Dan Dembling, president of the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial Board and an area architect has provided us with these renderings  of what the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial  might look like when built.

 

By MARILYN SHAPIRO

Are you wondering what happened with, and the status of, the Capital District Holocaust Memorial  (CDJHM) that was to be built in Niskayuna?

Change of plan…

Legislation to establish a permanent New York State Holocaust Memorial in the Empire State Plaza passed in both houses of the New York State Legislature earlier in June. Senator Patricia Fahy (D-Albany) and Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero (D, WF-Albany, Guilderland, New Scotland) sponsored the bill, which now heads to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk for signature.

It is still hoped that the outdoor monument, now under the auspices of the state, will memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and educate the public about the history of the Holocaust and the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism, and all manifestations of intolerance.

An Educational Resource

Dan Dembling, president of the Capital District Jewish Holocaust Memorial group, praised the two sponsors for their efforts. “At a time when anti-Semitism and hate are on the rise, it is more critical than ever to provide students and the public with the tools to understand the devastating consequences of unchecked hatred,” said Dembling. “This memorial will serve as a powerful reminder and an essential educational resource for New Yorkers and visitors alike.”

The newly approved memorial started as the vision of the late Dr. Michael Lozman, an area orthodontist and a passionate advocate for Holocaust remembrance. Lozman began his quest honoring victims of the Holocaust when he turned his attention to restoring desecrated Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe and while doing so to educate younger generations about the atrocities of the Holocaust. Working with several U.S. colleges, Lozman organized and led 15 trips through 2017 that resulted in the restoration of 10 cemeteries in Belarus and five cemeteries in Lithuania.

Collaboration With Diocese

Around 2017, Lozman began his pursuit of building a Holocaust memorial in the Capital District. He had forged a friendship with Albany’s Catholic Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, who graciously donated two acres of land for the development of a memorial in Niskayuna. The gift from the diocese for a Holocaust project was the first known collaboration, for this type of memorial, between a Jewish community and the Roman Catholic Church. In 2018, Lozman founded the Capital Region Holocaust Memorial (CDJHM). The board consisted of a group of individuals from the local community. “Michael was always grateful for each member’s sacrifice and sense of duty to the project,” recalled his wife Sharon.

Lozman’s initial concept for the physical memorial met resistance as being too literal a representation. He recruited Dan Dembling, an Albany architect, to be part of the redesign effort that involved both the CDJHM and The Jewish Federation Of Northeastern New York. Many iterations later, the Town of Niskayuna approved Dembling’s design in June 2019.

Possible Design

The planned memorial, as envisioned by the board, consists of walls arranged in the shape of the Star of David. Visitors will be guided around the six-sided structure, where they will be connected to significant events that occurred during the Holocaust. The six columns in the center represent the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.

Initially estimated to cost $4.5 million, the board increased their fund-raising efforts. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed their efforts.

In October 2023, Lozman decided to step back and leave the board. He asked Dembling, whom Lozman considered very capable and enthusiastic, to join the board and to become its president. After careful consideration, Dembling agreed. “Michael set the groundwork for me to think big,” said Dembling in an April 2025 Zoom call. “He was excited to transition the mission to me.”

Faced with new estimates due to inflation to $6 million, the board began exploring other locations that could provide already established restrooms and parking. Dembling proposed shifting the location from Niskayuna to the N.Y.S. State Empire State Plaza. It was felt that it would provide an ideal place for students and tourists who were visiting the New York State’s capitol an opportunity to learn about the Shoah. To further emphasize its expanded audience, the memorial, which will be renamed the New York State Holocaust Memorial. If the legislation is signed by the governor, is expected to also draw contributions from the estimated 1.6 million. Jews of New York.

On October 11, 2024, one year to the day when he had called Dembling to take on the presidency, Lozman died. Continuing his work, the board sought letters of support from government, religious, and private entities. Armed with over 40 letters, the board approached local legislators to establish the memorial at the Empire State Plaza. Senator Fahy and Assemblywoman Romero drafted companion bills for their respective houses.

Closer To Reality

Lozman’s vision became one step closer to reality when both houses passed the companion bills unanimously. If the governor signs the bill, the project will be assigned to the state Office of General Services who must work with an “organization that provides Holocaust education services and programs” to deliver the memorial. The CDJHM hopes that it will be that organization.

Along with the physical memorial, the board also added components that further incorporate Lozman’s vision of education. Under that guidance of Evelyn Loeb, a long-time Holocaust educator, the CDJHM partnered with Echoes and Reflections, an international Holocaust education program, to create an innovative educational program, which will include a historical timeline of Holocaust events, and New York State Holocaust survivors’ testimonies. In addition, the CDJHM will sponsor a fleet of traveling memorials that use the same online educational program and will travel the state to schools, churches, synagogues, and other community locations. Both educational programs are scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2026.

The Jewish Federation has been one of the many organizations that has supported the work of the New York State Holocaust Museum organization. At its annual meeting on June 17, the Federation honored three of its members. Dr. Michael Lozman was posthumously awarded the President’s Award; Buzz Rosenthal was also honored with a President’s Award; Dan Dembling was awarded the Sidney Albert Community Service Award.

“Michael planted the seed for all of this,” said Dembling. “His unwavering commitment to honoring the past ensures that the memories of those lost will continue to inspire and educate future generations.”