn’t come back, but also to impress upon the people of today and tomorrow the eternal impact of the Holocaust”, says Ratzabi. The unveiling of the memorial will coincide with international Holocaust Remembrance Day and in light of an increasingly anti-Semitic atmosphere in the Netherlands, Ratzabi believes that: “The memorial was created with of the intention to inspire its observers and generate self-reflection. It is meant to evoke compassion and tolerance”.