HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- In commemoration of the Holocaust Days of Remembrance, the Team Hill Special Observance Committee hosted an art exhibit to honor the memory of those lost during the Holocaust.
The Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945.Six million were murdered.
Exhibit participants were asked to submit a work of art, using any medium, inspired by that point in history and this year's national observance theme, “Honoring Our People Empathetically.”
“We are pleased to share the extremely creative and excellent art pieces, received from participants in this year’s Holocaust Remembrance art exhibit contest,” said Teeshia McRoberts, 75th Air Base Wing affirmative employment program manager. “Thank you to the participants for their time and effort put forth in these pieces, highlighting this very important time period and the remembrance of tragic events that took place.”
Watercolors - Riley Posey (Age 9)
Inspired by the photos of the entry gates to Auschwitz concentration camp. The words “ARBEIT MACHT FREI” translate to “work will make you free.” This was a lie told to prisoners to encourage productivity—and discourage resistance.
Computer Graphic Design - Silas Posey (Age 11)
Inspired by stories and photos of all the jewelry stolen from the prisoners of Nazi concentration camps in such quantities that the valuables were simply heaped in piles.
Digital Art - Christopher Marks
Picture encompasses the memory of the Jewish people who endured such a tragic time in their lives. The candles are for remembrance, the poles/barbwire represent their captivity and struggle to remain free, the field is the path to the afterlife.
Pine, walnut, salvaged barbed wire, and epoxy - Matt Posey
Inspired by the true story of Lale Sokolov as told by Heather Morris in The Tattooist of Auschwitz. In 1942, Sokolov volunteered to go to a Nazi work camp under false assurances that it would ensure his family’s freedom. Upon arriving at Auschwitz, he and hundreds of others quickly realized this was no “work camp.” Ordered to strip and head into a shower, Sokolov suddenly realized he’d never see his belongings, including his suit, again. Burning with anger, he took a pack of matches from his pants pocket, made sure the SS officer wasn’t looking, stealthily lit his jacket on fire, and then placed it among the other clothes before heading to the showers. In Morris’ words, Sokolov felt “this might be the final act of his own free will.”
Drawing - Alissa Atkinson
An emaciated 18-year-old Russian girl looks into the camera lens during the liberation of Dachau concentration camp in 1945. Dachau was the first German concentration camp, opened in 1933. More than 200,000 people were detained between 1933 and 1945, and 31,591 deaths were declared, most from disease, malnutrition and suicide. Unlike Auschwitz, Dachau was not explicitly an extermination camp, but conditions were so horrific that hundreds died every week.
The participants were recognized during a small ceremony April 17 at the AAFES Exchange. Their artwork will remain on display at the Exchange through April 23.For more information on special observances held throughout the year, please contact the DEIA office at 75abw.deia.workflow@us.af.mil.