1933-1945
Meridian Ave.,
Miami Beach, FL.
(305) 538-1663
Hours: open
daily 9am to 9pm.
Admission: free
South
Florida in general and Miami Beach in particular,
are blessed with large, active Jewish populations.
In Miami-Dade County alone, there are the Sanford L.
Ziff Jewish Museum of Florida in Miami Beach and the
Harold and Vivian Beck Museum of Judaica in Miami.
Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay
Campus is the home of the Holocaust Documentation
and Educational Center, which was established in
1979.
But
one doesn’t need to be Jewish to be touched and
deeply moved by the Holocaust Memorial, located on
South Beach at the intersection of Meridian Avenue
and Dade Boulevard. Focal point for the memorial is
Kenneth Triester’s "Sculpture of Love and
Anguish," a 42-foot oxidized bronze sculpture
of an outstretched human hand. From a distance, only the
hand is visible, but as one comes closer,
the scores of victims of the atrocities crawling
toward the hand for comfort and protection become
all too clear. It’s
arguably Florida’s most profound and powerful
piece of public sculpture.
But
there’s more to it than that. The Dome of
Contemplation and Memorial Wall, lined with
photographs of the concentration camps, the
crematoria and names of those who were interred and
perished there complete what is sure to be a somber
and moving experience. In the midst of a city
devoted to life’s joys and the pursuit of
pleasure, this
memorial is sure to make one pause and reflect. Don’t
miss it.
