~The Holocaust Memorial~

~A Sunset View~

I went to a meeting tonight of the Club Camera Tucson. It is held twice a month at the Jewish Community Center here in Tucson, Arizona. I was resigned to not posting an image tonight to the Blip as the day had been very busy. But I was very grateful that I had my camera with me as I beheld the wonderful scene at the entrance to the Community Center.

This image is only a portion of the entire sculpture. It has the distinction of being the largest Holocaust monument in America. For perspective, the spire is probably 50 feet high. This column is the symbol of an advanced civilization, yet its shattered peak represents Jewish society in Europe after the Holocaust. There is a crack near the base of the column through which water weeps into the reflecting pool. The weeping water represents the tears of the survivors, and I think maybe the entire world. The two lights at the base are meant to convey that "There is hope for thy future". This is a quotation from Jeremiah 31: 15-17, where the prophet is comforting the Matriarch, Rachel, who mourns for her lost children.

The symbolism and symbols in the entire piece would require pages to write about and explain. As I said, this is a enormous work of art. But there is one more metaphor I would like to describe. The tablet laying at an angle to the right of the spire has engraved in it names. To be exact 150 names, they are all the concentration camps, death camps and ghettos that were the fate of the Jewish people at the hands of their oppressors.

You don't have to be Jewish to be greatly affected by this Memorial.
God knows I was!

Thanks for looking and reading.
BikerJim

Created by Sculptor Ami Shamir