WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for advancing his bipartisan, bicameral bill to designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial—located in Bedford Heights, Ohio—as a national memorial. Companion legislation, led by Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), also passed out of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee and will now go before the full Senate and the House, respectively, for a vote.
“The Kol Israel Memorial Foundation educates Ohioans about the horrors of the Holocaust and preserves the memories of its victims,” said Brown. “When we pass that knowledge on to future generations, we recommit ourselves to ensuring it never happens again, and to fighting for a more just and peaceful world. I am proud that Kol Israel is one step closer to becoming a national memorial.”
“We must never forget the horrors of the Holocaust and the enormous suffering endured by the Jewish people. The Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial was erected six decades ago in Northeast Ohio to honor the victims of the Holocaust and to serve as a lasting reminder of the evil that occurred,” said Senator Portman. “I am pleased our bipartisan, bicameral legislation to designate Kol Israel a National Memorial has been voted favorably out of committee and look forward to it coming to the Senate floor for a vote.”
“The stories of millions of Holocaust victims and survivors are sadly fading treasures. These accounts ensure that we do not forget the horrors that befell world Jewry before and during World War II and remind us to remain ever vigilant in the face of rising antisemitism today,” said Rep. Brown. “I am pleased that House and Senate Committee panels are quickly moving to advance national designation of the historic Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial in honor of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazi regime. We must continue to honor their bravery, heroism, and lasting legacy.”
Erected in 1961 by survivors of the Holocaust residing in Northeast Ohio, the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial is likely the first and oldest Holocaust memorial in the U.S. For more than 60 years, the Kol Israel Foundation has looked after the memorial, which has the ashes of Jewish victims and other tokens of remembrance buried at its base.
Brown introduced the legislation in the Senate with U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH). Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH-11) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives with Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), Dave Joyce (R-OH-14), Troy Balderson (R-OH-12), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16), and Mike Carey (R-OH-15).