Over 70 years ago, 6 million Jews lost their lives in the Holocaust, a tragedy memorialized with a sculpture unveiled Sunday at Congregation Beth Shalom in Santa Clarita.

The sculpture and memorial plaza, dedicated in memory of Candi Sisk, the wife of Santa Clarita veteran Arnie Sisk, lies just outside the temple’s doors as a reminder to “never forget” the tragedy.

“I am so honored and humbled to share this dedication,” said Sisk. “This will serve as a reminder to everyone who walks into the synagogue to never, never forget.”

The memorial, unveiled during Holocaust Memorial Week, was sculpted by Los Angeles artist Granville Beals, who is not Jewish himself, but immersed himself in the history and culture of the religion to infuse several “deep meanings” into the piece.

“The whole process has been a unique journey, a very moving experience,” said Beals. “There is a great deal of meaning that is infused in this sculpture by how I incorporated numbers, which I learned have an important role in Judaism.”

Created with steel, the sculpture has three pillars broken up into eight pieces to represent the broken links created by the Holocaust.

“It required that I stare in the face of the very worst of inhumanity in order to fully understand what I needed to do,” Beals said.

At the top, the sculpture is cut into 18 pieces, all reaching up into the sky to symbolize “reaching up from the darkness into a brighter, lighter space.”

The memorial was organized by the congregation’s mens club, which creates projects every year to educate the community about the Holocaust.

Several synagogue and civic leaders urged a crowd of over 100 to “always remember” the genocide which not only affected the Jewish community but Jehovah’s Witnesses, gypsies, members of the LGBT community, and millions of others.

“This is not a Jewish issue that is solely owned by the Jewish people, but it is something that affects all of humanity and people around the world,” said Rob Cohen, president of the congregation.

Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean, who has been a supporter of the synagogue before the City was even created, urged the listeners to not repeat the past.

“What happened in the past cannot happen again,” said McLean. “We are dedicated to making sure everyone feels welcome — we do not tolerate bigotry.”

Other speakers recognized the importance of art as a teaching tool, ensuring future generations do not repeat history.

“It is so important that we know and understand history, as well as exhibits like the statue to educate and inspire us,” said Senator Scott Wilk. “Art can animate our souls to act, to build a better world.”

Congresswoman Katie Hill asked for the audience to call upon community leaders to uphold the message of acceptance to prevent another tragedy.

“The way we fight is by remembering the tragedies that happened before us and giving all of our heart to acceptance and respecting human dignity, and asking our leaders to do the same,” said Hill.

Remembering the Holocaust is increasingly more difficult, said Rabbi Ron Hauss, as the last of the survivors pass, along with their first-hand account of the genocide.

“We are in a transitional period,” said Hauss. “The last of the survivors are aging and will soon no longer be with us. We are moving swiftly from living history to historical memory.”

The impact of the Holocaust is still being felt around the world, and memorials like this one keep the memory alive, he said.

“We decided the lesson of the Holocaust is not a lesson just for the Jewish people, it’s a lesson for the world,” said Hauss.

For more information about Congregation Beth Shalom, visit their website here.

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