A bench commemorating a Holocaust survivor has been destroyed in Salford.
The bench was dedicated to the late Chaim Ferster, who survived eight concentration camps before moving to Salford after the Second World War.
Until he died in 2017 at the age of 94, Ferster bore witness to the horrors of the Holocaust and worked to ensure they would not be forgotten. He spent time lecturing in schools and colleges about his harrowing wartime experience.
The bench was unveiled in 2019 by Salford Council in Broughton’s Clowes Park and included an audio recording preserving his memory of life under genocidal Nazi rule.
But on Wednesday 7 January, it was found vandalised, destroyed and dumped in a frozen boating lake in the park.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews condemned the “Apparent act of antisemitic hatred and deliberate attack on the memory and human dignity of Holocaust survivor Chaim Ferster z.”
In a statement posted on social media, the organisation added: “We expect those responsible to be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“Acts like this must be treated with utmost seriousness. Such hate must not be shrugged off unchallenged.”
Meanwhile, Campaign Against Antisemitism, a volunteer-led charity which works to expose prejudice against Jewish people, said the bench kept “Ferster’s story alive.”
He was forced from his home in Poland by the Nazis and survived Auschwitz, malnutrition and typhus. Ferster lost 30 members of his family to the Holocaust after they were captured by the Nazis in 1943.
Councillor Andrew Walters, an independent representative for Kersal and Broughton Park, described the vandalism of the Holocaust Memorial bench in Clowes Park as “sickening and deeply distressing”.
He said: “This was not random damage; it was an attack on memory, dignity and on the victims of one of history’s greatest crimes.
“Holocaust memorials exist to remind us where hatred leads when it is tolerated or excused. To target such a memorial is an act of profound ignorance and cruelty, and it should be treated with the seriousness it deserves.
“I fully support the police investigation and the swift restoration of the memorial. Our city must be clear and united: antisemitism and hatred in any form have no place in Salford.”
Coun Walters reported the destruction of the bench to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), who are investigating the incident.
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett said the council was “deeply saddened and appalled” by the deliberate damage to the bench.
He said: “The bench was a memorial to Holocaust survivor Mr Chaim Ferster and the work he has done over many years sharing his story and experiences, while also teaching and reminding us all about the horrors of the Holocaust.
“I have personally been in contact with Mr Chaim Ferster’s youngest son and community representatives to offer our sincerest condolences and full support at this time.
“The City Council and City Mayor’s Office will continue to work closely with GMP’s officers, our local Jewish community and Mr Chaim Ferster’s family in connection with this shocking incident. Our thoughts continue to be with all those who are affected by this hateful act at this time.”
Mayor Dennett said the council would seek to restore and repair the Holocaust memorial bench in Clowes Park so it can be rightfully put back into place and serve, once again, as a place of peace and reflection.
He added: “Hate has no place in our great, diverse and vibrant City of Salford and we stand shoulder to shoulder with all our residents and communities in the face of such adversity, showing the Spirit of Salford in all that we do!”
