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RESONANCE - NEVER FORGET

David Sobol-20-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto-ig.jpg
Marcel Bulka-20-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto-ig.jpg
Helga Moszkowicz-20-01-2023-Meinolf_Otto-ig.jpg
Herman Levie-20-01-2023-Meinolf_Otto-ig.jpg
Mathilde Renate Rothschild-20-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto-ig.jpg
Eveline Israelowicz-23-12-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg
Dina Zwarts-31-10-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg
Amalie Kosses-24-12-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg
Betje Sophie Boektje-20-12-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg
Magarete Sander-31-10-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg
Barnett Greenman-31-10-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg
Levie-Ekstein-10-01-2023-Meinolf_Otto.jpg
Boris-Maurice-Gurman-10-01-2023-Meinolf_Otto.jpg
Isaac-Wolff-28-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto.jpg
Natan-Bibrowski-28-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto.jpg
EvaBremer-21-12-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Porträtserie von Kindern,
die in Auschwitz ums Leben gekommen sind 

Three years ago, I began this work of remembrance. For me, this has become my way of not forgetting. Even though my research into the lives of these children often reveals only scant information, I want to live my remembering by portraying these children and thereby giving them a space in my life. While their death and suffering are unspeakable (whose depiction I would only fail at), I am interested in artistically translating the homage to their vitality into my very colorful color palette. This portrait series, which I continue to work on continuously, received a lot of encouragement at exhibitions in Solingen and Cologne in 2023, as well as in Hamburg on January 27, 2024.

A visitor to the exhibition wrote:
 
“... artistic expression is a very important contribution to dialogue. With your pictures, you communicate what moves you, you show it to us literally, and that is very important for our generation, which did not experience the Holocaust in person. We must Never Forget, and we want to work to ensure that something like this never happens again. Thank you!”  

Homage to Betje Polak

03/11/2022

59 x 46 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Betje Polak was born on the 6th of December 1928 and was murdered in Auschwitz on the 19th of October 1942, with only 13 years of age. I made this portrait as part of a series “Resonance - Never Forget”. What were her hopes (as a 13-year-old)? What were her dreams? What could Betje have still brought to life if her life wasn't taken away from her?

 

For me the painting of the portraits, who were murdered in Auschwitz, is a chance to never forget to honour their lives. Their fate is infinitely tragic and their death unfathomably senseless. I can not change the past, only the now. With these portraits, I want to celebrate their lives and all their unflowered potential. Painting these children has made each of them come alive in my life. It is, in a certain way, as if I were taking them home with me. I now know each of them by name and although I know little of their short lives based on the few details I could find on the internet, I, for one, will certainly never forget them.

Links to Betje Polak:

David Sobol-20-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto-ig.jpg

Homage to David Sobol

10/01/2023

60 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

On September 26, 1930, David Sobol was born. He was tragically killed in Auschwitz at the age of 14 in 1944 as a result of Nazi atrocities committed during 1944. The Sobol family, originally from Montreuil, France,  lived in Brussels during the war. Both of David's parents were born in Poland. Apart from a brother who died of appendicitis, all members of the Sobol family were deported after being denounced and were sent on the last transport to Auschwitz from Malines on July 31, 1944. Only David's brother Paul (19) and sister Bella-Betsy (17) were able to return home. Five Memorial Stones have been placed in front of the Sobol family's last residence in Brussels to honor their memory.

 

The portrait is part of a series called "Resonance - Never Forget". For me, portraying is a form of contemplation of the life of the person. The choice of color palette is meant to celebrate who David was and what he could have become. Working on the portrait raises questions about David's hopes for his future, his talents, what made him smile and what he could have accomplished if his life had not been taken away in Auschwitz.

Links to further infromation on David Sobol

Marcel Bulka-20-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto-ig.jpg

Homage to Marcel Bulka

10/01/2023

60 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Marcel Bulka, also known as Majer, was born on September 29th, 1930 in Kalisz, Poland. Along with his brother Albert, he lived in a summer camp in Izieu, France, with 43 other children from various countries. The camp was run by a Jewish association and was used to hide children from the Nazis. However, the camp was reported to the Gestapo and all of the children were arrested, taken to a camp in Darcy, and then deported to Auschwitz on June 28th, 1939. Marcel and all of the other children were killed in Auschwitz by April 16th, 1944. Marcel was only 13 years old at the time of his death.

 

This portrait of Marcel is part of my series "Resonance - Never forget". Each portrait of these children is for me a way of contemplating their lives. While I am saddened by his fate and the cruelty that he was killed, I want to celebrate and honor his life and potential with this portrait.

Links to further information on Marcel Bulka

Helga Moszkowicz-20-01-2023-Meinolf_Otto-ig.jpg

Homage to Helga Moszkowicz 

10/01/2023

60 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Helga Moszkowicz was born on June 24th, 1930 in Essen, Germany. Sadly, at the tender age of 12, she met a tragic end at the hands of the Nazis, as she was murdered in Auschwitz on September 24th, 1942.

 

In August 1942, the Moszkowicz family, along with other Jewish families from Limburg, were rounded up and taken to the Westerbork transit camp, known as the "Gate to Hell." From there, they were deported to Auschwitz on September 21st, 1942. Upon arrival, Helga, her sister, one of her two brothers and her mother were immediately killed in the gas chambers. Her father was murdered at the end of the war. Helga's brother Max was the only one to survive and went on to become a renowned lawyer and founded his own law firm in Maastricht.

 

I painted this portrait as part of my Resonance - Never Forget series. For me, each of these portraits is a kind of reflection on the life of the person I am painting. What were Helga's hopes (as a 12-year-old)? What were your dreams? What could have brought Helga to life if her life had not been taken?

Links to further infromation on Helga Moszkowicz:

Herman Levie-20-01-2023-Meinolf_Otto-ig.jpg

Homage to Herman Levie

10/01/2023

59 x 46 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Herman Levie was born on December 7th, 1933 and was tragically murdered in Auschwitz on August 10th, 1942 at the young age of 9. He lived in Meppel, Netherlands during the war and his father, Jopie Levie, owned a store called "De Grote Bazar" and a market stall selling trinkets. Herman had 9 siblings, two of whom passed away in infancy. In August 1942, Jopie was forced to work in a Nazi labor camp in Orvelte. When he came home on leave on October 2nd, the entire Levie family was apprehended by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz.

 

Each of these portraits is for me a contemplation of sorts on the life of the person I am portraying. My choice of a colour palette is meant as a celebration of who he was and what he could have still become.
What were his hopes (as a 9-year-old)? What were his dreams? What could Herman have brought to life if his life wasn't taken away from him?

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Links - Information on Herman Levie:

Mathilde Renate Rothschild-20-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto-ig.jpg

Homage to Mathilde Renate Rothschild 

10/01/2023

59 x 46 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Mathilde Renate, born on 06.01.1925. In 1942 she and her two sisters were deported to Auschwitz. Mathilde was only 17 years old when she was murdered in Auschwitz.

 

The Rothschild-Florsheim family had lived at in Leuven in Belgium. Jacob Ruben Rothschild, a businessman, and his wife Flora Florsheim, fled from Hamburg to Belgium already in 1933 to escape the Nazi regime, along with their children: Mathilde Renate, Hanna, Noemi and Julius. Only 3 of the entire family of 4 adults and 9 kinds survived the Holocaust.

Links to Mathilde Renate Rothschild:

Eveline Israelowicz-23-12-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Eveline Israelowic

24/12/2022

59 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Eveline Israelowicz, was murdered in Auschwitz at the age of 15. She was born 30 October 1926 in Essen Germany. The family Israelowicz moved in the fall of 1933 to Rotterdam. The family eventually moved to Hilversum. She was 13 when in May 1940 the Germans invade the Netherlands. From September 1, 1941, Jewish children had to go to separate schools and were no longer allowed to go to public schools. In 1942 the Germans forced her family to live in Asterdorp under duress of anti-Jewish measures. In August 1942 they were brought to Auschwitz. I assume this was via Camp Westerbork, Netherlands, a place known as “the gateway to Hell”. It was a transit camp to concentration camps like Auschwitz and Sobibor. Around 30-09-1942 she was murdered in Auschwitz at the age of 15.

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This portrait of Eveline is part of my series “Resonance - Never Forget”. Her life was taken by Germans adhering to an evil racist regime. Each portrait of these children is a contemplation of sorts for me, on their life. While her death pains me in its dimensions of evil, heartlessness and senselessness, I still want to celebrate her life with this work.

Links to Eveline Israelowic:

Dina Zwarts-31-10-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Dina Zwarts

01/11/2022

59 x 46 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Dina Zwarts was born in Raalte on the 30th of March 1928. At only 14 years of age, she was killed by the Nazis in Auschwitz on the 29th of October 1942. I made this portrait as part of my series “Resonance - Never Forget”.
Each of these portraits is for me a contemplation of sorts on the life of the person I am portraying. My choice of a colour palette is meant as a celebration of who she was and what she could have still become.
What were her hopes (as a 14-year-old)? What were her dreams? What could Dina have brought to life if her life wasn't taken away from her?

Links - Information on Dina Zwarts:

Amalie Kosses-24-12-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Amalie Kosses

24/12/2022

59 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

On February 19, 1943, Amalie Kosses, who was only 10 years old, was murdered in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. She had been born in Oude Pekela, Netherlands on April 20, 1932. It is a macabre coincidence that her birthday falls on the same day as of the man responsible for her death and that of her family. Amalie was the youngest child of Jeizel Kosses and Auguste Kosses-van der Zijl and her father was a butcher from an old butcher family. During the night of November 27 to 28, 1943, Amalie and her family were taken from their home and on February 16, 1943 were put on a train to Auschwitz, where they were all killed.

The portrait is part of the series called "Resonance - Never Forget". For the artist, portraying is a form of contemplation of the life of the person. The choice of color palette is meant to celebrate who Amalie was and what she could have become. Working on the portrait raises questions about Amalie's hopes for her future, her talents, what made her smile and what she could have accomplished if her life had not been taken away in Auschwitz.

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Links to Amalie Kosses:

Betje Sophie Boektje-20-12-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Betje Sophie Boektje

20/12/2022

59 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Betje Sophie Boektje was born in 1927 in Kampen in the Netherlands and was murdered in Auschwitz on the 3rd of December 1942, with only 15 years of age.

In 1942 Betje Sophie had been enrolled in the 3rd class of the Jewish Lyceum in Zwolle.

Her father, Salomon Boektje, had a shop in Kampen selling lamps, household items and  sports equipment. Salomon was the chairman of the Dutch Israeli communities in Kampen.

I made this portrait as part of a series “Resonance - Never Forget”. Each of these portraits is for me a contemplation of sorts on the life of the person I am portraying. My choice of a colour palette is meant as a celebration of who she was and what she could have still become.

Beyond the unfathomable terror and fear of the Nazi regime, what was Betje's dream (as a 15 year-old)? What were her plans for the future (that was taken away from her)? How many things could Betje have accomplished with her life if she had had the chance?

Links to Dina Zwarts:

Magarete Sander-31-10-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Margarete Sander

31/10/2022

59 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Margaret Sander, also known as Grete, was 15 years old when she died in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. She and her brother were sent to the Netherlands by their parents in an effort to keep them safe from the Nazis. While her brother planed and succeeded to flee to Israel on his own account, Grete did not go with him, she felt safe with her guest family in Groningen. However, when the Nazis occupied the Netherlands, Grete and her host family were taken to Auschwitz and killed in the gas chambers. In 2012, a Stolperstein, a type of memorial marker, was placed in Oberhausen, where Grete had lived.

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In a way, each portrait I make is a contemplation of sorts on the life of the person I am portraying. Also, Grete looked back at me from the painting. Her death is upsetting. The injustice of it all remains maddening. Most of all I wanted to express what we lost when she was killed. My choice of a colour palette is meant as a celebration of who she was and what she could have still become.  What were her hopes (as a 15-year-old)? What were her dreams? What could Grete have brought to life if her life wasn't taken away from her? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I can imagine many paths she could have chosen and the impacts that her life could have had if it had not been taken away.

 

Painting these kids that were murdered in Auschwitz is a way for me to never forget.

Links to Margarete Sander:

Barnett Greenman-31-10-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Barett Greenman

01/11/2022

59 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Barnett Greenman, a 2-year-old, was killed in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Barnett's father recounted a harrowing journey, traveling for 36 hours across Europe with no food or water, only to arrive at the death camp of Auschwitz. Upon arrival, the snow outside the train was filled with suitcases abandoned by those who had arrived before them. While Barnett's father was selected for forced labor, Barnett's mother and Barnett were taken to the gas chambers and killed almost immediately.

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The portrait is part of a series called "Resonance - Never Forget". For the artist, portraiture is a form of contemplation about the life of the person, even if he knows very little about the individual and their life. The choice of color palette is meant to celebrate the person Barnett was and what he could have become.

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Links to Barett Greenman

Levie-Ekstein-10-01-2023-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Levie Ekstein

10/01/2023

59 x 46 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Levie Ekstein, born on July 12, 1932, was only 10 years old when he was killed in Auschwitz. He and his family, which included his siblings Aaltje, Esther, and Hartog, and their mother Rosa, lived in Eindhoven in the Netherlands during the war. Levie's father, Lazarus Ekstein, owned a flower shop in the city center. On November 12, 1942, they were taken to Westerbork, which was known as the "gate to hell," and then deported to Auschwitz on November 20, where they were killed upon arrival on November 23.

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The portrait is part of the series called "Resonance - Never Forget". For me, portraying is a form of contemplation of the life of the person. The choice of color palette is meant to celebrate who Levie was and what he could have become. Working on the portrait makes me wonder about Levie's hopes for his future, his talents, what made him smile and what could he have accomplished if his life had not been taken away in Auschwitz.

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Links to Levie Ekstein:

Boris-Maurice-Gurman-10-01-2023-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Boris-Maurice Gurman

10/01/2023

59 x 46 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

On June 12, 1943, the Gestapo raided at 4 am in the morning the boarding school where Boris-Maurice and other Jewish kids were being hidden from the Nazis. The Germans rounded up 12 children, as well as the director of the school, her husband, and a teacher. They were taken and imprisoned to be deported to Auschwitz on 31/07/1943. Boris-Maurice was gassed on arrival. Boris-Maurice was only 10 years old.

 

Today you can find his “Stumbling Stone” at Rue André Fauchille Nr. 10 in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in Brussels, Belgium. His golden pavement tile, together with 14 more, commemorates the raid during which they were captured. Like Boris-Maurice most of them were killed in Auschwitz.

 

This portrait of Boris-Maurice is part of my series “Resonance - Never Forget”. His life was taken by Germans adhering to racist Nazi ideology, only because Boris-Maurice was Jewish.

 Each portrait of these children is a contemplation of sorts for me, on their life. While I am sad about his fate and the cruelty of him getting killed. I want to celebrate his life with this portrait in homage and all that potential that he held.

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Links to Boris-Maurice Gurman:

Isaac-Wolff-28-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto.jpg

Homage to Isaac Wolf

10/01/2023

60 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Isaac Wolff was born on October 27, 1928, in Sittard, the Netherlands. On September 3, 1943, he was murdered in Auschwitz. He was only 14 at the time.


The Germans first took Isaac Wolff to Camp Vught, a concentration camp. From there, he was transported on the so-called children's transport to Westerbork, also known as the KZ "gate to hell," on June 6, 1943. Isaac Wolff was transported to Auschwitz on August 31, 1943, and was killed there.

The portrait is part of a series called "Resonance - Never Forget". For me, portraiture is a form of contemplation about the life of the person, even if I know very little about the individual and their life. The choice of color palette is meant to celebrate the person Isaac was and what he could have become.

Links to further infromation on Isaac Wolff:

Natan-Bibrowski-28-01-2023-Meinolf-Otto.jpg

Homage to Natan Bibrowski

10/01/2023

60 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Natan Bibrowski was born on November 2nd, 1925. In 1942, he died in Auschwitz as a result of the mistreatment and suffering inflicted upon him by the Nazis. Together with his brother, Natan received an "Arbeits Einsatzbefehl" - a letter ordering him to report to the Dossin barracks under the guise of going to work. Natan and his brother David obeyed the German order and reported to the Dossin barracks in Mechelen. They were then deported on the first transport.

 

On August 4th, 1942, the two brothers were sent on the same train, but were not in the same carriage. Their names on the transport lists are the last trace that was found of them. Once they arrived in Auschwitz, it is unclear what happened to them after the selection process. There is no record of their deaths or any registration forms for the two brothers. It is not known if they were used as forced labor in the camp or were immediately taken to the gas chambers at Birkenau upon arrival. Natan was 16 years old when they arrived at Auschwitz and was old enough to be used as forced labor in the concentration camp or in one of the nearby satellite camps. However, there is no surviving record of this as many documents were destroyed by the Nazis before the evacuation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.

Links to further information on Natan Bibrowski

EvaBremer-21-12-2022-Meinolf_Otto.jpg

Homage to Eva Bremer

01/11/2022

59 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

Eva Bremer was born in Rotterdam, on 28 January 1932. She was deported to Auschwitz together with her younger brother Joseph Bremer. They were murdered in a gas chamber with their mother Lena on 5 August 1942. She was only 10 years old.

A Stolpersteine ​​was placed for Eva Bremer at her home address, Pijnackerplein 42 B in Rotterdam. Approx. 18,000 children in the Netherlands were deported and murdered by the Nazis.

This portrait of Eva is part of my series “Resonance - Never Forget”. Her life was taken by Germans adhering to racist Nazi ideology, only because Eva was Jewish.

Each portrait of these children is a contemplation of sorts for me, on their life. While I am sad about her fate and the senselessness of what she had to suffer, I want to celebrate her life and all that potential that is brimming from her smile with this portrait.

Links to information about Eva Bremer

Dvora Birnberg-18-12-2023-ig.jpg

Homage to Dvora Birnberg

18/12/2023

60 x 45 cm (h x w)

acrylic on paper

In homage to Dvora Birnberg, who was deported to Auschwitz and killed. She was only 10 years old. Dvora was born in 1934 in Bistritz, Romania. She was the daughter of Yaakov and Sarah Birnberg. In 1944, the Jewish family was deported to Auschwitz, where they were murdered upon arrival.

Given the conflicts of today, it appears that humanity has dementia. It seems that we choose to forget the atrocities we have committed in the past. We readily excuse acts of violence and terror committed against people we believe to be on the wrong side of the fence. Ultimately, the goal is always to maintain or increase one's power over others. The perpetrators consistently assert the righteousness of their cause. Why do we back these opportunists for power? When will we stop to forget? When will the banality of evil cease to corrupt us? Remembering Dvora Birnberg entails remembering all of the "Dvoras" of today who run the risk of experiencing her destiny once more.

Homage to Lotte Hermine Schiffer

28.10.2023

60 x 45 cm (H x B)

Im Gedenken an Lotte Hermine Schiffer - Lotte war erst 10 Jahre alt, als sie am 26. Januar 1943 in Auschwitz ermordet wurde. Obwohl ich viele Stunden lang gesucht habe, konnte ich nicht viel über ihr Leben finden. Sie wurde am 6. November 1932 in Hradec Kralove, der Tschechoslowakei, geboren und lebte in der Stadt Dvůr Králové nad Labem, die sich heute in der Tschechischen Republik befindet. Die Eltern von Lotte, Lilli und Alexander (auch in Auschwitz ermordet), nannten die Stadt Königinhof an der Elbe. Das Porträt basiert auf einem Foto von Lotte im Alter von 3 ½ Jahren, dass ihre Mutter im Sommer 1936 an ihre Freundin (oder Verwandte) Lini schickt. 
 

Lotte hatte Talente und Hoffnungen für die Zukunft. Wir werden nie wissen, was sie und wir verloren haben. Ich möchte das Leben von Lotte ehren und gedenken, das voll von endlosen Möglichkeiten war, bevor ihr das Leben so schrecklich genommen wurde. Die Tatsache, dass sie und alle anderen Opfer des Holocaust aufgrund einer absurditätsgläubigen Ideologie, die in Nazi-Deutschland breite Unterstützung fand, getötet wurden, ist die unbequeme und beängstigende Wahrheit. Wenn Hanna Arendt von der Banalität des Bösen spricht, bin ich entsetzt über die Macht, die es über Lottes Leben hatte und immer noch über unser aller Leben hat. 
 

Das Banale und Dumme sind auch heute noch Treiber unsagbarer Schrecken und des Bösen. Die große Mehrheit von uns möchte auf einem friedlichen Planeten leben, der auf Zusammenarbeit und dem Gemeinwohl gedeiht. Das ist unser wahres Erbe, wie heutige Anthropologen erklären. Für mich ist ein Teil des „Nie zu vergessen“, wachsam zu sein gegenüber den krebsartigen Zellen der Banalität des Bösen - leider wieder im Wachstum - und sich für eine Welt einzusetzen, die auf der goldenen Regel basiert. Die Welt, in der die meisten von uns leben möchten, wird nicht von der Banalität des Bösen geleitet, sondern von dem Potenzial des Guten. Für mich ist das nicht naiv, sondern der einzige Weg nach vorn, der eine Chance auf Erfolg hat. 

 

Links zu weiteren Informationen über Lotte Hermine Schiffer

_2024-03-02-Eva Redischova.jpg

Homage to Eva Redischova

02.03.2024

60 x 45 cm (H x B)

Eva Redischova wurde am 6. August 1931 in Prag, Tschechoslowakei, in eine jüdische Familie geboren. Sie war die Schwester von Helene (geboren 1925), die den Krieg überlebte, und die Tochter von Eliška und Arnošt Redischova.  

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Im Alter von sieben Jahren erlebte Eva die Auswirkungen des Münchner Abkommens von 1938 und die anschließende deutsche Besetzung des Sudetenlandes, was zur Durchsetzung der ersten anti-jüdischen Gesetze in der Tschechoslowakei führte. Die Situation verschlechterte sich, als Deutschland im März 1939 die verbleibenden tschechischen Gebiete übernahm. Ab 1941, als Eva zehn Jahre alt war, wurde sie gezwungen, den gelben Stern zu tragen, einer Kennzeichnung die zur öffentlichen Stigmatisierung als Jüdin führen sollte. Wie viele andere Juden in der Tschechoslowakei musste Eva wahrscheinlich eine Zwangsumsiedlung aus ihrem Zuhause ertragen und in überfüllten und unzureichenden Unterbringungen leben.  

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Am 12. September 1942 wurden Eva und ihre Familie von den Nazis in das Ghetto Theresienstadt deportiert. Dies war jedoch nur ein vorübergehender Zwischenstopp, bevor sie nach Auschwitz transportiert wurden, wie es das Schicksal zahlreicher Juden war. Tragisch musste Eva am 23. Oktober 1944 im zarten Alter von nur 13 Jahren in einer Gaskammer von Auschwitz ersticken.

  

Während Träume und Hoffnungen für die Zukunft bei Jugendlichen in Evas Alter üblich sind, hatte die Nazi-Besatzung solche Möglichkeiten für sie erheblich eingeschränkt. Jegliche Hoffnungen auf Bildung, berufliche Entwicklung oder persönliche Erfüllung waren von dem unmittelbaren Überlebenskampf unter der Nazi-Herrschaft überschattet.

  

Ich stelle mir vor, dass Evas Gedanken und Erfahrungen als dreizehnjähriges jüdisches Mädchen, das in besetztem Prag lebte, von einem komplexen Zusammenspiel aus Angst, Widerstandsfähigkeit, Trauer und Trotz gegenüber der Verfolgung durch die Nazis geprägt war. Ihr tägliches Leben war von den harten Realitäten der Besatzung und Judenfeindlichkeit geprägt, doch möglicherweise hat sie in ihrer Gemeinschaft trotz der Bedrohungslage des sich ereignenden Holocausts Momente der Hoffnung und Solidarität gefunden.  

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Was hätte aus ihr werden können? Welches Potenzial blieb ungenutzt und welche Talente hätten erblühen können, wenn sie nicht vom deutschen Nazi-Regime ausgelöscht worden wären?

  

Es ist zutiefst beunruhigend anzuerkennen, wie einfach es war und immer noch ist, Erzählungen zu initiieren, die bestimmte Gruppen von Menschen irrational und brutal diskriminieren. Der Mangel an faktischer Grundlage in diesen Erzählungen schreckt sie nicht ab; sie behaupten ihre eigene Wahrheit. Die Vergangenheit sollte uns gelehrt haben, dass, sobald diesen Geschichtenerzählern eine Plattform geboten wird, ihr Einfluss schnell zu zerstörerischen Breitenwirkungen eskalieren kann, die zu immensem Leid und einem Morden im Sinne der Erzählung führen kann. Wir beobachten, wie solche Erzählungen auch heute global verbreitet werden, wobei eine Wiederkehr des Antisemitismus besonders besorgniserregend ist. Es ist nur zu einfach, diese Realität zu verkennen. Die wohlklingenden Erzählungen der Populisten über vielversprechende Lösungen für alle Probleme, führt leider auch dazu, dass ein großer Teil der Gesellschaft die geforderte Marginalisierung der Wenigen als notwendig akzeptiert und bereitwillig unterstützt. 

 

Links zu Informationen über Eva Redischova

Homage to Jeannine Nicole Heimer

12.01.2024

60 x 45 cm (H x B)

Jeannine Nicole Colette Heimer wurde am 25. Juni 1929 in Paris, Frankreich, geboren. Sie wurde am 28. Oktober 1943 zusammen mit ihren Eltern Daniel David und Suzanne Germaine und ihrem Bruder Maurice ins Konzentrationslager Auschwitz deportiert. Alle verlieren ihr Leben in Auschwitz. Jeannine war erst 14 Jahre alt, als sie am 2. November 1943 starb. 
 

Es ist immer wieder schockierend und beunruhigend, die Dummheit, Unmenschlichkeit und Ungerechtigkeit zu sehen, die zum Verlust von Jeannines jungem Leben führte. Es macht mich traurig, welche mörderische Gewalt Menschen bis heute bereit sind auszuüben, basierend nur auf ihren Überzeugungen und narzisstischer Selbstgerechtigkeit. Unsere Überzeugungen können inspirierend sein und ein Antrieb für Größe und Hoffnung, aber wehe, wenn sie zur Quelle Ihrer Macht über andere werden. 

 

Der Gedanke an die Unwissenheit, Grausamkeit und Ungerechtigkeit, die zu Jeannines frühem Tod führten, schockiert und beunruhigt mich immer noch. Ich finde es zutiefst traurig, welche tödliche Gewalt manche bis heute nur aufgrund ihrer persönlichen Überzeugungen auszuüben bereit sind. Obwohl unsere Geschichten (religiös, philosophisch oder politisch) als Quelle der Inspiration, Größe und Hoffnung dienen können, können sie auch ein Grund für pseudowissenschaftliche Behauptungen werden, eine bequeme Rechtfertigung für grausame Macht über andere sein und möglicherweise sogar so weit gehen die perverse Logik dafür zu liefern, dass man anderen das Leben nimmt. Ich wage zu behaupten, dass diese inhärente Gefahr für alle Glaubensrichtungen gilt und meine eigenen nicht ausschließt. 

Dieses Porträt ist Teil meiner Serie "Resonanz - Nie vergessen". Für mich ist das Porträtieren eine Form der Betrachtung des Lebens der Person. Die Wahl der Farbpalette soll feiern, wer Jeannine war und was sie hätte werden können. Die Arbeit am Porträt wirft Fragen auf über Jeannines Hoffnungen für ihre Zukunft, ihre Talente, was sie zum Lächeln brachte und was sie hätte erreichen können, wenn ihr Leben nicht in Auschwitz genommen worden wäre. 

Links zu Informationen über Jeannine Nicole Colette Heimer

_2024-03-06-Erika Lowy.jpg

Homage to Erika Lowy

06.03.2024

60 x 45 cm (H x B)

Erika Lowy wurde in Bratislava, 1936, in eine jüdische Familie geboren. Sie war die Tochter von Viola and Hugo Lowy. 1944 wurde sie nach Auschwitz deportiert wo sie und ihre Mutter bei Ankunft umgebracht wurden. Erika war 8 Jahre alt.  
 

Erika war 3 Jahre alt als die Slowakei sich 1939 unabhängig von der Tschechoslowakei erklärte und um faschistisch-autoritären Vasallenstaat von Nazi-Deutschland wurde. Erika war 4 als alle Juden einen gelben sechsstrahligen Stern auf ihrer Kleidung tragen mussten. Bis dahin waren alle Juden bereits völlig aus dem öffentlichen Leben verdrängt. An der Häuserwänden der Stadt prangten Graffitis mit “Der Jude ist unser Feind”. Ab 1942 wurden viele slowakische Juden in die Vernichtungslager in Polen deportiert. Die Slowakei bezahlte sogar Deutschland 500 Reichsmark für jeden deportierten Juden. 

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Ich konnte keine Informationen finden zu dem, was genau mit Erika und ihrer Familie geschah. Vermutlich wurde ihre Familie zunächst in ein Sammellager gebracht und in einem der letzten Transporte vor Ende März 1944 nach Auschwitz verbracht. 

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Insgesamt wurden etwa 58.000 slowakische Juden (zwei Drittel der jüdischen Bevölkerung) deportiert. 

Was waren die Wünsche und Träume von Erika? Was wäre aus ihr geworden ohne die Verfolgung und ihren jungen Tod? 

Links - Informationen über Erika Lowy:

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