Obj. ID: 53326
Modern Jewish Art  Wall of Peace, Holocaust Memorial in the Shaw JCC, Akron, OH, USA, 1987

To the main object: Shaw JCC, Akron, Ohio, USA

Name of Monument

Wall of Peace

Who/What is Commemorated?

Victims of the Holocaust

Description

The tall, narrow, aluminum relief sculpture is attached to the brick wall of the Shaw Jewish Community Center, opened in 1973 as the new building of the Akron Jewish Center. The artwork is composed of six stacked levels, some in low relief, and some in high relief. At the top is the form in outline of a large dove with wings upraised. Across the boy of the bird is written in Hebrew script שלום (Peace). The dove rises from three abstract forms sculpted in high relief. These look like flames, but could also be seen as vegetal forms.

The next level down shows the tops of town Tablets of the Law on which are sculpted in high relief the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet, in two columns, to signify the Ten Commandments. Protruding to the right of the tablets is a small Magen David. Beneath the Tablets written in large Hebrew letters is the word זכור (Remember).

Lower still is a large square field filled with biomorphic shapes in high relief. At the lower right corner of this section is the artist’s name (DRUMM) and the date of the work in small letters. Beneath this is a horizontal band where it appears an inscription may have been removed – the surface of the metal is scarred in a series of squares that might have been letters.

At the very bottom of the work is a flat section with a dedicatory text inscribed into the metal.

Inscriptions
On the body of the dove, in Hebrew:

שלום

Translate: Peace

Beneath the Ten Commandments:

זכור

Translate: Remember

At bottom of relief:

PRESENTED TO THE 1987
AKRON JEWISH CENTER
BY THE HAKOAH CLUB. COMMEMORATING
THE CLUB’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Commissioned by
to be determited