A II. világháború valamennyi újpesti áldozatának emlékére War memorial

Across the street from the Újpest Synagogue stands a poignant reminder of a tragic past: the A II. világháború valamennyi újpesti áldozatának emlékére War Memorial. This memorial, unveiled in 1948, commemorates the Jewish victims of the Holocaust from Újpest. The A II. világháború valamennyi újpesti áldozatának emlékére War Memorial isn’t just a collection of names etched in stone. It’s a story told in four powerful reliefs. These reliefs, created by Hungarian-Jewish artist Edith Kiss, depict the horrific journey of Újpest’s Jews during World War II. The first relief shows the forced deportation, gendarmes pushing people into railway cars. The second depicts the back-breaking forced labor, overseen by militias bearing the Arrow Cross armband. The third, a chilling image of Auschwitz, shows soldiers driving women and children towards gas chambers, the crematoria chimneys looming in the background. Finally, the fourth relief offers a glimmer of hope: the liberation by the Red Army. Edith Kiss, the artist, knew these horrors firsthand. She herself was deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp and endured forced labor. Her personal experience imbues the A II. világháború valamennyi újpesti áldozatának emlékére War Memorial with an unforgettable intensity. The memorial itself consists of two structures. A portico houses a wall of plaques. These plaques list the names of over 12,000 victims, their ages a stark reminder of the breadth of this tragedy, from infants to the elderly. Beside this wall, a separate enclosed structure serves as a prayer space, containing additional memorial plaques. The A II. világháború valamennyi újpesti áldozatának emlékére War Memorial stands as a testament to the resilience of the Újpest Jewish community. It is a place of mourning, remembrance, and a powerful call to never forget.