Tel Aviv dedicates monument to gays persecuted by Nazis

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A monument to gays persecuted by the Nazis was dedicated in Tel Aviv.

The monument, the first of its kind in Israel, was constructed in Meir Park, near the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association Center.

The monument is made up of a concrete pink triangle along with a bench and a plaque providing information on the persecution of gays and lesbians during the Holocaust. Gays and lesbians were forced to wear an identifying pink triangle on their clothing in the same way that Jews were forced to wear a yellow star.

The inscription on the memorial reads in Hebrew, English and German: “In memory of those persecuted by the Nazi regime for their sexual preference and gender identity.”

“The significance here is that we are recognizing that there were other victims of the Holocaust, not just Jews,” Tel Aviv Councilman Eran Lev, said at the dedication on Jan. 10, according to The Associated Press.