Surviving History: Portraits from Vilna at UCD Humanities Institute, LJCC, Spiro Ark and University of Sussex

[NOTE: THIS IS AN OLD BLOG ENTRY WHICH I ONLY JUST DISCOVERED WAS SITTING IN MY DRAFT FOLDER - EEEK! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN POSTED IN JULY 09...]

I haven't updated this blog for so long now, I wouldn't know where to begin. But it is fair to say that we had a pretty busy period from late May to June, so perhaps an events wrap up is in order...

We were in Dublin for a few days between the 27-30 May at University College Dublin, in partnership with UCD Humanities Institute of Ireland (UCD HII) and Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland HETI). We had two evenings of talks by Holocaust academics Dr Robert Gerwarth, Ruta Puisyte from the Vilnius Yiddish Institute, survivor Tomi Reichental, as well as Shivaun. On the opening evening, we had a few luminaries in the form of ambassadors, including the Lithuanian ambassador.

Now, I must admit that the run up to the event was quite a hectic one. There was a mad rush with the logistics, organising the exhibition display units... all the usual stuff associated with an event. But I must say it was well worth it.

In all, about 150 people attended the evening talks. There was a mixed bag of feelings and responses to the Surviving History documentary and the short educational clip we put together titled What Would You Do. Most of the comments we received bordered on shock horror as well as disbelief. There was also a palpable sense of sadness about man's inhumane treatment of others, and about persistent racism.


Ruta speaking to the Lithuanian ambassador to Ireland and her husband


Ruta, Dr Gerwarth and Shivaun

On one of the days we were there, a lady who happened to take her morning walks on the grounds of UCD, chanced upon the photo exhibition. She then watched the film. By the time the credits were rolling, she was in tears. She half-waved at us as she was leaving, she was so moved she couldn't even leave a comment. I felt kinda bad, almost as if we had spoilt her idyllic morning walk. But then again, these stories are very powerful and I have been rendered speechless though I have seen them over and over again. And then there were the few visitors, who couldn't make it to the evening talks, who had made a special trip from outside Dublin to come. It was gratifying to know that for some people, the historical past was worth revisiting.


Visitors looking at the photos on display


Me, Shivaun, Lynn Jackson from HETI and Valerie Norton from UCD HII

Shortly after Dublin, we were at the London Jewish Cultural Centre. The event had a larger turnout than expected - about 80 people attended the afternoon talks on 4 June and our hosts had to bring in extra chairs and open the partitions between the rooms. We had Rachel Kostanian from the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, herself a survivor, speak, as well as Ruta and Shivaun.


Rachel speaking at LJCC


A close up of one section of the audience


LJCC's Stephanie Rose, Ruta, Shivaun and Rachel fielding questions

Not long after the event at LJCC, we held a photo exhibition and cultural event at Spiro Ark, where Nitza Spiro spoke, Rachel spoke, and Ruta and Rachel answered questions. It was very heartwarming as cantor Steven Leas sang El Malei Rachamim so beautifully there was scant a dry eye in the house. And then Polina Shepherd whipped up the crowd with Yiddish favourites. After the events, most of the visitors stayed back to chat with us and speak to Rachel and Ruta. It was a nice note to end on, as Rachel and Ruta would be returning to Vilnius the day after.

 

Nitza Spiro welcomes guests to Spiro Ark

Rachel speaks to the crowd

 

Steven Leas tells us about his Litvak connections 

Polina Shepherd launches into a medley of Yiddish favourites

IWM Film Festival Awards Ceremony, Tuesday 2 February 2010

Shivaun and I went off to the Imperial War Museum in London yesterday for the film festival awards as our film, Surviving History, had won the audience poll. The directors, Jesse and Daniel, were unable to make it, so we were representing the team. It was really cool to be in the museum after hours, though we had got there early. I went off to explore the Children's War exhibition and it was really really good. I actually felt teary looking at some of the mementoes a few children on the kindertransport had carried with them from Germany to the UK. Imagine if all you had to remind you of your family and of your previous life was a pen? One of the exhibits was a beautiful pen overlaid with mother of pearl and it had an inscription. It was beautiful, but still... ;(

Anyway, as the event was after hours (the museum closes at 6pm), we had time to wander about before we had to head back to the main entrance and wait there. At about 6.30pm we headed to the cinema where we watched other films that had been submitted to the festival.

Above: The evening's program. We were really surprised to see that 'Surviving History' had been scheduled as the first film to be screened, and in its entirety too - all 28 mins of it! We had expected to see short clips of all the films instead.

The cinema at IWM.

The Director General of the War Museum, Diane Lees, kicked off the night with a welcome speech...

 Followed by Richard Melman, Channel Director for History and Bio channels, introducing 'Surviving History'...

  

After which he presented Shivaun with the award.

 

The award was a really nice (and heavy) crystal bowl with an inscription on it.

 

How cool is it to have a reception in a room like this?

Group photo for the three winning entries (from left): Annie Dodds Award for Best Documentary - 'The Things They Carried' , Audience Poll - 'Surviving History' , Best Imaginative Response to the Subject of War - 'Red Letter'; with Toby Haggith, of IWM's Film and Video Archive, and Martin Rogers, of Prime Focus.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2010

Every year, Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD)  falls on the 27th of January.

I remember this same time last year very clearly.

I was at the public commemoration events held at the University of Sussex, listening to discussions on the definition of genocide. We had caught up with Stephen Smith from Beth Shalom as he was one of the speakers that evening. It wasn't the first time we had met though; we had been in meetings with him from the earliest conception phase of the Surviving History project. I remember we had just prepared the first edited clips from our interviews with Gita and Isroel. We met a colleague's of his and I remember promising her that I would send on further film when ready.

How time flies.

Since then, the project has concluded. We've got the exhibition up and running. It was launched in Vilnius in August 2009 and been on show in several places. The short film we made in collaboration with Woolfcub Productions to accompany the project, Surviving History, has been picked up for distribution by Journeyman Pictures and Parallel Lines. We haven't been broadcast yet though. Until now. It was really great that the Community Channel was going to air our documentary as part of its programming for HMD. (See link)



And what's just as cool is that, as you can see above, they took a section of our film and also Shivaun's narrative and used it as a voiceover to their program filler throughout the day!

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As part of the HMD's nationwide events, the traveling multimedia exhibition we created was hosted by Shropshire Council at the Shirehall in Shrewsbury between the 25th - 29th January. The council had found us through the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Shivaun and I went off to Shropshire the Friday before, on the 22nd January, to set up. We had to start off on our drive at 6 am. Why? Well, did you know it takes between 3 and a half hours to get there, or 4 hours if you stop for a coffee or fill up your tank? I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't take Google Maps at its word, you have to exercise some precaution :) I checked weeks earlier prior to our recce trip to suss out the location and space. It was supposed to take about 3 hours - which obviously you can't take at face value; you have to always add 30 to 45 minutes extra to give yourself a comfortable margin.

Anyways, we set up at the Foyer on the 1st floor of the Shirehall. Because it is open to the public and the legislative chambers are there, meeting rooms, council offices etc, we soon had people milling about and casting curious glances at the displays. Some became engrossed in the exhibits and a few people came to speak to us to ask about the project. Below are some of the photos from that day.

We had an unusual configuration as it was a foyer as opposed to a hall or a large room, as you will soon see...

 

Spacing the visual bio installations out so we wouldn't block the meeting room doors...

  

This visitor said she really enjoyed Josef's 'memory cupboard'

  

  

The film and 'video diaries' were played on a continuous loop.

At one point, I looked over towards Margarita's display and saw that her images was simultaneously on the projector screen. It made me think of her daughter and of the emotional opening in Vilnius, and of how we wished she could have been there. I feel an almost reverential pride for these displays each time I set them up; they don't feel like mere displays to me, more like memorials in a way. Mobile memorials.

When we went to dismantle on the 29th, Jane - our contact at Shropshire Council - was kind enough to compile a list of some of the comments and feedback they had received towards the exhibition.

Below, I have selected a few of those comments:

"I'm very impressed with the exhibition and wish that more people could see it. Maybe it could be in the town centre next time? Well done for getting it in Shropshire."

"A very moving exhibition which really brings home man's own inhumanity to man. Such exhibitions bring the holocaust into sharper focus and we should never forget the horror Margarita Civuncik is quoted as saying 'God save us so it doesn't happen again.' Unfortunately, such genocide has happened in my own life time in places like Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur, where the western world stood by and watched. What lessons have we learned?"

"Moving, thought provoking. How can one human being do this to another and yet it still goes on. This should be shown in schools and to those who perpetrate hate crimes. Thank you."

"A very poignant and moving exhibition. Real people, real horror, real terror. Do not forget!"

From such comments, I am even more convinced that HMD serves it purpose and is worth its weight in taxpayers' money. It makes us think about the crimes against humanity that we as a race of people are capable of, not just those that occurred in the past but those that are happening even now.

 

The Inner Life of History - Teachers Seminar, Vilnius, 11-12 September 2009

In conjunction with the Surviving History: Portraits from Vilna exhibition, we worked with the International Commission and the Vilnius Yiddish Institute to host a 1.5-day teachers seminar called "Everything Speaks: The Inner Life of History."

In total, there were 30 teachers who participated, 3 from Vilnius, and the rest from towns, cities and villages outside of the capital. They were a fantastic bunch and as you will see from the photos, had great fun sharing their ideas and creativity with us! On day 1, we held the seminar at the Tolerance Centre. It wasn't a classroom setting, so the setting was fairly informal and conducive to lots of sharing. Everyone was a real sport, and got stuck in, on the floors, on stage, and every nook and corner they could find to work on their group activities.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The day began with a more serious activity which I led called "The Self in History." This explored the use of working with images and selected transcripts to promote deeper understanding and empathy while reconstructing life history biography. After this session, Shivaun led the rest of the more creative (and fun!) sessions; e.g. the teachers created their own visual biography with their own biographical objects and drawings. Since the sharing was quite personal, I won't elaborate here. Suffice to say that some comments received included - "it is amazing how much we can learn about a person just from a few images to the things they use to represent themselves." Some of the artwork was really innovative stuff - drawings that turned into 3D craftwork, narratives which revealed itself along with the artwork that was folded like an accordian...


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.


The next day, we moved to the Vilnius Yiddish Institute, and despite the small space, everyone again let their hair down and shared. Some of the ideas for classroom activities were truly innovative. We had great fun and thank all the teachers for participating and for sharing, and of course to Ingrida Vilkiene, from the International Commission, who also actively participated, and Ruta Puisyte of the Vilnius Yiddish Institute. How she does simultaneous translations remains a mystery to me! A true gift and talent :)

To view these photos on Flickr, click on the links below
Day 1 - Teachers Seminar
Day 2 - Teachers Seminar

H.E. Simon Butt's speeach

Still on the subject of the opening launch of the Surviving History: Portraits from Vilna exhibition in Vilnius...

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the speech given by H.E. Simon Butt was really good. So I have reproduced it here:

“I am very pleased that the British Embassy is, with Ireland, one of the embassy co-hosts of this important exhibition opening.

Why important? Because the context of the exhibition is a uniquely horrible event in 20th century history, and indeed the whole of human history- the Holocaust (Shoah), and specifically, the Holocaust in Lithuania. It is an event which must never be forgotten and which must be remembered afresh for each generation.

Second, important because of the perspective, the exhibition and accompanying documentary bring to the narrative of that event, to the process of remembering. It is possible to read all the facts, the terrible lists of locations, numbers killed and on what dates.

But every human life is a collection of experience, of emotions and of individual characteristics. These are all snuffed out when that life is lost. And every community, however small, is a collective experience with its own features which are also lost when the community is destroyed or dispersed. And here, the story is told through an awareness of the importance of that individual and community experience.

This gives the story a greater sense of immediacy, and a more tragic and personal dimension. And so the images may remain with us for longer and add an element of emotion to the experience of learning, understanding and remembering.

Our sense of solidarity with those who survived is also enhanced, along with our respect for the dead.

So I congratulate the organisers of the exhibition and documentary film on their achievement. I hope we can dedicate this event to the contemplation and remembering of what has been lost, as well as to the courage and fortitude of those who survived.”

We Remember Them - Poem

At the opening of the Surviving History: Portraits from Vilna exhibition in Vilnius, we included the reading of a poem called "We Remember Them" by Sylvan Kamens & Rabbi Jack Riemer. Shivaun had the idea to have it translated, and Fania Brantsovsky was kind enough to translate it into Yiddish and to read it. Ruta Puisyte felt that it was imperative that it was read in all languages, and by the young, the generation after, and said movingly that this poem reflected how she felt, of the importance of remembering those who were lost and those who are still with us, and that it echoed how she felt within herself and of how those who were lost have become a part of us and of her. Her colleague Indra from the Vilnius Yiddish Institute read it in English. It was so moving to hear those words repeated in Lithuanian, English and Yiddish - we remember them.

 

Fania read the poem in Yiddish...

Ruta read it in Lithuanian...

Indra read it in English

"We Remember Them"

At the rising of the sun and at its going down
We remember them.
At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter
We remember them.
At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring
We remember them.
At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer
We remember them.
At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn
We remember them.
At the beginning of the year and when it ends
We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live;
for they are now a part of us
as we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength
We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart
We remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share
We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make
We remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs
We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live;
for they are now a part of us
as we remember them.

Surviving History Opens in Vilnius, 10 Sept 2009

Wow, if I had to pick a word to describe the opening launch last night of the Surviving History: Portraits from Vilna exhibition in Vilnius, I would choose the word "overwhelming"....

Guests began to arrive 40 minutes ahead of the opening, sending us into a mini state of flux. Ieva, the head of the Tolerance Centre, was - like me - totally surprised - "20 minutes maybe, but 40 minutes?" she said to me, and we scrambled to bring out exhibition booklets and give the exhibition a last minute look over. But I digress...

Why was I overwhelmed? It was like a meeting of old friends. The narrators who had shared their stories with us, who were featured in the documentary as well as the exhibition, and here I have to name them - Berl Glazer, Cholem Sapsai, Fania Brantsovsky, Gita Geseleva, Isroel Galperin, Josef Levinson and Rachel Kostanian - greeted us and all who came with warmth, with open arms, and open hearts.

Those who were not there were sorely missed. Margarita Civuncik, who had passed away on the 23 June. Her daughter Luda came and the moment she saw the visual biography exhibit, filled with her mother's handwriting and poems, and images, and old photos... she just broke down. As I hugged her, I could feel her sadness and her pride, all mingled in her loss and longing.

Dora Pilianskiene, who is too frail to attend the event but her daughter Frida and son came and avidly checked out her photos and her visual biography exhibits. They were beaming.

Chasia Spanerflig, who is away on her annual holiday trip with her daughter...

Gita, who looked like a vision from heaven, she was shining - I can't describe it otherwise. When I greeted her, she hugged me tight and squeezed my hand and I could feel the love, the longing, the... I don't know what else. But I know it was a tremendous surge of energy. She looked at me, her eyes began to glisten and I started tearing... I had no words for her, as I speak neither Russian nor Lithuanian, so all I could do was repeat what I knew, "aciu" (thank you) and she said, "danke" in return.

Cholem, when he came through the door, gave us juicy kisses on the cheek and bear hugs. Who told me later, translated through Ruta of course, that he was pleased, that we had promised and had delivered. And who, of course, extracted from us the promise to drop by and visit when we next came.

Fania, with her ever-present smile, was as always, warm and enthusiastic and even played guide to the guests by showing them around the exhibits! 

Rachel, who was effusive, and thanked us for the event, who has played such a big part in the project and who spoke at some events for us in the UK.

What can I say? But a very big and warm and grateful and sincere and loving 'thank you.' Thank you for your courage, thank you for your strength.

Because it certainly cannot be easy. To see your photos on the wall, to see your face adorning a piece of art, to see your life story interpreted subjectively by others, to see your face on screen, as we showed the Surviving History documentary. I think Isroel was a little overwhelmed by seeing himself on the screen of the auditorium. Perhaps he relived his pain; I watched out of the corner of my eye and felt really bad - he seemed a little distressed.

Josef was like a shining knight; he is a man of presence, nevermind his 90+ years. And you will see in the photos how he lit up the room.

Embassy officials were there to lend their support - from Poland, Russia, Japan, UK, Ireland, Germany, Hungary... Members of the Jewish community, some out of town visitors, and students who had trekked over from Vilnius University... H.E. Simon Butt, British ambassador to Lithuania, gave a lovely speech.

Polina Shepherd, who had flown in that day (she woke at 3am to get from Brighton to London Heathrow to catch her flight!) - God bless her! - put on a stirring and moving performance. I really loved the smile on Fania's face as she sang along and Isroel too.

Even Zara, the designer who has worked with us on this project, came too. And she was moved to tears and told me she was touched to be in the same place as the narrators whom she has come to know through the work - but until last night, from a distance.

Jesse covered the floor like a papparazzo, and caught the action from every angle - literally! Shivaun was beaming. What a night! What a night! A BIG thank you to all who came, about 150 in all, the students who filed in and filled the seats on the balcony, the ones who came early, the ones who came late, all who came and were a part of a special night. And especially to the wonderful people who made this project possible and the resulting exhibition and teachers seminar - the narrators, Ruta, Ieva, Ingrida, Jesse and Dan, and if I have missed out anyone, you know who you are :)

Below are slide shows of the photos from the event. Most of the photos are captioned but don't show up in the slideshow. So, if you wish to read the captions to these photos, you will have to go to our Flickr site to view these photo albums individually. (Links below)

Slide show 1

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Slide show 2

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

To view the photos individually (and with captions)

• Photo album 1
  
• Photo album 2
  

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Today was the first day of the Teachers Seminar. Shivaun is totally knocked out. For an insomniac, she has been asleep since 8.30pm! More on that in a future blog! (About the workshop, not Shivaun's insomnia :)