Quite often, I find myself navigating my world through two lenses: art and children. So when I began to work as an intern at the Wagner College Holocaust Center, I quickly combined these in a search for connection. One of our main goals of our center is to educate local students about the Holocaust, providing them with the opportunity to question and reflect upon this tragedy. We often end our classroom series by asking the students: Why remember the Holocaust?
The following is a response a sixth grade boy at the Lavelle Preparatory Charter School wrote after his class was visited by an Auschwitz survivor through our programming. His words haunted me. I read themes that I knew existed in artwork that was created by children who were victims of the Holocaust.
I decided to combine the two in an effort to uncover for myself, and for others, the power a child’s voice can have. I find it incredible how mature our students are, and how well they are able to pick up one the themes of the Holocaust, as demonstrated by this series of victim artwork.
Notice how simply the two time periods can be matched up - how easily they compliment one another. Our children can understand. Our children can relate. Our children must be educated, so that such a tragedy will never have to happen again.
How can we forget all
Of the
Long lasting torcher
Of the main
Cause of the horrible memories
All these people were killed
U must not let it happen again
Such pain and suffering
To this Day tell the story off
How Hitler hurt so many people
And make sure the Holocaust never
Ever happen again.
Paintings (in order of appearance):
A Family Being Deported Under Armed Guard While Farmers Threaten Them by Malvina Lowova, died aged 12
Child Prisoner at a Window (1942-1944) by Charlotte Buresova, died 1983
Untitled by Josef Novak
A Child’s Impression of the Deportation of Jews by Unknown
In Memory of the Czech Transport to the Gas Chambers (1945) by Yehuda Bacon
Untitled by Sonja Waldsteinová, died 1943 (aged 17)
The Inside of a Ghetto by Pavel Sonnenschein, died aged 13
Sources:
Long, Chris. “‘Haunting’ art by Jewish children in WW2 concentration camp.” BBC News, 14 April 2014. Web. 18 April 2016.
Gussak, David, Dr. “Art of the Children.” Drawing Strength: The Art of the Holocaust Part II. FSU Holocaust Institute for Educators, n.d. Web. 18 April 2016.
Author: Deyrn Susman