The state Senate and Assembly recently passed legislation to bring the first state-sponsored Holocaust memorial in New York to the Empire State Plaza in Albany.

The legislation was introduced by State Senator Patricia Fahy and Assemblymember Gabriella Romero with help from the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial.

What You Need To Know

  • According to the J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism, reported antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose from about 2,700 in 2021 to more than 9,300 in 2024
  • Assemblymember Gabriella Romero, state Sen. Patricia Fahy and the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial are trying to bring the first state sponsored Holocaust memorial to New York
  • The legislation has been approved by the state Senate and Assembly, and now heads to the governor's desk for approval 

Deborah Sturm Rausch serves on the board of that organization. Her father survived the Holocaust.

“He grew up in Augsburg, Germany, which is a city near Munich, and had a wonderful life," said Sturm Rausch, a board member of the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial.

But that all changed when he was arrested at age by Nazis while dropping his brother off at school. He was taken to Dachau, one of the first concentration camps in Germany.

He endured heinous treatment there, but this was before the official start of World War II. Miraculously, after a few months, he got out.

“There are many, many, many theories about how my dad got out. But he did, and he came to the United States. He enlisted in the United States Army and fought back through enemy lines, and was actually one of the first Allied troops to liberate his own city," Sturm Rausch said.

The idea is for the memorial to provide a complete history of the Holocaust, along with survivor testimony. Officials say it would be a place of education and remembrance.

“We do need to make sure that all children, all families understand there is a history here. There is a history that should never be repeated," says state Senator Pat Fahy.

“I would hope that the public would see this memorial. They would acknowledge the severity of the Holocaust and they would see that, Jewish people, exist in New York state, but they are also safe," says Assemblymember Gabriella Romero.

According to the J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism, reported antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose to more than 9,300 in 2024 from about 2,700 in 2021.

Sturm Rausch said the memorial would send a strong message.

“That is one of tolerance and against hate. A memorial to the Holocaust. A permanent memorial to the Holocaust here in New York state is just absolutely a strong message to that effect," Sturm Rausch said.