Yad Vashem Newsletter 2016

100 Holocaust-Era Artworks Journey from Jerusalem to Berlin

On January 25, 2016, Yad Vashem’s exhibition, "Art from the Holocaust: 100 Works from the Yad Vashem Collection" was inaugurated by Chancellor Angela Merkel at the German Historical Museum in Berlin. The 100 artworks from the Yad Vashem Collection were created by artists between 1939 and 1945 and represent a living testimony from the Holocaust, as well as a declaration of the indomitable human spirit that refuses to surrender. The exhibition will be on display from January 26-April 3, 2016. A selection of the artworks featured in the exhibition may be viewed on Yad Vashem’s website.

President Obama at Righteous Among the Nations Ceremony

On January 27, 2016 a historic event was held at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, hosted jointly by the Israeli Embassy, Yad Vashem and the American Society for Yad Vashem. Four Righteous Among the Nations, Americans Roddie Edmonds and Lois Gunden and Polish citizens Walery and Maryla Zbijewski were posthumously recognized by Yad Vashem for risking their lives to rescue Jews during the Holocaust.  "The four lives we honor tonight make a claim on our conscience, as well as our moral imagination," declared President Obama at the ceremony. View a video of the entire ceremony, including speeches by President Obama, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, and Chairman of the American Society for Yad Vashem Leonard Wilf.

New: Guided Tours in English

Yad Vashem invites the public to visit the Holocaust History Museum, accompanied by its professional guides. Watch survivor testimonies, view personal diaries, artifacts and works of art, and be inspired by the many moving stories woven into the chronology of one of the darkest periods in the history of mankind. The tours are being offered on Fridays at 10:00 AM. For further details, please contact: guiding@yadvashem.org.il

Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day Online

Yad Vashem marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a special mini-site containing extensive related resources including online exhibitions, videos, pedagogical materials, events etc.  On social media, a unique and moving series featuring portraits of Auschwitz survivors on Instagram was launched and on Facebook, over 4,000 people participated in the annual IRemember Wall event.  By joining the wall, one’s Facebook profile is randomly linked to the name of a Holocaust victim from the Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names and then posted to the wall together with the photo and name of the Holocaust victim. As one participant said: "This is a great way of keeping the Holocaust victims relevant. They should forever be linked with the living, lest we forget!"

"Don’t Forget Me": Children’s Personal Albums from the Holocaust

Visit a new online exhibition, "Don’t Forget Me": Children’s Personal Albums from the Holocaust, which features the personal stories of eight children. The albums offer a window into the world of these children who suffered relentless persecution under living conditions that defy the imagination. But the albums also show that in spite of everything, children remain children: writing dedications to their friends and embellishing them with happy illustrations; writing of everlasting friendship, even though in many cases their lives were brutally cut short. The albums, which miraculously remained intact, were made in ghettos, concentration and labor camps, while on the run or in hiding, in different countries throughout Europe and in Asia. The life-stories of the album owners and their families, and the fate of some of those who wrote dedications, are outlined in the exhibit.

Survivor’s Book Presented to Israeli President

In early January, Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev, accompanied by 98-year-old Holocaust survivor Mirjam Bolle, presented Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin with Miriam’s book Letters Never Sent. Recently published by Yad Vashem, the book comprises a series of unique and moving letters written by Mirjam in Amsterdam, Westerbork and Bergen Belsen, under Nazi occupation. The letters, which remained undispatched to their destination, were written by Mirjam to her beloved fiance and future husband Leo who was living in Eretz Israel, and they present a unique, personal source that sheds light on the workings of the Joodsche Raad (Jewish Council) in Amsterdam. Mirjam was able to hide the letters, bringing them with her when she finally immigrated to Israel.

A Jewish Policeman in Lwow: An Early Account, 1941-1943

by Ben Z. Redner  $18 (shipping included)
Ben Z. Redner was born in Lwow, Eastern Galicia. His position as a Jewish policeman offered him some privileges but also put him on the frontline of the German’s demands. Redner paints a detailed picture of the roundups, the search for food, the crowded housing and, most importantly, securing a job, which was crucial in order to receive Ausweise (ID cards) that provided certain rations and immunity from Aktionen. Redner’s story is an adaptation of his memoir, written two years after the war ended, making this a rare firsthand account of life in the Lwow Ghetto. A Jewish Policeman in Lwow: An Early Account, 1941-1943 is available for purchase in the Yad Vashem online store. 

A Hidden Diary from the Łodz Ghetto, 1942–1944

by Heinek Fogel $18 (shipping included)
Heniek (Hersz) Fogel was 16 years old when the Nazis invaded Poland. Yiddish was his Heniek’s first language, however he wrote his diary in the Łódź Ghetto in Polish. It covers two years beginning in March 1942, and ending with the last entry in May 1944. During those difficult days, Heniek recorded harsh portions of the ghetto experience – the devastating deportation of his brother and the death of his father, the overwhelming hunger endured and other tribulations of his family and friends, as well as internal ghetto politics and rumors about the political situation outside the ghetto. Before being deported to Auschwitz along with his mother and sister, Heniek hid the diary under the floorboards of their apartment. After surviving several concentration camps, he returned to Łódź where he retrieved the diary from the exact place he had left it. A Hidden Diary from the Łodz Ghetto, 1942–1944 is available for purchase in the Yad Vashem online store.

Saying ‘We Are All Jews,’ Obama Honors Americans’ Lifesaving Efforts in Holocaust, in The New York Times
‘Art From the Holocaust’: The Beauty and Brutality in Forbidden Works, in The New York Times
Holocaust Survivor’s Diary Brought to Life by Yad Vashem, in Yisrael Hayom
Stashed Love Letters Shed Light on Divisive Holocaust Legacy, in The Times of Israel
Trailblazing Connecticut Course is Blueprint for Future Holocaust Education, in The Times of Israel 

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yad Vashem presented the medal of the Righteous Among the Nations to the late Master Sergeant Edmond’s son, Pastor Chris Edmonds in the presence of President Barack Obama. For over 50 years, Yad Vashem has worked tirelessly to identify those who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Although many of the Righteous Among the Nations are no longer with us, Yad Vashem continues to search for these courageous individuals and families and recognize their brave acts of kindness. Donate Now so that we can continue to uncover these stories and seek out these heroes.