Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach — Attraction in Miami Beach

My boyfriend and I took a trip down to Miami this last weekend to get some sun. After visiting the nearby botanical garden, we walked around and came across the memorial. Initially we didn’t realize it was a Holocaust Memorial until we saw the Anne Frank quotes. Seeing the names of some of those who were martyred during the holocaust was sombering. I am a little disappointed in myself to admit this but I never realized 6 million people died, I never knew it was that many people.

It’s really hard to describe the feeling and emotions that we felt once we made our way down into where you can fully view the sculpture. We both cried. I have been with my boyfriend for over 3 years and i have only ever seen him cry 2 other times. The statue depicts pure agony, suffering, and torture. It’s an image you’d expect to see straight out of hell. The visuals are haunting. It’s an uncomfortably painful reminder of what these men, women, and children actually endured. I have seen other memorials that made me feel sad, but this memorial touched my soul. Uncomfortable and painful is exactly what this memorial should be. It’s a stark reminder of what humans are capable of and how important it is to be mindful of living a life loving others and to stand up against what is wrong even when no one else is.

Im so grateful for coming across this memorial, i honestly think In a way it has changed me forever . I can’t stop reading about survivors stories from the holocaust. I won’t ever forget the images i saw or the pain this memorial made me...

An early morning walk to Miami Beach's Holocaust Memorial allowed me to reflect on it's message in near solitude. This turned out to be a blessing as Kenneth Treister's work is deeply moving.

Set in lightly colored stone and rising from the midst of a reflecting pond, the memorial's central element is striking. Entering the site, one walks past panels telling the story of Hitler's campaign against the Jews. One then comes to an entry alcove, topped by a Star of David styled after patches worn by Jewish prisoners of the third reich. Passing through the alcove, one walks through a seemingly crooked and bent corridor, reminded of concentration and death camps before stepping into the central memorial... blinded as one transitions from the dim corridor.

Here, sculptures speak to abandonment and anguish... pleas left unanswered. Surrounded by panels having the names of fallen, one is reminded with each "and one child" or "and three children" of the countless unnamed souls taken from this world. It is a deeply moving memorial, eliciting reverence for those lost, sorrow for humanity's failings and hopes for an end to suffering.

Exiting through that same crooked and bent corridor, one finds an eternal flame and a verse from scripture which rings to strength... no matter what one's faith.

My deepest thanks to those responsible for bringing us...

Harrowing. Poignant. Ominous. Reverent. These are words that may describe the feelings you get when you step foot on a truly magnificent display of a time where anything but was prevalent. In honoring the many lives lost during the Holocaust, this paradigmatic memorial does a great job displaying emotion of horrors that were the reality to many unfortunate souls. There is a wall with the names of the people that were snuffed out of existence by some of the most inhumane ways an individual should never have to succumb to. The extended arm sculpture in the middle of the memorial's path, surrounded by very still dark water. It is melded from forearm to wrist with an amazing attention to detail as well as undefined fear and sorrow to end with an out stretched hand, grasping for what is not there. There is a back walkway that depicts some truly sobering moments of life in a kill camp and the hopelessness that still did not break the strong will of the ones sent there.

This is a place you should definitely stop by and check out, regardless of what denomination you are. I feel like this is a hidden gem of south beach that hides in plain sight. With all the business of day to day, take a moment to walk through here and see what 'being worked to death'...