In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day tomorrow, Temple Israel of Hollywood is opening an exhibition of photos by Hancock Park photographer Nancy Baron, featuring her portraits of Holocaust survivors living in the Palm Springs area.
Below are excerpts about Baron’s project from an article recently published in Lenscratch:
This Sunday, January 27, 2019, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an international memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust and a time to remember the genocide that resulted in the annihilation of six million European Jews as well as millions of others by the Nazi regime. January 27 is the date, in 1945, when the largest Nazi death camp (Auschwitz-Birkenau), was liberated by Soviet troops.
In honor of this day of remembrance, we share photographer Nancy Baron’s project, Into the Light. Nancy is known for her three books on Palm Springs and her investigations into a wide range of cultures and communities. Into the Light is a significant portrait project that features Holocaust survivors who now live in the desert regions around Palm Springs. As Nancy has seen the number of Holocaust deniers grow, she recognizes the importance of documenting and celebrating the last generation of survivors that saw first hand the atrocities of World War II.
Into the Light
Since 2010 I’ve volunteered to make portraits of Holocaust Survivors participating in The Sunshine Circle Foundation (headed by my friend, Shaindy Friedman) in the Palm Springs area.
In recent years I’ve been horrified to see intolerance and the numbers of Holocaust deniers grow and I’m grateful to bear witness to these inspirational people and to learn about each person’s journey from the light to the bleakest dark and, at the end of their days, to the beautiful desert light.
It’s been a privilege to meet these desert dwellers – not only survivors of the Holocaust but also members of a dwindling generation of American immigrants. They love their country and don’t miss an opportunity to express their appreciation for the American forces that liberated the camps that imprisoned them as well as the sanctuary and opportunity that America has offered them since that time.
In conversations about the Holocaust they often say, “I survived because I was lucky.” Listening to them tell their stories, or even a great joke, I believe they are here because they are Survivors in the truest sense of the word. – Nancy Baron
Living well in Palm Springs! Thank you to photographer Nancy Baron for documenting these miracles in their light. Continuing light and love to all the Survivors with us.