Garden Angels adopt Holocaust Children's Memorial Garden

On a weekend in October, Massapequa residents, Bruce Hambrecht and Anne Mehlinger joined 25 members of the 72-year-old Long Island Horticultural Society who responded to an urgent call for help from the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau. The Children's Memorial Garden, created by the Center's Board of Directors just five years ago with contributions from local schools and a host of other donors, was in peril. Led by Barbara Levine, president, the Long Island Horticulture society's "Garden Angels" came to the rescue.

Levine remarked, "It took me all but a minute to agree to help; it was love at first sight. This is a very important Garden...it provides the perfect setting for contemplation and reflection after visiting the museum. It is very rewarding to see such fantastic results. You could practically feel the boxwoods breathe again as the weeds that were strangling them were removed. I personally feel compelled to enlist others to devote their time and efforts to ensure that the Garden will flourish and prosper. I hope this will be the beginning of a long relationship."

The garden was created in memory of the more than one and one half million children murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust and the thousands of others who were casualties of WWII. The garden is the inspiration behind the Board's commitment to keep the Center on the 246 acre Welwyn Preserve in Glen Cove. A $2.5 million dollar renovation campaign is presently underway to address the 100-year-old building's needs and to create a new historical exhibit. The new exhibit will feature local survivor testimony throughout the historical presentations, as well as artifacts donated by local families.

The Center's mission is to use the lessons of the Holocaust to teach respect, compassion, and understanding for all people. Its education programs include Holocaust and Tolerance classes for students and teachers. This summer, new adult programs were added with the launch of a law enforcement program for the Nassau County Police Department and a workplace diversity program presently being piloted for employees of the North Shore/Long Island Jewish Health System.

Anyone interested in donating a Holocaust artifact, learning more about the Center, volunteer opportunities, or in arranging a program for their organization should contact: Silvana Gullo at 571-8040 ext. 107, silvanagullo@holocaust-nassau.org or visit the website www.holocaustnassau. org.

Shown in the photo above, left to right, are Anne Mehlinger and Bruce Hambrecht.

Shown in the photo at top are members of the Long Island Horticultural Society.

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