April 2019 Portrait of the Month - Joseph Jaksy

Dr. Joseph Jaksy

This month we’re featuring a portrait of Dr. Joseph Jaksy. Dr. Jaksy was the physician for the founder of the Slovak People’s Party, the fascist regime that was complicit with the Nazis. He used his position of power to save Jewish people from deportation and death. He would bring in Jewish patients under the guise of illness, then hide them in his wards until he could get them to safety. With a group of friends, he devised a plan that included: finding shelter, providing money, food, and medical care, forging identification papers and falsifying medical records; and helping people get out of the country.

This beautiful portrait was created at a workshop for educators at the National Museum of Jewish American Heritage in Philadelphia. Over 30 teachers attended the workshop and drew fantastic portraits, and many have pledged to use the workshop in their own schools. We loved working with such an enthusiastic group, and can't wait to see the work their students create.