During the Holocaust over 6 million Jews were persecuted and killed under the orders and pursuit of the Nazi party led by Adolf Hitler. Hitler fed the post-World War I German people's fears by using the Jews as a scapegoat and using propaganda to advertise the Aryan race superior over Jewish and other people. Hitlers objective was to eliminate all Jews. During 1938, Hitler passed laws that were prejudice to Jews and persuaded Germans to boycott Jewish business. This led to the herding of Jews into ghettos, forced labor and concentration camps. In an attempt in the "Final Solution", Hitler sent millions of Jews as well as handicapped, homosexuals, and gypsies to their execution in death camps usually by gas chambers. The bodies were then cremated. To the Nazis Jews were inferior and just a smudge on paper that could easily be rid of. What led to the ultimate genocide was fire-like hate, harassment, and prejudice. Nazis stole the Jews identity, livelihood, and families. During the Night of Shattered Glass, Jewish documents and synagogues were burned. When I created this I used charcoals, ash, water, and fire. It symbolizes the dark times Jews faced and the fires of hatred. The water created the smudge element and represents the millions of tears shed from 1938 through 1945 and throughout history.

Remembering the Holocaust and its victims helps remind us of the mistakes that led to the loss of so many innocents. It is important to use these lessons to prevent another Holocaust to ever occur again.