DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- A new addition to the Addison Plaza shopping center in Delray Beach is turning heads and literally taking people's breath away.

"When I first saw it, I gasped," said retail space owner Karen Hanlan of a sculpture added to the property in July.

The statue, by renowned Israeli artist Itzik Ashner, is beautifully detailed. But there is one part in particular that's getting all of the attention.

"They're all very much naked. It's definitely out there," said Wendy Rizano.

An anatomically correct, over-scaled statue, entitled "Journey to the New," is of a naked family of Russian Jews immigrating to Israel. The artist loaned the piece to the shopping center. Plaza owner Richard Caster said the statue carries a powerful message.

"It shows people exposed. But why are they exposed? Because underneath the clothing we are all the same," Caster told Local 10's Jonathan Vigliotti.

But with an elementary school just down the road and a new school year under way, some parents and their children said they aren't ready for this so-called naked truth.

"They're all naked, right in front of an elementary school with kindergartners. I think it's a little inappropriate," said third-grader Thomas Mabry.

"It's a little off-putting," added Mabry's mother.

The Parents and Teachers Association at Morikami Park Elementary School is encouraging parents to speak out against the sculpture.

This isn't the first time Ahser's work received negative feedback. In 1995, the city of Boca Raton covered one of the artist's exposed works with a cardboard cutout of a fig leaf. After public outcry, the leaf was removed.

"We will not be putting a fig leaf on this piece. In this case, I think it's fair to say this piece is non-sexual and non-aggressive," said Caster.

"This is a beautiful representation of a family. It's tastefully done," agreed parent Sherry Kaplan.

Still, others said that maybe this public art would be better appreciated in a more private setting.

"A museum is a much better platform," Hanlan said.

Caster said the sculpture would remain on display for six more months before joining an exhibit at the Cornell Museum in downtown Delray Beach.