holocaust memorial

The Atlantic City Boardwalk Memorial is a sculptural presence made from three paths that intertwine as they ascend, each rising to a view of the majestic ocean beyond. They form an abstract Star of David, the Jewish symbol, as described in the Holy Zohar (vol. III 73a) as “three knots connecting one to another: G-d, Torah and Israel." This three-dimensional symbolic diagram evokes this connection and a renewed faith in the persistence of humanity.
The labyrinthine experience creates both moments of uplifting reflection and destabilizing tumult. Each of these passages upwards is framed by tall vertical pieces of recycled steel aged from 1944. As one climbs upwards, glass replaces the steel to gradually reveal the ocean ahead.
Three significant poems (by Paul Celan, Czeslaw Milosz, and Martin Herskowitz) are engraved in selected seating areas. These areas provide places for contemplation, gathering, and meditation under the shadow of the memorial above.