Holocaust art impacts visitors

Students passing by the Kiehle Hall gallery didn’t go without noticing the art works of Terezin.

The horrifying past and the effects of World War II, particularly the Nazi regime and the plight of Jewish people, were brought alive with the exhibition of art of Terezin, in the Czech Republic. The paintings and the poems were the works of young Jewish children at Terezin (1942-1944), which served as a concentration camp or ghetto for the Jews during the Nazi regime.

The exhibit is presented by Project Judaica Foundation, Inc. of Washington with the special help from its president, Mark E. Talisman. The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education and Kathryn Gainey, assistant professor of art education, sponsored and organized the event at the University.

Fifteen paintings and three poems from the Jewish children at the Terezin concentration camp are displayed at the Kiehle hallway window case. They stand as a tunnel of horrifying memories of the Holocaust to the students passing by. The paintings were mostly done with watercolor on a toned paper, along with paintings in collage form and a few in embroidered form.

These poems and paintings of holocaust children were found in two suitcases after the war ended.

“The painting reminds me of some of the youngest victims of the world,” said Brian Steidl, a graduate student pursuing his master degree in special studies in holocaust and genocide education at SCSU.

Steidl was also among the people that organized and brought the paintings on campus.

“I think that the power of this exhibit is contained in the realization that these are not just pictures made by children, but they are pictures made by children that died at the hands of hatred,” he said.

The artworks echo the horror and uncertainty that these children had to experience while at Terezin. “No, no my God, we want to live! Not watch our numbers melt away. We want to have a better world. We want to work- we must not die” (taken from the poem “Fear”).

“The poems reflect how terrible the place was and how quickly these children had to grow up. They have missed their childhood,” Melanie Lahr, a junior at SCSU, said.

Steidl was among many people at SCSU who were deeply moved by the paintings and the poems.

“After viewing them I feel that they could only fail to move the hardest of hearts to realize the value of peace and justice,” Steidl said. “It also makes the plight of the oppressed that much more important. Else wise we will be visiting another exhibit dedicated to more victims of our failures to make a difference. Contained within these simple drawings are our failures to protect the most vulnerable among us.”

Fifteen thousand Jewish children passed through the Terezin camp, a camp known for having more humane conditions than the typical concentration camps. However, only about one hundred Terezin children survived the war.

“I am sad. It just takes you to their place. They are just happy there and the next moment they are gone,” Nikki Maciej, a junior studying graphic design, said. “I just want people to come in here and look at it.”

By having the paintings at SCSU, Steidl feels that each day presents us with another opportunity to strive for peace and justice to honor their memory, and to make them the last victims of hatred.

“I think that they press each and every one of us to examine the world around us and see the importance of striving for peace and justice,” Steidl said.

Their artwork has become perhaps the most heart-rendering testimony of the extent to which cruelty and hatred of mankind can destroy mankind itself.

The paintings and poems by children in Terezin concentration camp are collected under the book “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” Out of the book, the poems “Fear,” “At Terezin,” and “The Butterfly” are displayed at Kiehle Gallery.

Today at 1 p.m., there will be a recitation of poem and prose dedicated to the memory of the lost children of Terezin.

Artist Terry Hauptman and poet Steven Klepeter will share their reflections on the subject at Kiehle hallway gallery. The display will remain intact all this week at Kiehle Hall, reminding us of our peril past and urging us to create a better future.