Sculpture at Fla. shopping plaza turns heads

[July 25, 2009]  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Parents in Florida are complaining about a sculpture of a nude family outside a shopping center west of Delray Beach.

Parents of children who attend a nearby elementary school say the bronze statue is inappropriate, and the PTA president e-mailed parents Wednesday asking them to complain.

The sculpture is by artist Itzik Asher and titled "Journey to the New." It is supposed to represent the journey of Russian and Ethiopian Jews from their homes to Israel. It was previously displayed at other locations in the area.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Asher's sculptures have drawn criticism before. In 1995, the Boca Raton City Council made him cover the private parts of several of his sculptures with cardboard fig leaves. The leaves were later removed.

[Associated Press]

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