I took part in The Lonka Project
I was honoured to be invited as a documentary photographer to take part in the Lonka Project organised by Rina Castelnuovo among 250 world documentary photographers. Each of us should find and photograph one Holocaust survivor. I found the lady in Nuremberg, Germany, living in a very small flat, alone.
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.
Photos and text by Natalya Reznik www.natalyareznik.com.
The Lonka Project has been inaugurated on January 27, 2020 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Photobook Secrets is published / Фотокнига Секреты опубликована
Dear friends!
I am proud to announce that my photo book “Secrets” is published!
Photo book “Secrets“
Natalya Reznik
72 pages, 24×30 cm (9,4 x 11,8 inches)
50 numbered and signed copies, self-published.
Digital print, thread stitched hardcover with dust jacket
8 holes in the book + 1 in the dust jacket. Diameter 78 cm
(для русской версии прокрутите вниз)
About the book
“Secrets – such was the name of a very popular children’s game in the USSR. Mostly 5-8 year old girls were involved in this game. It was not just a game, but rather a mystic ritual. I used to love this game and so did my friends. The game would be as follows. Each person dug a small hole in the ground and filled it with personal «treasures» (such as old or broken fashion accessories belonging to our mothers, candy wrappers, small flowers, parts of toys and other «garbage», which we appreciated very much). We then overlaid the cache with a piece of broken glass and covered it with earth. We each had our own Secret, which was of grave importance — only best friends knew the locations of each other’s Secrets”, tells the author of the project.
“Natalya Reznik, artist and art historian, is herself from the clan of recently departed. She turns to women who left Russia in the past two decades as if creating a new womens’ club for free émigrés. She carefully builds up links inside the newly formed community, tests the waters in search for common ground, common memories, common… What else can these wom- en have in common apart from their gender? In this cautious manner — as if treading on thin ice — she constructs a shared field of communication with those who left. One finds support in memories of childhood games that used to be the same for all in this generation across Russia — from the Urals to Murmansk, from Leningrad to Stavropol. Natalya Reznik repeats with these now grown-up girls the game of “Secrets” [Sekretiki,] meaning Treasures, and finds common reminiscences” (Irina Chmyreva, art-historian).
Price: 50 Euro for early orders until 31. December 2014 and 60 Euro after that. Available here.
The presentation of the book took place 12. 12.2014 in “25 Books” (Berlin).
Дорогие друзья!
Я рада сообщить, что моя первая фотокнига “Секреты” опубликована!
Фотокнига “Секреты“
Наталья Резник
72 страницы, 24×30 см
50 подписанных и пронумерованных экземлпяров
Цифровая печать, твердый переплет, суперобложка.
8 отверстий в книге +1 в суперобложке (диаметр 78 мм).
О книге
“Секретики — так называлась популярная в советское время детская игра в СССР. В основном, в нее играли девочки 5-8 лет. Для нас была не просто игра, а, скорее, мистический ритуал. Я очень любила играть в эту игру, когда была маленькой. Каждая из нас делала свой собственный секрет — маленькую ямку в земле, прятала туда свои «сокровища» (сломанное мамино украшение, фантики от конфет, маленькие цветочки, части игрушек и другой «мусор», который казался тогда настоящим сокровищем). Мы накрывали «секрет» бутылочным осколком и «хоронили» в земле. Это был важнейший секрет и никто не должен был знать, где он находится. Его можно было показать только лучшей подружке” – рассказывает автор фотокниги.
“Наталья Резник, художник и искусствовед, сама из клана недавно уехавших. Она обращается к женщинам, покинувшим Россию в последние два десятилетия. Как будто создает новый женский клуб вольных эмигрантов. Мудро строит внутри нового сообщества отношения, прощупывает почву в поисках общих тем, общих воспоминаний, общего… Что общего, кроме гендера, у женщин, уехавших из России? На этом осторожном, как движение по льду, пути восстановления общего поля общения с уехавшими приходят на помощь воспоминания об общих играх, что в одном поколении были у всех — от Урала до Мурманска и Камчатки, от Ленинграда до Ставрополя. Резник уже с взрослыми девочками повторяет их девичьи игры с секретиками, находя общие воспоминания” (из вступительного текста к книге искусствоведа Ирины Чмыревой).
Цена 50 евро до 31 декабря, после этого – 60 евро. Заказать можно на сайте книжного магазина 25 Books (Берлин), есть доставка в Россию и другие страны. Презентация фотокниги состоялась в магазине авторских фотокниг 25 Books в Берлине 12 декабря 2014 г.
The project «Looking for my father» is published in several journals / Проект «Looking for my father» опубликован в нескольких журналах
Our project Looking for my father is featured now on our website, check it out! Despite the fact that it is an ongoing project and we continue working on it, it is already published at several important photoblogs and journals:
