The sculpture "First Step" honors all those who have abandoned their native land to live in San Diego, particularly Latino immigrants.

The piece is a giant foot made out of bronze that weighs 700 pounds and stands 7 feet high and 7 wide.

Carved by renowned Mexican artist José Sacal, the sculpture was unveiled March 7 at a garden at the San Diego Jewish Academy, where it will be displayed.

The sculpture is inspired by the Jewish diaspora, always on the move before the founding of Israel, and the contemporary experiences of Hispanic immigrants.

Larry Acheatel, the academy's executive director, said at the unveiling ceremony that it had been planned to grow grass around the statue. But that the artist asked that the rocks around it be kept because they are emblematic of the terrain undocumented immigrants cross from Mexico to the United States.

The piece also illustrates the ties between the Jewish communities of Tijuana and San Diego. The Jacobo and Hermosa Farca Foundation donated the sculpture,

Gregorio and Melissa Galicot provided funds for its transportation, and support was provided by the WIZO-Tijuana San Diego Organization, KEN Jewish Community and the Latin American Community of San Diego.

The former director of the Latin American Museum of Art in Long Beach, Gregorio Luke, described Sacal as the "Chagall" of his generation. He called his artistic imagination "unpredictable," always redefining originality, as evidenced by the work he has presented worldwide.

Luke said the artist's popularity is growing, even in places like China, where he became the first Mexican sculptor to have a permanent piece, at a plaza in Shanghai. Twenty-three of his pieces are on display across Latin America.

A collection of 60 of Sacal's sculptures are currently on display in 14 public transportation stations in Mexico City, including pieces dedicated to such diverse icons as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Marilyn Monroe and wrestling legend El Santo, whose mask is reproduced in steel in a large format.

Luke said that the academy was chosen as the sculpture's home underscores that "it is no ordinary school." It's enriched by the presence of students who come from all over the world, including Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Russia, South Africa, among others.

In an interview, Sacal said that his father arrived in Mexico at the beginning of the Mexican Revolution from Damascus, Syria, after a long journey as a stowaway on a ship that first took him to Cuba. He eventually settled in Cuernavaca, where he became a businessman, and where the artist grew up.

"The transition was very painful," Sacal said of his father's new life. "It was very difficult to adapt to a new country, culture and language. That's why, after finding out the diversity of the youngsters here, I decided to accept this project."

Sacal recalled that on a personal level, since he was a child, he has always felt different.

"I never liked sports, my sisters didn't' let me play with them, that's why art was always a natural outlet," he said. "My family celebrated it when I was young but when it came time to earn a living, my father opposed it."

He married and became a fashion designer but never abandoned his work as an artist. Nearly 35 years ago he was able to economically sustain himself pursuing his passion full time, he said.

He hopes that "First Step" inspires young people "to choose a good direction in their life."

And serves as a reminder that they are members of a community and any problematic actions they take could be felt by all of its members.

This story was published by The Union-Tribune's Spanish-language newspaper Enlace.