The largest memorial to holocaust victims in Latvia is in Liepāja in the Šķēde dunes. The memorial is dedicated to the more than 3000 Liepāja Jews killed in World War II. It is in the shape of Israel’s national symbol – the menorah or the seven-branch lampstand. Its contour is clearly visible from a birds-eye view and is made of split boulders and granite blocks.
The “lights” of the menorah are represented by granite pillars with verses from the Lamentations of Jeremiah engraved in Hebrew, English, Latvian and Russian.
“The Righteous Among the Nations” Alley is designed as an extension of the memorial, thus paying tribute to those fearless residents of Liepāja who put their own lives at risk and rose to defend Jews during the great Holocaust tragedy. “Righteous Among the Nations” is the official honorary distinction given by the Israel Holocaust Memorial “Yad Vashem” on behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish nation to those non-Jewish people who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Twenty-six gentiles from Liepāja have received this honour and their names immortalized in “Yad Vashem” on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem.