History
The Holocaust Center of Northern California, formerly known as The Holocaust Library and Research Center of San Francisco, was established in 1977 in reaction to the opening of a Nazi bookstore in a neighborhood in San Francisco where a large population of Holocaust survivors lived. Enraged, several Holocaust survivors broke into the bookstore, and set fire to its inventory. Two individuals – Mr. Morris Weiss and his son Allan Weiss – were arrested.
The Jewish Community Relations Council intervened on behalf of the Weisses who were released. A Committee of Remembrance was formed, composed of Holocaust survivors and refugees, who decided to initiate three projects:
- An annual day of remembrance for Holocaust victims:
The first Yom HaShoah commemoration was held in April 1978
- Establishment of a research library:
The Holocaust Library and Research Center of San Francisco, opened in 1979.
- A lasting memorial in San Francisco:
“Holocaust,” dedicated in November 1984 in Lincoln Park, was created by the sculptor George Segal.
The Holocaust Center of Northern California is in collaboration with the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service.
The Bay Area Holocaust Oral History Project merged with the HCNC.
Read more about this topic: Holocaust Center Of Northern California
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