Holocaust Memorial Sculpture Dedicated At Fairfield University

FAIRFIELD, CT — A ceremony was held earlier this month at Fairfield University to dedicate the Holocaust Memorial sculpture, "She Wouldn't Take Off Her Boots," created by artist Victoria Milstein.

The event, years in the planning, was spearheaded by Shoah Memorial Fairfield, Connecticut, a nonprofit that raised funds for the bronze sculpture, which now rests on campus between the Charles F. Dolan School of Business and Bellarmine Pond.

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Video of the 40-minute ceremony on Sept. 10 can be viewed here.

Speakers at the event included Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, former special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism; U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal; Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD; and Vice President for Mission and Ministry Rev. Paul Rourke, S.J.; among others.

The sculpture depicts three Jewish women and two girls who were ordered to undress before being killed, according to Shoah Memorial. One woman refused to remove her boots — an act it describes as a final expression of resistance and dignity.

First installed in LeBauer Park in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2023, the sculpture drew the attention of Fairfield native Paul Burger, who helped establish Shoah Memorial Fairfield to bring the work to Fairfield. A third edition of the sculpture has reportedly been commissioned to be installed in Nassau County, New York.

"The Holocaust did not happen to numbers, it happened to people, it happened to families, it happened to people like us," Burger said during the event. "Today, that vision stands before us."

Added Milstein, "This space will be a constant source of education, inspiration, reflection. It creates a meeting space between two traditions, Jewish memory and Catholic contemplation. In the shared pursuit of human dignity and justice."