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Construction Begins on Holocaust Museum in Boston, Set to Open in Late 2026
Pictured from L to R: Senator Rebecca L. Rausch, Speaker Ronald J. Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka, Co-founder Jody Kipnis, Co-founder Todd Ruderman, Mayor Michelle Wu, Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, Councilor Ed Flynn. Photo: Jeff Pinette
The Holocaust Museum Boston had its official groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, marking the start of construction on the only institution in New England that will be primarily dedicated to Holocaust education.
The event took place at the museum’s future site, located at 125 Tremont Street, at the intersection of Tremont St. and Hamilton Place and across from Boston’s Freedom Trail. The museum will open in late 2026 and overlook some of the city’s historic landmarks, including the Massachusetts State House and Park Street Church. The Holocaust Legacy Foundation is leading construction of the museum and hosted Thursday’s ceremony, which was attended by community leaders such as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, President of the Senate Karen Spilka, and Consul General of Germany Dr. Sonja Kreibich.
The Holocaust Museum Boston will feature immersive exhibits, survivor testimonies, and historical artifacts in an effort to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and highlight the stories of victims and survivors of the Nazis’ campaign to exterminate European Jewry. The future museum will also aim to educate visitors about the dangers of antisemitism, hate, and bigotry. Artifacts that will be on display include a 1940s teddy bear that saved the life of a Boston Holocaust survivor and a real-life Nazi-era railcar. The museum will additionally have an interactive holographic experience where visitors can engage with video interviews of Holocaust survivors.
The groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday featured a speech by Joseph Fasullo, the 17-year-old grandson of Holocaust survivor Steve Ross, who is the founder of the New England Holocaust Memorial. Fasullo said the goal of the Holocaust Museum Boston is to educate younger generations about the Holocaust and help stop antisemitism and hate from flourishing.
“This is not just a groundbreaking,” said Legacy Foundation co-founder Jody Kipnis. “This is a promise. A promise to honor the past, educate for the future, and ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust continue to resonate in a world where the dangers of hatred and intolerance still exist. As we stand at the beginning of this journey, we are not just building a museum — we are building a space that demands action, understanding, and a commitment to justice for generations to come.”
The post Construction Begins on Holocaust Museum in Boston, Set to Open in Late 2026 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.