Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has unveiled the Florida Holocaust Memorial at Memorial Park, commemorating over six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust and honoring survivors who settled in Florida. The event was attended by First Lady Casey DeSantis, Holocaust survivor David Schaecter, and Israeli Consul General Maor Elbaz-Starinsky.
The memorial is made of iron and limestone, featuring faces and names of Holocaust survivors who later resided in Florida. Local Jewish groups collaborated with the Florida Department of Management Services to gather these names and images. The unveiling coincides with the anniversary of the first deportation of Jews to Auschwitz in 1942.
“First Lady Casey DeSantis and I were honored to unveil the Florida Holocaust Memorial in the Florida Capitol Complex’s new Memorial Park today,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “This memorial serves as a powerful symbol of our commitment to never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust and to recognize the survivors who later moved to our state – including David Schaecter, whose dedication to educating generations of Floridians about the Holocaust has earned the Governor’s Medal of Freedom. Florida is a better place because of the Holocaust survivors who have called our state home. We’re grateful for their contributions, and we’re proud to stand with the Jewish community.”
During this event, Governor DeSantis awarded David Schaecter, a 95-year-old survivor, with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom. Schaecter moved to Miami in 1957 after surviving Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps; he escaped during Nazi retreats but lost his family during those years.
The ceremony also featured speeches from Dave Kerner, Executive Director of Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; Senator Tina Polsky; and former Senator Eleanor Sobel.
This marks the first installation at Memorial Park since its establishment under Senate Bill 2506 in 2023.
