The “Stars of David Project” offers a tribute to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Each hand-drawn, carefully placed star represents a life cut short by the Nazi regime.

Between 1933 and 1945, the Jewish community of Europe lost two-thirds of its total population, changing the Jewish diaspora forever.  The “Stars of David Project” invites viewers to take a moment to remember the victims, including the documented stories we know and those that will be lost forever.

The sheer quantity of stars, confined to a small space, causes them to overlap. The bottom layers of stars represent the souls who were lost without a trace. The yellow and gold stars that weave through the entire work represent individuals whose stories have been preserved through memoirs, testimonies, and the commitment of their descendants.

This project began in the spring of 2024 after learning that my 2nd great-grandmother died in the Holocaust at the Lodz Ghetto from starvation. I started thinking of the tremendous human toll of the Holocaust and the generational effect it has had on the Jewish community. 

Before WWII, the world Jewish population was estimated to be 16.6 million. Today, the world's Jewish population is 15.5 million. The project took shape and morphed in the aftermath of October 7, 2024, when antisemitism began to re-emerge as anti-zionism. 

This realization cemented the Jewish idea that destroying a single life is to have destroyed an entire world. I began visualizing the universe, with so many stars that it is impossible to count or comprehend; this is how I wanted to show the impact of the Holocaust visually. 

My process includes carefully drawing every star, remembering that each represents a life taken during the Shoah. Using paint pens on 11x17 sheets of Bristol board, I draw 20,000 Stars of David per sheet, meticulously counting each star and each life. I painstakingly count each star to ensure accuracy. Before beginning a new sheet, I say the Mourner’s Kaddish to remember the people who perished. 

The exhibit includes 300 11x17 works, each containing 20,000 Stars of David, totaling six million when exhibited together. The exhibit is designed to be displayed in various configurations, making it suitable for both small and large spaces.