Women of the Shoah
Jewish Placemaking

“She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots”

In Liepāja, Latvia, on December 15, 1941, thousands of Jewish women and children were taken to the women’s prison where they were forced to stripped and shot dead in groups of 10. Many of the victims were photographed in their final moments by a Nazi photographer. One such photograph serves as the inspiration for the Monument, “She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots.”

The Monument is North Carolina’s first Women’s Holocaust memorial. This original sculpture by artist Victoria Milstein honors the strength and resilience of all women. It is beautifully situated in Greensboro’s LeBauer Park, becoming a “place-making” community experience for all.

The monument is named in honor of Eva Weiner and Sofia Guralnik, the brave women who saved their children, Shelly Weiner and Raya Kizhnerman, by hiding them in Nazi-occupied Poland for almost two years. Shelly, now a resident of Greensboro, has graciously contributed the lead gift that has enabled this project to proceed.

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY WAY OF LEARNING THROUGH

1. An on-site tour of the Holocaust Memorial Monument “She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots.”
2. The full-length film “She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots.”
3. High school curriculum developed by the Holocaust Council of North Carolina with the artist.
4. Placemaking initiates on-site at the memorial.

The Story of the Monument

“She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots”
Documentary Trailer

Victoria Milstein
The Artist

Isaac Herzog
President of Israel

Dani Dayan
Yad Vashem Chairman

Kathy Manning
U.S. Representative

Visit The Monument

Letters of Support

  • I believe the Holocaust Monument, “She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots” is critical to further racial and ethnic understanding in North Carolina. I feel the monument will prompt North Carolinians to study the impact of bigotry and intolerance on society similar to the Woolworth’s lunch counter at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.

    The Holocaust occurred because good people did not take action against hate. This monument will prompt individuals to consider how their behavior affects others and will motivate individuals to work together with the goal to eliminate the negative misconceptions we have of each other…

    The monument will serve as a focal point where individuals and classes can initiate frank and honest dialogue about pluralism, tolerance and acceptance. A key lesson of the Holocaust is that hate will thrive when ignorance and indifference exist in a community.

    -Michael Abramson

  • …Greensboro has a widely respected reputation as a place with a long history of social justice activities on behalf of recognizing the dignity of every human being. It is the most fitting place that I can imagine for expanding the civil and human rights dialog that might be focused on such a powerful monument. The opportunity for a prominent placement of the sensitively conceived sculpture adds to the potentially enlightening character of internationally recognized conversations, enriched with reminders of Greensboro’s lesson to the rest of the world and its status as a “Civil Rights City.”

    -John L. Swaine, CEO

  • Together, we the undersigned, write to you in full support of the creation of the Women’s Holocaust Memorial “She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots” to serve as the first Holocaust monument located in North Carolina. It would be an honor and represent women for the strength and resilience in the face of uncertainty. In would be an honor for Greensboro, a city known for its historic role in the first against social injustice, to call the sculpture home. What a privledge it would be, for the Women’s Holocaust Memorial to be situated in one of Greensboro’s downtown parks.

    -Rep Jon Hardister, District 59
    -Rep Ashton Clemmons, District 57

  • Thank you so much for sharing this deeply moving project with us. I’m surprised to say that I had never before seen that particular photograph which serves as the model for the monument. Thank you so much for this effort!

    -Elan S Carr

  • To create a Holocaust Memorial in this beautiful garden space would powerfully add to the importance of the celebration of Carolyn’s life and commitments; her indomitable spirit would be so aptly represented by these women who stood up in the only way they had available – and the woman who refused to take off her boots shows that we each can have a way to stand up and resist that which is insufferable, intolerable and inhumane. It truly speaks volumes for the power of human resistance to forces of evil and injustice and helps us all understand that each of us has the power to find our voice in actions and deeds.

    -Gail and Gene LeBauer

  • I have been a Holocaust history educator for more than 40 years and have seen countless Holocaust Memorials throughout the world, from North America to Europe to Israel… It is not an exaggeration, in my opinion, to say that Victoria Milstein’s proposed monument, “She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots” will take its place among the most important Holocaust Memorials in the world…

    The monument is an example of what is called “spiritual resistance.” It shows the indomitable spirit of these women in the face of incomprehensible evil.

    -Rabbi Fred Guttman