Home / Crime and Justice / Holocaust Survivor Bench Vandalized in Park
Holocaust Survivor Bench Vandalized in Park
8 Jan
Summary
- An audio memorial bench for Holocaust survivor Chaim Ferster was destroyed.
- The bench told the story of Ferster, who survived eight Nazi death camps.
- Police are investigating the 'vile act of hatred' as antisemitism.
An audio memorial bench dedicated to Holocaust survivor Chaim Ferster has been destroyed in Clowes Park, Salford. The bench, which played Ferster's story, was smashed and thrown into the park's boating lake. Ferster, who passed away in 2017, was a survivor of eight Nazi death camps, including Auschwitz, where numerous family members perished.
The incident has been widely condemned as a "vile act of hatred" and antisemitism. Jewish groups highlighted the bench's purpose in allowing Ferster to "speak to future generations from beyond the grave" and warn against hatred. The Campaign Against Antisemitism expressed dismay that such an educational tool was "wantonly destroyed."
Ferster, originally from Poland, survived brutal conditions and loss during the Holocaust. His son emphasized his father's fear of people forgetting the horrors, motivating his extensive lecturing. Greater Manchester Police are investigating the incident seriously and pursuing all leads to apprehend those responsible for this act of vandalism.
