In a solemn commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has illuminated various state landmarks in yellow. The gesture is to remember the six million Jews who perished under the Nazi regime during World War II. Yesterday, citizens witnessed monuments such as 1 World Trade Center and Niagara Falls bathed in a yellow glow, marking 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.
“On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the six million Jews murdered by the Nazi regime,” Governor Hochul stated. This move by the Governor is not only to honor the memory of the Holocaust victims but also a stand against the resurgence of antisemitic hatred. According to a statement from her office, the act signals a commitment to actively oppose any form of hate emerging in society.
The landmarks chosen for this tribute form a diverse collection of sites across the state. These include the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, the Empire State Plaza, and the recently constructed Moynihan Train Hall. The act stretches from the bustling streets of Manhattan to the tranquil waters of the Erie Canal where the Fairport Lift Bridge was also lit yellow.
Embracing the gravity of this day, civic structures such as the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and the “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge joined in bearing witness to this history. It serves as a reminder, Governor Hochul urges, to never forget and to give ourselves permission to broaden our understanding of the past, so we might prevent such darkness from befalling future generations.
