By Kristy Strauss
Shawna Dolansky was struck when she saw photographer Yuri Dojc’s black and white images of Holocaust survivors – some with numbers still tattooed on their arms.
As she looked through the photos, she knew the pictures would be an important addition to the upcoming conference If Not Now When? Responsibility and Memory After the Holocaust.
“He captures the essence of the people in those photos,” said Dolansky, assistant director of the Zelikovitz Centre for Jewish Studies, which is holding the conference. “A big theme of the conference is how to memorialize the Holocaust and how to educate the next generation, and this was a creative and original way to convey that.”
The conference will take place on April 24 and 25, and feature 11 works from Dojc’s Last Folio project.
Dojc left Czechoslovakia in 1968, and settled in Toronto where he studied photography at Ryerson University. Since then, he has exhibited around the world and his work is part of the permanent collections in the National Gallery of Canada, the Library of Congress in Washington, and the Rothschild Foundation in the United Kingdom. He also earned the medal of honour from the Slovak ambassador to the United States for his work on Last Folio.
As part of the project, Dojc traveled around Slovakia over 14 years where he took photos of Holocaust survivors – and, what is left of Slovakian Jewish communities.
As part of his journey, he visited the home where his parents hid from the Nazis. Dojc also found a small book that was owned by his grandfather, Jakub Deutch.
In addition to powerful images of Holocaust survivors, Last Folio also includes images of books he found during his journey – now yellow and tattered.
Dolansky said the photographs will complement the academic papers and panelists featured in the conference. But, she added that the exhibit will bring something extra to the event.
“I think the images will strike a chord, in a way a lot of papers cannot,” she said. “We can talk about the Holocaust, or give testimony that captures somebody’s experience of the Holocaust. But, the photos capture an experience that goes beyond words.”
About Responsibility and Memory After the Holocaust:
The 11 photos that will be on display have been prepared and chosen by Dojc, and will be shown during the conference on April 24 in the River Building Atrium from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
There will also be a chance to speak with the artist that day from 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., which will also include a showing of his documentary Last Folio. The event will be hosted by Dr. Deidre Butler, conference chair and associate director of the Zelikovitz Centre.
Canadian parliamentarians, and Holocaust studies scholars and survivors will come together as part of the two-day conference – which recognizes Canada’s assumption of the Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
For more information on Dojc, his work and Last Folio, visit: yuridojc.com.
To register and for more information on Responsibility and Memory After the Holocaust, visit: carleton.ca/memory.
About Carleton’s Max and Tessie Zelikovitz Centre for Jewish Studies:
The Max and Tessie Zelikovitz Centre at Carleton University is Canada’s “capital” research institute for Jewish Studies.
With access to Ottawa at our front step, the Centre connects with Parliamentarians, public servants, diplomats, NGO’s, international organizations and the national media, as well as other academics and the broader community, on the basis of the innovative and cutting-edge research conducted by more than two dozen Zelikovitz researchers.
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For more information:
Chris Cline
Media Relations Co-ordinator
Carleton University
613-520-2600, ext. 1391
613-355-0336
christopher_cline@carleton.ca
Friday, April 19, 2013 in News Releases
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