New Holocaust exhibit honors those who protected Jews
“Far less than half of the people in the United States know that six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust,” said Gay Block during her compelling presentation at the Feb. 19 VIP Preview for her exhibition, “RESCUERS: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust.” The exhibition is the second held in the Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) Frisch Family Holocaust Memorial Gallery and commemorates some of the people who hid, protected and saved Jews in Europe during World War II.
The 110 who attended were visibly moved by stories Block shared of rescuers she photographed and interviewed, as well as those shared by Claire Soria, who told the story of the family who rescued her. Soria, one of the 69 Holocaust survivors who receive support from JFCS, showed guests her only remaining treasure from before the Holocaust, a wicker sewing basket given to her by her father when she was six years old. In it she keeps the few memorabilia she still has, including photos of her mother, father and large extended family.
“The people who saved my life were musicians,” Soria said. “They taught me to play the piano, and when I left, I promised I would continue. I have taught music throughout my adult life.”
Soria’s mother placed her with an older Christian couple who risked their lives to hide her from the Nazis. She stayed with them for the remainder of the war and posed as their granddaughter. Sonia was one of only three people in her family to survive the Holocaust; 54 of her family members perished in Auschwitz.
“Rescuers cannot easily explain why they had the strength to act righteously, nor do their life stories always offer a clue,” Block noted. To those who tell her they don’t think they would have the strength to take the risks that those who saved Jews did, Block shared with the guests, “You don’t have to risk your life; you can do something as simple as bring someone [to the JFCS memorial gallery] to see the exhibit.”
“Half of Gay’s exhibit will be shown here at JFCS,” McMath said Hope McMath, exhibit curator. “The other half of the exhibit will be shown throughout the community.” Students from Kipp Jacksonville Schools, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and other area schools will view the exhibit in the gallery.
“RESCUERS: Portraits of Moral Courage” runs through fall 2019 in the Frisch Family Holocaust Memorial Gallery, 8540 Baycenter Road. The exhibition by Gay Block and Malka Drucker debuted at New York’s MoMA in 1992 and since been presented internationally. For more information, call Susie Menaged at (904) 394-5727 and visit jfcsjax.org/rescuers/.
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