The Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center opened its newest exhibit, “Lest We Forget: Stories of Hope, Resistance and Survival Retold Through Art,” on Sunday, March 9. The exhibit features artwork by Lawrence High School art teacher Janet Lust Ganes and her students.
The work on display, including two poems written by high school students, portrays narratives of Holocaust survivors.
Ganes said much of her own artwork is inspired by her mother’s experience escaping Nazi Germany. She said 20 works in the exhibit are her own work, many related to her family’s history.
She said she has taught art at Lawrence High School for almost 30 years and has used the historic event in her curriculum for 25 years. The exhibit includes 14 pieces by students—past and present—related to personal narrative stories they’ve encountered in Ganes’ class.
In the past, Ganes said she participated in a program called “Adopt a Survivor,” where students had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with a Holocaust survivor. Even when her classes did not participate in the program, Ganes said she took her students to museums like the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center.
She said she wanted to bring the project back after the events of Oct. 7.
“With the rise of antisemitism and using art to create awareness, I asked myself: Could I bring that project back to Lawrnece High School?” she said.
Ganes said three students participated in the program this year, and all met and listened to testimonies of Holocaust survivor Rosalie Simon.
“She spoke to about 35 students,” Ganes said. “They were very taken by her powerful story.”
Simon attended the exhibit’s opening reception and spoke with student Genesis Carranza, who depicted her story on paper.
The memorial center said the project encourages advocacy in future generations and powerfully showcases survivors’ stories.
“Through the work of Janet Lust Ganes and her students, ‘Lest We Forget’ bridges generations, transforming survivors’ stories into compelling visual narratives. This exhibit not only honors the past but also encourages young people to become advocates for tolerance and understanding,” said the center’s community engagement officer, Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews.
“This exhibit reminds us all of the importance of learning from history and taking a stand against hate in any form,” he said.
Stevenson-Matthews wasn’t the only one who found the exhibit profound, however. The students said the experience was incredibly impactful, from listening to Simon’s testimony to seeing their work on display.
“Listening to Rosalie Simon’s story made me emotional and made me realize the terrible conditions a lot of people had to go through in Auschwitz,” said student Heather McHale, whose acrylic painting piece titled “Run!” is on display.
“I feel proud that I get to help Rosalie spread her story to others and show what she and so many others have gone through during that time,” she said.
Ganes (L. to R.) showcase pieces “Railroad to a Miracle,” “Vermin, Rat, Pig” and “Run!” (Photo provided by Janet Lust Ganes)
Student Mileena Dagri, whose digital painting titled “Railroad to a Miracle” is on display, said hearing Simon’s story offered her a new perspective on the Holocaust.
“In a way, I’m happy my art, even as small as it is, can be used to help keep survivors stories like Rosalie’s alive throughout the generations,” she said.
“At first I was a little nervous about my art being shown but now that I’ve had time to think about it I am very honored to know that my piece that interprets a horrendous moment in history will be shown so that that moment will never be forgotten,” said student Genesis Carranza.
Carranza has two works on display, including a drawing, “Vermin, Rat, Pig!” and a poem, “Decency.”
“It was a moment of pride to know that my work, now permanently displayed in a museum, was being seen and appreciated on such a high level,” said Kelsie Mohammed, whose poem “A Testament of Survival and Strength” is on display.
Mohammed said her greatest takeaway from the exhibit is the “strength of the human spirit.”
The exhibit will be on view at the tolerance center, located at 100 Crescent Beach Road in Glen Cove, from now until June 22.
“It made me think about how important it is to remember history and make sure things like that never happen again,” Mohammed said.
