The bench in Salford was dedicated to the memory of the late Chaim Ferster, who survived eight concentration camps
The bench, dedicated to the memory of Chaim Ferster, was destroyed and dumped in a frozen lake(Image: Submitted)
Police have launched an investigation after a memorial bench to a Holocaust survivor was destroyed in what one campaign group called an ‘apparent act of antisemitic hatred’. The bench was dedicated to the memory of Chaim Ferster, who survived eight concentration camps before moving to Manchester after the Second World War.
It was unveiled in Clowes Park, Salford following his 2017 death aged 94 and included an audio recording of Mr Ferster’s memories of the Holocaust. But yesterday (Wednesday) it was found dumped in a frozen lake in the Broughton park having been ripped from the ground and smashed into pieces.
It appears the audio recording was also destroyed. A GMP spokesperson confirmed officers were investigating the incident.
They added: “We are aware of a Holocaust memorial bench being damaged and found in the lake in Clowes Park, Salford yesterday. It’s currently unknown who the offenders are and we are currently investigating.
“We take these kinds of incidents extremely seriously and are following all lines of enquiry.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “This is an apparent act of antisemitic hatred and deliberate attack on the memory and human dignity of Holocaust survivor Chaim Ferster z’’l. We expect those responsible to be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Chaim Ferster
“Acts like this must be treated with utmost seriousness. Such hate must not be shrugged off unchallenged.”
Mr Ferster was forced from his home in Poland by the Nazis as a teenage boy and witnessed unspeakable horrors as he survived Auschwitz, malnutrition and typhus. After the war he was liberated by the Americans and moved to England in 1946 with his sister Manya, starting a new life in Cheetham Hill.
In his late 70s he began speaking about his experiences and dedicated much of the remainder of his life to speaking to schoolchildren about the Holocaust. Speaking in 2017, just a month before his death, he told the Manchester Evening News: “It is so important for me to speak about the Holocaust because it must not be forgotten. Six million Jews perished and it must never be forgotten.”
The bench was unveiled in 2019 on the route of his daily walk.
The North West Friends of Israel also condemned the vandalism. They said: “Chaim Ferster educated those on his past because he feared the Holocaust would be forgotten in generations time. The audio bench preserved his wartime experiences, allowing members of the public to listen to parts of his stories.
“Before Chaim’s passing at 94, he shared his experiences with younger generations, to help educate about the war and shine a light on discrimination. This despicable act shows why we must always stand up to Jew hatred and challenge all those who seek to destroy us. We are not Jews with trembling knees.”