The Oregon Holocaust Memorial, dedicated August 29, 2004, serves as a permanent reminder of the Holocaust, the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime and its collaborators from 1933 to 1945. Millions were murdered because of their political or religious beliefs, physical and mental disabilities, sexual orientation, or assistance to the persecuted. By teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and visiting the Memorial, we pay homage to those who lost their lives during that period. Further, there is hope that we can encourage future generations to be accepting of all people.
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In 1994, the Oregon Holocaust Memorial Coalition had its beginnings when a local group of Holocaust Survivors formed the Oregon Holocaust Survivors Refugees and Families Committee (OHSRAF). They organized with the purpose of memorializing their loved ones and other millions murdered in the Holocaust by creating a memorial in the city of Portland, Oregon. The site in Washington Park was generously donated by the City of Portland with the unanimous support of the City Council, adding Portland to the list of major cities around the world with such a monument.
The Memorial design was a group project designed by artists Tad Savinar and Paul Sutinen; landscape architects Marlene Salon, John Warner, and Marianne Zarkin; typographic designer John Laursen, and historian Marshall Lee. Upon completion, the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center took over as stewards and caretakers of the Memorial. Today the Memorial is under the stewardship of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.
With generous support from local individuals, families, businesses and organizations, the Oregon Holocaust Memorial stands as a permanent reminder of the Holocaust and as a living testament to courage.