UNESCO exhibition of Holocaust survivor photos goes on display at Paris HQ

A Jewish News-initiated exhibition of photographs of Holocaust survivors and their families has gone on display at the Paris headquarters of UNESCO.

The 50 Images taken by leading photographers across Britain, including the Duchess of Cambridge, will be displayed along the perimeter fence and in the Hall Ségur at the institution’s base until 4 February. Part of a series of events to mark Holocaust Memorial Day by UNESCO, it will formally launch with a virtual event on 25 January at 4pm Uk time featuring the UK government’s post-Holocaust envoy Lord Pickles.

The Generations project was sparked when Jewish News asked the future Queen to combine her hobby of photography with her commitment to keep the memory of the Shoah alive by taking photos of some of the last survivors in Britain. It was then expanded and brought to life through a partnership with Royal Photographic Society, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Dangoor Education – culminating in the opening of the exhibition at Imperial War Museum where it has just completed a four- month run.

It’s new lease of life in Paris is also partnered by the Association for Jewish Refugees, with support from the World Jewish Congress, the Permanent Delegation of the United Kingdom and the Permanent Delegation of Monaco to UNESCO.

The exhibition was designed not only to remember the victims but to honour the survivors who’ve built new lives and families in the UK, as the baton of remembrance passes to the next generations.

Holocaust Memorial Dat Trust CEO Olivia Marks-Woldman said: “The photographs stand as a fitting tribute to our survivors, the living miracles. We see the family photographs – the only remaining trace of loved ones killed during the Holocaust – clasped in the hands of our survivors. And we see new generations that stand as a testament to the failure of the genocide, but that also offer a tragic reminder of the families that could have been, but never were.”

As part of the exhibition, UNESCO has urged audiences globally to take part in WJC’’s #WeRemember campaign by posting a photo with the hashtag to express their commitment to Holocaust remembrance.