First-Ever Children's Holocaust Memorial Unveiled In Hamptons

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — The Hampton Synagogue has created a beautiful place to honor 1.5 million children whose lives were lost during the Holocaust.

On August 31, The Hampton Synagogue unveiled the new Holocaust memorial created by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly.

"Installed outside Jack’s House, The Hampton Synagogue’s children’s center, the memorial honors the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered during the Holocaust," The Hampton Synagogue said. "This is Chihuly’s first Holocaust memorial sculpture, and it is also the only children’s Holocaust memorial in the Hamptons."

"For the Children", synagogue representatives continued, is a "luminous" 25-foot-tall tower composed of hundreds of unique hand-blown glass pieces, "which blend of color and form to innocence (white) and fire (shades of red, orange, and yellow). The plinth of the sculpture is composed of wood from railroad ties, a reference to the transportation of children to concentration camps."

The installation continues a four-year collaboration between Chihuly and Rabbi Marc Schneier, continuing a creative partnership that began with Hampton Fiori in 2022, the Hampton Eternal Light Chandelier in 2022, and the Temple Menorah Sconce in 2022.

Among Chihuly’s many major exhibitions was Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem from 1999 to 2000, which included two sculptures more than 40 feet in height, located in the Citadel. More than 1 million visitors experienced the works of glass, ice, and light that honored Izzika Gaon, a longtime curator at the Israel Museum.