Kenneth Treister recalls his childhood and how Miami Beach developed over time. Since he was young, he had an interest in art and liked to combine that with his love for architecture. After the Holocaust, none of the survivors wanted to relive that moment and didn't speak of it. A small group in Miami Beach wanted to create a memorial to the Holocaust survivors to honor them and approached Treister to be the creator. He went to a foundry in Mexico City to build the memorial for about three years. He wanted to make the memorial a strong statement and included 130 figures holding each other and screaming to escape. Treister also wanted to show the beauty of Jewish culture and added a reflection pool with water lilies.