An art therapist is helping Holocaust survivors to remember and record their stories.
Jerusalem-born artist Chava Erlanger, also known as Chava Rosenzweig, runs Latent Memories, a Six Point Foundation project for lonely, isolated survivors.
“It gives them something to reference and talk about,” Ms Erlanger said. “Then we type up what they say and photograph their reactions.”
Now based in Manchester, Ms Erlanger is working on the project with Jewish photographer Gwen Jones in association with local welfare charity The Fed and the Association of Jewish Refugees.
Among those interviewed was “a survivor who’d been in the camps at three years old. She said: ‘I’m not sure I remember anything,’ but then tears started streaming down her face.
“It was obvious she could remember because of the pain in her expression. We offered to sit down and draw whatever she remembered and she wanted to do that because it gave her the chance to see her memories.
“A lot of people’s emotions are bottled up for so long. When they can see them, it’s different.” Relatives of those interviewed also benefited as “it opens a dialogue between a survivor and their family, so they can talk about what happened.
“People come to us and say: ‘This is the first time I’ve talked with my grandparent about what happened to them in the Holocaust.’”
Up to 15 people will be interviewed and Ms Erlanger hopes they may also be persuaded to take up art as a way of helping them to work through trauma.
“I’ve had people start painting at the age of 86, because of the project.
“That we have the memories and records is a bonus, but it’s about the survivors, giving them closure.
“They can understand, or show their children, what they went through.”
To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.