H.R. 7618

To designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial in Bedford Heights, Ohio, as a national memorial

STATEMENT OF KYM A. HALL, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS, AND PUBLIC LANDS CONCERNING H.R. 7618, A BILL TO DESIGNATE THE KOL ISRAEL FOUNDATION HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL IN BEDFORD HEIGHTS, OHIO, AS A NATIONAL MEMORIAL.

JULY 14, 2022

Chair Neguse, Ranking Member Fulcher, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the Department of the Interior’s views on H.R. 7618, a bill to designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial in Bedford Heights, Ohio, as a National Memorial.

The Department does not have a position on H.R. 7618, as the memorial would not be located at a site that is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, and this bill does not provide for any management or funding by the National Park Service. 

The Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial was dedicated on May 28, 1961 and is one of the first memorials related to the Holocaust constructed in the United States.  It is a memorial to the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust and commemorates Holocaust victims with unknown resting places.  Buried at the base of the monument are ashes and artifacts of Jewish martyrs killed by the Nazis from three concentration camps.  Engraved on surrounding walls are the names of family members who perished during the Holocaust, as well as the names of departed survivors.

This legislation explicitly states that this Memorial is not a unit of the National Park System, and that designation should not be construed to require federal funds to be expended for it.  

Chair Neguse, this concludes my statement.  I would be pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the Subcommittee may have. 

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