(From left) New York City Council Member Keith Powers, Holocaust survivor and Park East Synagogue Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan, and Consul General of Israel in New York Ofir Akunis holding the sign for Yad Vashem Way. Photo: Nir Arieli/Yad Vashem

New York City honored Yad Vashem on Thursday with the unveiling of a street named after Israel’s national memorial to the Holocaust in Jerusalem, in tribute to its commitment to combating antisemitism and preserving Holocaust remembrance.

The new co-named street Yad Vashem Way is located at East 67th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhood, where a large number of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the US after World War II now reside with their families. It is also in the neighborhood of Rabbi Arthur Schneier’s iconic Park East Synagogue. New York City is home to one of the largest Holocaust survivor communities outside of Israel.

The street co-naming was sponsored by New York City Council Member Keith Powers with support from New York
City Mayor Eric Adams. The unveiling of the new street sign was attended by Adams and Powers, as well as Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan and Consul General of Israel in New York Ofir Akunis. It took place the same week as International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday, which this year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

“This street sign is more than a name — it is a powerful symbol of our shared responsibility to preserve Holocaust memory and combat the disturbing rise of hatred and intolerance,” Dayan said at the unveiling ceremony on Thursday. “By bringing the name of Yad Vashem to the heart of Manhattan, we are hopeful that this street will inspire those who pass by it to remember the murdered and the survivors and to carry the story of the Holocaust forward with them.”

The newly co-named street Yad Vashem Way. Photo: Nir Arieli/Yad Vashem

On Wednesday, Yad Vashem, which describes itself as the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, co-sponsored an event in the New York City Council to commemorate 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. The event was co-sponsored with New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Jewish Caucus Chair Council Member Eric Dinowitz, and New York City Council Members Keith Powers, Julie Menin, Lynn Schulman, Lincoln Restler, and Inna Vernikov. Dayan gave the keynote speech at the event.

“As we confront the global resurgence of antisemitism, this event and its decision to recognize Yad Vashem’s impact reaffirms New York City’s commitment to ensuring that the Holocaust’s lessons remain a guiding light for humanity,” he said. “Together, we must stand against hatred and ignorance.”

According to data released by the New York City Police Department earlier this month, a majority of the hate crimes that took place in New York City in 2024 targeted Jews. Out of 641 total hate crimes, 345 targeted Jews, amounting to 54 percent of all hate crimes in the city and a 7 percent increase from the previous year.