27.01 was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On the occasion of the commemoration day of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by Red Army soldiers on 27 January 1945, Willy-Brandt-Haus (Berlin) presents this year virtually “The Lonka Project” – a photographic homage to the last Holocaust survivors. 300 of the world’s leading photographers (among them Roger Ballen and Steve McCurry) have photographed Holocaust survivors around the world and created a unique exhibition. The project has been organised by Rina Castelnuovo. I am glad to be a part of this important exhibition with my portrait of Asya Levit (Nuremberg)!
Asya Levit (Yasya Rothenberg)
“Rothenberg Yasya Jakovna, born 1936 in Slavuta, Ukraine. Jew, school pupil. Executed by fashists 27.06.42. Buried in a mass grave in the town Slavuta, Khmelnytskyi district”.
There is such a record in the Book of Sorrow, Ukraine. That day in a town Slavuta happened the bloody massacre, thousands of Jews were executed. The local Jews and those from the towns near-by were rounded up to the square of ghetto to be shot.
“All members of my family, including my 8 y.o. brother, have been shot and their bodies were dumped in a ditch. According to the order of the fascist officer not to waste the ammunition, the jewish children were dumped into a mass grave alive”. 6 years old Yasya Rothenberg has been dumped in a ditch as well, but by some miracle she managed to escape and survive. She was saved by guerrillas and transferred to Yaroslavl (Russia) into an orphanage. She has no memory about this tragic day. She discovered all these facts many years later coming to her hometown Slavuta to get more information about her roots.
Asya Levit (Rothenberg) emigrated to Germany with her husband a long time ago. After death of her spouse she lives in Nuremberg city, sings in the choir of local Synagogue which performs concerts in different countries.
Based on materials of the newspaper “Jewish News” (Ukraine) No. 7 (418) 2009, and according to the narrated story of Asya Rothenberg.
From now on here.
