The 89-year-old Miami Beach resident meticulously repairs the menorah’s 25,000 shells each year.
In some metropolis , the hold out image of the holidays is a giant Christmas tree bedazzled in lights . But in Miami Beach , the iconic sign of theholiday seasonis a 13 - foot menorah with a distinctly 305 braid — it ’s covered in seashells .
It ’s an apt monument for this city , far-famed for itssandy beachesand Jewish heritage . And the creator of this jolly - oddball vacation medal is every mo as bombastic than life and quintessentially Miami as the physical object itself .
Roger Abramson , the 89 - year - old who built both the menorah and its companion 11 - foot spinning dreidel , first brought this new custom to Lincoln Road more than 20 years ago and he still creates seashell sculptures in his spare time . The menorah has been his later - life confinement of love and each year he revivify and replenishes the more than 25,000 seashells that get over his iconic sculpture . His legacy may ultimately be this 13 - pes seasonal watershed , but his life story has been just as unique and beautiful as the shells in his nontextual matter .
Photo by James Jackson for Thrillist
Abramson is not a skilled artist and he want to make that abundantly clear , he assure me as he guide me through his small Miami Beach apartment . The flat margin on a beach art version ofHoarders , but he show off his seashell creations with pride . Each way is grace with seashell sculptures of everything from peace treaty house to the god Neptune .
“ This is why I never have to care about hurricane come through here , ” he say as he points out the Roman god of the seas . “ I think he ’s appreciative . ”
Beyond all the seashell - studded work , the walls of his flat reveal the other small-arm of his fascinating level , where a thank you observe from Robert F. Kennedy , numerous city proclamations , and honour from the NAACP subtly secern visitor about his work in Civil Rights . His agency is similarly covered in dim and white photos of instrumentalist for whom he produced concerts during his tenner lick in the music industry . Everyone from Bob Marley to Kiss stares down from Abramson ’s walls . Janis Joplin , he says , was at this daughter ’s 13th natal day party .
Roger Abramson working on the Lincoln Road seashell menorah|Photo by James Jackman for Thrillist
“ Here ’s an event I throw for her , ” he say as he shows off a word picture of Elizabeth Taylor at a banquet mesa . Two seats away , a new Donald Trump is tilt over to talk to another guest . Abramson had n’t realise until just now the forty-fifth president was in the photo . “Is that him ? ” he need . “ Hm , I guess it could be . How ‘ bout that . ”
Also a jazz musician early on in his life history , Abramson looks every piece the aged rocker . He has bright , curly silver hair stretching down to his shoulders and wide , energetic eye that seem like they could take over a level . He wear out multiple pack and slide around his apartment in a Marco Polo shirt , shorts , and loafers with the frantic energy of a songwriter brainstorming his latest song .
His work with jazz musicians led him to deep involvement in the Civil Rights social movement , heading John Lewis ’ Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the Midwest . Though he was never a Freedom Rider , his system do work on the same elector registration initiatives . Of all the pic with celebrities Abramson prove off , the photo with Lewis was his proud .
Photo by James Jackman for Thrillist
It seems that Abramson has lived several lifetime in his virtually 90 years on the planet — a jazz instrumentalist , striking Civil Rights militant , and now the creator of an iconic objet d’art of the vacation season in Miami Beach .
Abramson finally retired to Miami Beach and became postulate in Chabad . Around 2001 , Chabad ’s Rabbi Zev Katz receive permit to put a Hanukkah sculpture on Lincoln Road , so Abramson agreed to build the menorah .
Over four calendar month , he worked on it a few hour a solar day , sculpting the menorah out of Natalie Wood , concrete , and shells he collected off the beach . It debut during Hanukkah 2001 — and almost forthwith , it was vandalize .
“ I ran back down and put it back together , ” he say . “ Then the next night , same affair . The third Nox , same matter . ”
Abramson reward the menorah after that , and away from one graffiti incident in 2012 it ’s remained comparatively unharmed since . A few years later , the menorah puzzle a companion when Abramson built an 11 - foot birl dreidel to join the Hanukkah display .
The process to progress the sculptures was straining , and keep them is equally labor - intensive . Abramson begin with gravid , dense Styrofoam , then treat it with protective sealant . Next , each shell was painstakingly sequester to the sculpture using a glue gun and fluid nail , the same that are used to build houses . Because the sculptures have to be moved from their computer storage place to Lincoln Road by forklift each twelvemonth , dozens of shells break off . And each year Abramson replaces them with shells he collects off the beach .
Abramson says the menorah is important to him not for religious reasons , but because it represents peace and integrity during the vacation time of year .
“ The menorah represents something for everybody . Like the kids spin the dreidel , and I love to see that anybody can spin it , Jewish , or I do n’t care what they are , ” he say . “ It pay me more of an inter - religious type feeling . I ’ve had so many people take their scene in front of it . I ’ve had Playboy bunnies . I have pictures of muslims praying in front of it . It ’s something , to me , that I think is important for the metropolis . ”
After undertaking a massive menorah restitution this year — when it was inadvertently leave outdoors for several months during the summertime — Abramson is taking a gradation back . For 22 yr he ’s started every twenty-four hour period during the holidays control on the menorah and making sure all is as it should be . But once this time of year is over , he ’s donating the sculpture to the city .
“ My kids say I ca n’t climb on 13 - foot run any longer , ” the grandpa of nine and great - grandpa of three says . “ So I decided the best way to keep it going would be giving it to the city . I ’m fixing up everything that was break off , and it ’s go to be perfect . And then I ’m done . ”
It ’s other November , and he still has dirt under his fingernails from his day of working on the menorah . His loyalty to the sculpture is n’t just something to do in retreat , it ’s his gift to the people of Miami Beach and everyone who visits . Abramson excogitate leaving Miami Beach , like so many longtime local , to be closer to his family and hightail it the endless overbuilding . But for this year , at least , he ’s still a fix of the Miami Beach holidays .
“ It ’s a very awkward , sticky surgery , ” he says , looking at the work he has in front of him . “ But I gauge all this must be better than shuffleboard , right ? ”
