Obj. ID: 44810
Modern Jewish Art Zechor, the Holocaust Memorial Sculpture Garden at Temple Beth Am in Pincecrest, FL, USA, 2007
Name:
Zechor
Who is Commemorated?
All victims of the Holocaust
Description:
The memorial occupies a lozenge-shaped opening, defined by a low wall, set within a larger paved area outside a curved wall of the main synagogue building. The space is filled with pebbles, from which rise sculpted elements formed from Hebrew letters cut from weathered steel sheets. The entire sculpture is made of four groups of stacked Hebrew letters: A dominating 15-feet tall centerpiece with a series of letters spelling the word “zachor” rises in the center, and ranged around it are three 3-feet tall combinations of stacked letters - each three letters high. Together they include all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Inscriptions
On a small sign:
Zachor
The Holocaust Memorial Sculpture Garden
“In memory of all those who perished;
In honor of all those who risked their lives fir us;
You are all named here. To life – L’chaim!”,
Zachor, the Temple Beth Am Campus Holocaust Memorial Sculpture
Garden, was designed by Israeli artist Zammy Migdal. Inspired by our
obligation as Jews to “remember,” this memorial serves as a link to our
past, present and future. Every Jewish person has a Jewish name, each
constructed from the letters of the Aleph-Bet which stand before you.
All who visit this memorial garden can remember loved ones using these
sacred letters to spell their names.
On the Sculpture:
זמי מגדל, תשס"ז
Zammy Migdal, 2007
Commissioned by
Temple Beth Am
sub-set tree:
| Temple Beth Am, 5950 North Kendall Drive
pebbles
weathering steel (COR-TEN® steel)
This monument was dedicated on August 30th, 2007.
The Artist, Zammy Migdal is a resident of Coconut Grove, Florida, and a member of the community of Temple Beth Am. A statement she made regarding the monuments inspiration goes as follows:
Zechor- We are commanded to remember.
I wanted to create a piece of art that would evoke the memories of our own family members who have passed, as well as to serve as a touchstone to remember those who perished during the Holocaust.
Everyone is remembered, when you gaze upon the sculpture, as each of us search for the elements that compose a name. These letters also hold the names of people who are still yet to come.
There was another reason to use Hebrew letters as the building elements of this memorial. The placement of the sculpture between our place of worship and the school, a place of learning, made it imperative to build our message using the essential building block - the Hebrew letter - of the two pillars of our tradition, worship and learning.
To reflect the indomitable Jewish spirit that unites a Jewish community, I interlaced the letters. Letters are strongly bound with each other in the way Jews are bound with each other and with our traditions. Certainly, this is the case in our local community where Jews have come together from the four corners of the world.
Looking beyond the individual random letters, you will see the word "Chai.". Why Chai? In our Jewish tradition, we are commanded to remember and we are commanded to live. We must remember our history and who we are, but we must also celebrate our lives today - for the sake of future genetations.
L'Chaim! To Life!
"Artist Statement and Comments," Zammy Migdal Official Site, https://www.zammymigdal.com/art-in-public-places/pinecrest---zekor-remember (accessed January 25, 2023)