{"nrhp_refnum":"99000072","name":"Emek Sholom Holocaust Memorial Cemetery","other_names":["DHR File #043-5006"],"category":"object","location":{"address":"4000 Pilots Ln.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Richmond","county":"Henrico County","state":"VA","lat":37.591089245000035,"lon":-77.43730342599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-02-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Other"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Holocaust memorial and adjoining burial ground within Section 12 of Forest Lawn Cemetery in eastern Henrico County near Richmond, Virginia. The granite monument was erected and dedicated in November 1955 by the New American Jewish Club of Richmond.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the earliest and only monument of its type and size in Virginia honoring Holocaust victims, and among the first of its kind in the United States. It was built by Holocaust survivors who settled in Richmond after 1933, which the form describes as likely unique. It is listed under Criterion A, with exceptions for a cemetery, a commemorative property, and a property less than 50 years old.","narrative":"Emek Sholom, meaning Valley of Peace, is a Holocaust memorial and small burial ground within Forest Lawn Cemetery in eastern Henrico County, Virginia. Its centerpiece is a light gray granite monument about seventeen feet long, made of three panels on a continuous base and cut by Empire Monumental Works of Richmond. Two hundred names are engraved, generally grouped by family, honoring relatives of Richmond immigrants who died in Europe and have no known graves. Gravesites for family members are arranged in a semicircle in front of it. The New American Jewish Club, formed in 1947 by immigrants who fled Germany and Eastern Europe, dedicated the monument in November 1955. Copper and bronze floral sculptures were added in 1986. The nomination states it is the earliest memorial of its type in Virginia and appears to be among the first in the United States, built by survivors at a time when most Holocaust memorials had not yet been erected. It remains the site of an annual Kristallnacht observance.","period_of_significance":"1955","architect_builder":"Monument cut by Empire Monumental Works Inc. of Richmond; floral sculptures added in 1986 by sculptress Linda Gissen","architectural_style":"Commemorative monument","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still in use as a memorial and burial ground; 119 of 175 gravesites used and an annual Kristallnacht commemoration is held.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.187859-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/6812/41681258/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/99000072.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000072/358e7f2cf8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000072/358e7f2cf8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Crazyale","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emek_Sholom.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Crazyale</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emek_Sholom.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681258","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emek_Sholom_Holocaust_Memorial_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5370323"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/henrico-county/emek-sholom-holocaust-memorial-cemetery-99000072/"}