May 2022 Portrait of the Month — Adam Kahane

Adam Kahane

This month we’re featuring a portrait of Adam Kahane which was created at a workshop for educators at the National Museum of Jewish American Heritage in Philadelphia. Adam was a young man when his family was forced to flee from the German troops to Soviet-occupied Poland. He and other refugees were sent to Soviet work camps. He was later released and became a nurse, eventually immigrating to the US. Read more of his amazing story here. 

We really enjoyed working with this enthusiastic group of teachers who planned to use the workshop in creative ways in their classrooms. The participants reflected on their experience drawing portraits:

“The idea of flipping the picture upside down was so powerful and quite honestly, symbolic of the impact of the Holocaust.” — Arielle L.

“Using visual art to understand and connect with history, to keep the memory and the impact of the Holocaust forefront, hands on, tactile [was so valuable].” — Jean F.

“[I enjoyed] finding new ways to make history come alive.” — Chris E.