HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

Holocaust Memorial

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.