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Ground Broken For Statehouse Holocaust Memorial

The artist who designed the Holocaust Memorial planned for the Statehouse grounds attended Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony, speaking about the importance of the project. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.

World-renowned artist Daniel Libeskind and Governor John Kasich broke ground for the once-hotly contested Holocaust Memorial at the Statehouse. Some leaders opposed the idea of a Holocaust Memorial and the governor’s role in making it happen. That includes former Capitol Square Board chairman Richard Finan, who ended up resigning earlier this year, partly due to his opposition to Kasich’s intervention in the memorial process.

The structure will feature two large slabs of stone with the Star of David carved in in the middle. While some may question the need for a Holocaust memorial on Statehouse grounds, the artist, Daniel Libeskind, says Ohio is the ideal place to honor the victims and liberators.

Libeskind: “This is a very—this is the heartland—this is the center of America so it’s not less important than New York, it’s not less important than Los Angeles. It’s just as important. It’s the key in many ways. And architecture can bring light—can bring importance.”

Libeskind is part of the Ground Zero redevelopment in New York and he’s designing an historical museum in China. The Holocaust Memorial is scheduled to be finished by April of next year.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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