Following the observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, a portion of an Upper East Side street was inaugurated as Yad Vashem Way.
The street sign was installed at the corner of East 67th Street and Third Avenue on Thursday. “Yad Vashem” is a Hebrew memorial term associated with the Holocaust, and the name of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem.
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“In New York City—home to one of the largest Holocaust survivor communities outside Israel—the inauguration of ‘Yad Vashem Way’ carries profound significance, arriving at a time when antisemitic incidents in the city have reached historic highs amid a troubling global surge in antisemitism,” the museum said in a press statement released on Thursday.
In addition to the street naming and Holocaust Remembrance Day, the location of the co-named street was chosen due to its proximity to the famous Park East Synagogue.
“New York City is home to the most survivors of the Holocaust outside of Israel, but sadly that number is shrinking. We must continue to educate future generations about the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust so that they never happen again, and now every person who looks up at the street sign proclaiming East 67th Street as ‘Yad Vashem Way’ will understand the history and resilience of the Jewish people,” New York City councilman and initiative supporter Keith Powers said.
Mayor Eric Adams also supported the street co-naming. East Side Feed reached out to Yad Vashem (the International Holocaust Remembrance Center) for comment but didn’t hear back by press time.
Members of the Upper East Side Jewish community also celebrated the opening of Altneu Synangogue this past Sunday. Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke at the occasion, and hundreds of congregants attended the event.
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