Temple Beth Shalom, Spokane WA
Dedicated May, 2005
7.5′ in height.
Bronze, Granite, Stained Glass.
Sculpting is taking possession of volume. In this memorial, it is the possession of a void, created by the symbols of loss and memory, of strength and life.
It is a humble bronze reminder, in the form of the Hebrew Alphabet, of the 6 million lives lost and countless lives never born. Everybody had a name, and each one started with one of the 22 letters.
It is always filled with light – for light is the spirit of man…
It lives amongst us as a reflection of the letter Zayin, for Zachor, to remember, cast on the wall of the Synagogue.
It is made of bronze – one of the most enduring materials – this is the strength of the survivors. We can touch and tap into their energy. We are the proof of the renewal of life.
The Memorial stands on broken stones as a symbol of the broken order of life. New life is finding its way through the scars of disaster.
It will be always praying.
Simon Kogan 2005