Israel is poised to unveil a photo exhibition at United Nations headquarters in New York on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day that features Holocaust survivors from Israel and around the world.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon will inaugurate the exhibition, put together by the “Lonka Project” led by Rina Castelnuovo and Jim Hollander, and will be open from January 27 – February 7.
The exhibit’s photos were snapped by volunteer photographers who met with Holocaust survivors in more than twenty different countries – including Jerusalem, London, Johannesburg, Paris, and New York – throughout 2019.
The photo exhibition is named after Lonka (Dr. Elonora Nass), who, as a young teenager, survived five Nazi death camps, then built her life in Israel. She passed away in 2018.
“The stories of these Holocaust survivors’ heroism are an example to the nations of the world,” Danon said. “Through their experiences, we must remind the world of two things: that the Holocaust was the most evil crime in history and its lesson must never be forgotten.”
Fannie Ben Ami, 90, was born in Baden-Baden, Germany. After Germany invaded France, Fanny smuggled dozens of Jewish children to the Swiss border, saving their lives. For her courage, she received the Legion of Honor award but chose not to accept it. (Photo: Alex Kolomiski)
Moshe Hayalon, 94, was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. In Auschwitz, he met a friend who came from Birkenau and asked him if he had seen his mother or his sister, Nina. “He told me that in Birkenau there were gas chambers and incinerators, and from day one they killed everyone. I didn’t want to believe it,” said Moshe, the only survivor from his family. (Photo: Abigail Uzi)
“Samuel” was Eichmann’s prison guard at his trial in Israel. The four people shown in the photo above are all survivors from Auschwitz. (Photo: Ziv Koren)