“I want to encourage you to join us in this desperate fight against time, ignorance, and any who will deny the reality of the Nazi crime of genocide which devastated the Jewish people”   

     Chaim Avneri, creator, designer and Director of The Holocaust Memorial Project at Chabad of Cobb, was born in Russia in 1927. He and his family fled Russia to escape communism and moved to Tel Aviv in 1931. At the early age of 11, he showed character by joining his brothers to help support the family. At 16 Chaim joined a special unit in the Haganah to defend his country and settlers from Arab attacks. After World War II Chaim bravely helped secure Jewish refugees from European death camps to get into Israel and settle there, often at grave risk. He served with the Haganah until 1948 when they became the Israeli Defense Force,  which he continued to serve until 1950. He spent an additional six years in the reserves. 

     After his discharge from the military Chaim worked with a world-renowned Dutch diamond manufacturer who had emigrated from Holland. Chaim's dedication to excellence soon brought him to the top of his field as a diamond cutter. He eventually emigrated to America where he opened and operated a diamond cutting factory in New York City. Chaim worked for the late Harry Winston among other well known companies in the United States, Israel, Belgium, Africa and the Orient. He is known in the trade as a master teacher, consultant and one of the finest diamond cutters for over sixty years. His devoted wife Penny, a very talented artist, has been a great inspiration for all his endeavours, this Holocaust Memorial Project is no exception.

The Motivation Behind the Artistry

     Chaim Avneri assisted Jewish refugees from the death camps gain entrance into Israel and settle there.  The horrors he saw remained buried in his subconscious.  He visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with his wife and brother-in-law, but when he left he wanted to scream!  He was angry and emotional, and he felt the need to express his feelings.  This was how he conceived the idea for the memorial. Each victim wore a small yellow Star of David with the inscription "Jude" to his death.  As Chaim saw the Star of David, he envisioned the souls of 6 million spirits.  The cones became the spirits; the flames became the blood.  In his mind he could see the souls actually burning in the flames.  So much was buried in his subconscious, but he was determined to preserve this reaction for the next generation.  Although Chaim was an eyewitness to the survivors of the concentration camps, his raw emotions remained deeply buried.  The visit to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum caused his feelings to surface.  From that moment he was determined to create the victims' statement to preserve the memory for future generations.  We must never forget!