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Portraits of Survival: Life Journeys During the Holocaust & Beyond
“Honoring our survivors symbolizes our victory over forgetfulness.” – Elie Wiesel, z”l (1928-2016)
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Portraits of Survival: Life Journeys During the Holocaust and Beyond permanent exhibit and educational program have played a crucial and imperative role both in the Santa Barbara community and region. Since its inception in 2003, over 25,000 school children, law enforcement, and community groups have been impacted by the stories of local Santa Barbara Holocaust Survivors, hearing directly their moving accounts of survival and resilience — and in so doing, becoming witnesses to the powerful lessons of history themselves. Originally the vision of Mara Visniac Kohn, z"l, visitors interact with the beautiful display of contemporary portraits of local survivors and refugees, depicting narratives and archival material, which detail their journeys before, during, and after the Holocaust. Individuals and groups can visit the exhibit anytime the building is open, or arrange for a docent-led tour with a survivor speaker to provide a moving first-hand account of their personal story — a truly unique and memorable experience.
In 2012, the original exhibit was expanded to include a new installation, Upstanders: Courage in the Face of Evil, with examples of those in our community who showed incredible bravery to stand up for others in the face of unspeakable evil. Thus, the message is expanded for students and others who visit our program that we must all be upstanders in our own lives every single day, standing up for what is right and just in our society, if we are to create a better world. This powerful message against hate and intolerance remains most relevant now. Our Portraits of Survival Program has also moved beyond our building into schools and other venues, especially when groups are so large that it is difficult for them to come to us. In fact, our Portraits on the Road Program has spoken to as many as 1,000 students on a single day in high school and university settings. A recent addition has been the program Zikaron BaSalon (Remembrance in a Livingroom), a creative idea conceived in Israel to interact in intimate settings with survivors and the issue of the Holocaust, allowing for free discussion.
Now we look to the future with a new exciting addition to our original exhibit, the Portraits of Survival Legacy Project. This two-part project will include a comprehensive digital archive of all our priceless survivor footage and film materials. It will also include a new interactive space for students and other visitors to interact with the material and connect with the archive in new creative ways. This new project will ensure that these stories will live forever in a new beautiful space as well as honor our survivors in their community for all time.
“To hear a witness, is to become a witness oneself.” – Elie Wiesel, z”l (1928-2016)
Survivor Josie Martin tells her story to a student in the Portraits exhibit space
