Members of Historic Melrose Inc. participated in a Holocaust remembrance project with Melrose Boy Scout Troop 146 and the Naval Air Station Jacksonville Multicultural Committee. The project involved restoring a Holocaust remembrance bench and planters along the St. John’s River at NAS Jacksonville. Eagle Scout candidate Luke Peffley coordinated, planned, and performed the important project with fellow Scouts.
The purpose of the remembrance bench is not to beautify any aspect of the Holocaust. The bench, planters, and river setting provide a place to deeply reflect on Holocaust victims and survivors.
Our Melrose neighbors, Jim and Alexandra (Alex) Segal were present when the project was completed at NAS Jacksonville. Alex’s grandfather had 12 brothers and sisters. Five made it to the USA in the 1920s. The rest perished in the Holocaust. Their daughter-in law’s father survived Birkenau which was liberated when he was 11 years old.
There are so many lessons in Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, that includes his Holocaust ordeal. One that resonates with project sponsor Dr. Jen Reintjes is Frankl’s statement that the Statue of Liberty on our east coast should by accompanied by a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast. Reintjes said, “the Boy Scouts of America, Navy folks, and most great Americans are taking on civic responsibilities every day. We are humble and grateful for the opportunity to do our part. This is a special project remembering the tyranny and evil of the Holocaust.”
International Holocaust Remembrance is commemorated every year on 27 January, the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated.
