This is Ilse Alexander, Holocaust survivor. She was born in Austria in 1929. She says, "... I literally came from hell, and see the U.S. as heaven..." This panel is part of the "LEST WE FORGET" photo installation by artist Luigi Toscano. It takes the Holocaust out of museums, reduces it to individual experiences, and confronts people in public squares around the world. Toscano took portrait photos of almost 300 survivors, I've included just a few examples. The exhibit was engaging and unfortunately, timely. This was in SF Civic Center last week. (More photos if you click through to my blog.)
Meet Zdzislaw Swiniarski. Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1926. Arrested during the Warsaw uprising in 1944. Survived forced labor at Dachau, and a death march toward the end of the war.
This is Lily Spitz. Born in Romania, 1925. Deported to Auschwitz. Liberated by American troops in Austria.
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