9
the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum, and various
commemoration sites in France, Germany
and Austria, as well as a number of historians.
Notable among examples displayed during the
workshop were a photograph of a concentration
camp; the collection of the German Jewish
photographer Herbert Sonnenfeld; a collection
of passport photos of Jews from Munich; and a
personal photo album belonging to a Bergen-
Belsen survivor.
Director of the Yad Vashem Museums
Division Yehudit Inbar, Senior Photo Curator
Nina Springer-Aharoni and Head of the Archives’
Footage Section Efrat Komisar described the
process of investigating photographs and
incorporating them into the exhibitions in the
Holocaust History Museum. Dr. Habbo Knoch
from the Bergen-Belsen commemoration site
spoke on the culture of visual commemoration,
and Prof. Heidemarie Uhl from the Austrian
Academy of Arts presented the use of
photographs in commemoration projects. One
of the most important subjects was the challenge
of digitizing photographic archives, cataloging
them electronically, and making them accessible
to the public through online computerized
information systems, a feat achieved by Yad
Vashem last year.
The Yad Vashem Archives have now opened
an Internet forum accessible to professionals
from various disciplines that will further
discussions of various issues associated with
Holocaust photography and foster contacts
among experts. “I want to thank you both
for all your efforts and for hosting such an
interesting event on Holocaust photography,”
said Genya Markon of the USHMM. “I am sure
we all realize that this is just the beginning
and hopefully will lead to a lot of shared
information and knowledge in the future.”
The author is Director of Yad Vashem's Photo
Archive.
The Camera Doesn’t Lie
International Workshop on Holocaust Photography
■
The publication of large numbers of pictures from the Holocaust helps staff in the Yad Vashem
Archives identify the subjects, and decipher and recreate the stories that lie within.
The day after Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yad Vashem received an email from Shlomit Muszkat:
“…I happened to be reading an article in Yediot Ahronot about the children of Otwock, with a reference
to Yad Vashem’s online exhibition. When I saw the exhibition's opening photograph, I immediately
recognized my father, Karol. I was very moved – and still am. I told my family members, including
my father, and we talked a little about that period.”
The next day, Yediot Ahronot published the article “I Am the Girl with the Teddy Bear,” in which
Yaela Marinberg explained how she had identified her mother, Rosa Worman-Wolf, in pictures
published in the newspaper for Holocaust Remembrance Day. Rosa was two years old when her
parents were deported to Auschwitz. “The puzzle is still full of holes,” said Rosa, “but this photograph
filled in one of the pieces of that puzzle.”
A year ago, Yad Vashem’s photographic collection was uploaded to its Internet site. Some of the
people in the photos are identified, but many others – survivors and victims – remain unknown. If
you believe you recognize yourself or someone else in any of the photographs, please forward the
information to ref@yadvashem.org.il
The author is Head of the Outreach Department in the Archives Division.
Putting Names to Faces
by Lital Beer
■
The Great Synagogue on Herzog Max Street, Munich, pre-WWII. Renovation or destruction?
■
Rosa Worman-Wolf: The girl with
the teddy bear
■
In an official ceremony in mid-June,
Yad Vashem launched a comprehensive four-
year program aimed at raising awareness
and deepening knowledge of the Holocaust
among Russian speakers. The new initiative is
made possible by a four-year, $4 million grant
from the Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG), a
foundation dedicated to strengthening Jewish
identity among Russian-speaking Jews around
the world.
The grant will promote inter-disciplinary
projects in the fields of formal and informal
education related to the Holocaust and Jewish
identity, research and publications, archival
documentation, Internet outreach and Righteous
Among the Nations recognition from the areas
of the Former Soviet Union.
“The efforts to encourage meaningful
education and commemoration of the Holocaust
among Russian speakers are crucial, since the
Holocaust is an important building block of
Jewish and Israeli identity, and a historical event
that continues to reverberate among young
people today,” said Avner Shalev, Chairman of
Yad Vashem. “Unfortunately due to the historical
circumstances, the study of the Holocaust in
the areas of the Former Soviet Union has been
underdeveloped over the years. The grant from
Genesis will allow us to focus more intensively
on this critical aspect of the Holocaust.”
The Genesis Philanthropy Group was
established in the summer of 2007 by Mikhail
Fridman, German Khan, Pyotr Aven, Alex
Knaster and Stan Polovets. GPG (www.gpg.org)
is committed to supporting and launching
projects, programming and institutions focused
on ensuring that Jewish culture, heritage and
values are preserved in Russian-speaking Jewish
communities worldwide. The foundation has
so far made over 30 grants, including gifts to
organizations such as Taglit-Birthright Israel,
Moscow State University, the IDF Education
Corps, Limmud, the Maccabi Youth Movement
and the New York Jewish Museum. The grant
to Yad Vashem is intended to help increase
Holocaust awareness among the global Russian-
speaking population, with a particular emphasis
on the FSU, North America and Israel.
“The Holocaust is the key issue that touches
every Russian-speaking Jew, even those who
never personally experienced it,” explains Stan
Polovets, CEO of GPG. “The history of this
tragedy with all the attached sorrow teaches
us about the wider perspective of Judaism, and
helps strengthen Jewish identity and the sense
of belonging to the Jewish people.”
GPG has already sponsored several projects
at Yad Vashem. These include the expansion
and development of the International School
for Holocaust Studies’ Russian-language online
portal; the publication of Yad Vashem Studies
in Russian, which contains selected research
studies about the Holocaust in the FSU; the
publication of the Yad Vashem Album We
are Here in Russian; and the distribution of
educational materials and information in Russian
(in hard copy and via the Internet).
Among the programs to be included in
the new initiative is a strategic project to
work with formal and informal educators in
Russian-speaking communities in Israel to
broaden Holocaust education in schools and
community centers. Each year, Yad Vashem’s
International School for Holocaust Studies will
focus on two Israeli cities with large Russian-
speaking populations. Through seminars for
10
Strengthening Jewish Identity
“The
history of
this tragedy may
teach us about the
wider perspective of
Judaism, and help in
strengthening the sense
of belonging to the
Jewish people”
Stan Polovets
■
Left to right: Special Advisor to the Yad Vashem
Chairman Arie Zuckerman, Public Affairs and
Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein, Foreign Minister
Avigdor Liberman, German Khan, Mikhail Fridman,
Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev, Pyotr Aven
and Stan Polovets at the unveiling ceremony for the
Genesis Philanthropy Group.