H. Lee Dennison Building Of Suffolk To Be Lit Yellow For Holocaust Remembrance

HAUPPAUGE, NY — The H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge will shine yellow on Friday for Holocaust Remembrance Day, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced.

"This annual commemoration was created as a way to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Nazi regime," Bellone said. "This was one of the darkest and most tragic points in human history as the proud Jewish people became a target for persecution. We are all responsible for carrying the memory of the millions that suffered. It is this memory that serves as a motivator for building a world where everyone is granted the same rights and is treated equally."

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an annual event, was created by the United Nations in 2005 to mark the day that Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Holocaust death camp, was liberated by the Russian army in 1945.

International Holocaust Remembrance day commemorates the victims of the Nazis and is meant to promote Holocaust education throughout the world.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Long Island commended Suffolk County for observing International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"Elie Wiesel stated, 'To forget would be not only dangerous but offensive; to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time. Thank you, Suffolk County, for remembering," the council wrote.

Allan Richter, chair of the Suffolk County Jewish Advisory Board, said the 78 years since Auschwitz was liberated represent a "fleeting period"

"That antisemitism is on the rise shows we must do more to keep the lessons of the Holocaust —and the memories of the murdered — alive," Richter said. "Hate in one form leads to hate in another, and all humanity has a stake in defeating the blight of Jew hatred. County Executive Bellone and his administration have our heartfelt gratitude for working diligently toward that goal. The County Executive knows that if we are to be truly diverse and inclusive, Jews must also have a comfortable seat at the table."