January 2023 Portrait of the Month — Dora Zylberberg

Dora Zylberberg

Over 30 years ago, Ann Weiss, daughter of two Holocaust survivors, came upon a collection of photographs that should no longer have existed. As part of a campaign to wipe out not only the lives of Jews, but their heritage and memories as well, Nazis destroyed all photos, letters, and drawings that people brought with them to the concentration camps. Somehow, this collection was saved, most likely by an underground group at Auschwitz. One of the photos was of Dora Zylberberg. We know only a little about her: She was the sister of a Chaim Michael Zylberberg, one of the leaders of a group of religious Zionists in Bedzin, Poland. She and Chaim's wife Tauba, her dear friend, did not survive the war. This month's Portrait of the Month honors Dora, and those who risked their lives to save this priceless collection of Jewish memories. 

We were struck by this portrait of Dora, which captures her face in the same way the original photo was uncovered, light coming from darkness. This beautiful portrait was created by Corine M. in Włocławek, Poland, a few hours from Dora's hometown of Będzin.  

The students reflected on their experience in the workshop:

"[The workshop] enriched my knowledge of Jewish issues in our region - too little is said about it. I was impressed with the use of a new artistic technique. It's that simple - and effective.”

“I changed my way of thinking, with this information I know more about the Holocaust and Jewish history.”