Yad Vashem unveils powerful art exhibit telling stories of Shoah and 7 October
'I focused on the small moments, the human stories', says Israeli artist and Kibbutz Kfar Aza survivor Tal Mazliach
Yad Vashem has commissioned a series of eleven original works by acclaimed Israeli artist Tal Mazliach to tell the stories of the Shoah and the atrocities of 7 October.
Mazliach, a 64-year-old resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza on the Gaza border, survived the brutal Hamas attack.
She spent more than 20 harrowing hours barricaded inside her home whilst 250 terrorists swarmed into the community, murdering 62 people and kidnapping 19.
Mazliach is the second person selected for Yad Vashem’s Residency Project, which invites artists from various disciplines to draw inspiration from the site’s collections, archival material and dedicated experts.
Her exhibition works include ‘The Gestapo Went to Great Lengths to Hunt Me Down’, ‘I Am The Only One Left’, ‘I Continue Not to Die’ and ‘Once I Fled From Home Because of Hitler, and Today Because of Hamas’.
Mazliah said: “I was searching for love, for a kiss, for something intimate. And then you realise — there was intimacy. There was humanity. Even in the midst of all this horror, someone was falling in love with someone else. It’s almost hard to believe, but there was compassion. There was friendship, kindness, connection. There was so much more than just tragedy. I wasn’t looking for the big, terrifying, monstrous things. I focused on the small moments, the human stories.”
Yad Vashem art curator Orly Ohana calls Mazliach’s work “a profound meditation on the continuity of trauma”, adding that the Holocaust and the events of 7 October “are separated by generations, geography, and context — but her art reveals how suffering can echo across time. Her paintings don’t mimic Holocaust art; rather, they absorb its emotional language and translate it for a new moment of reckoning.”
Yad Vashem chairman Dani Dayan said: “Yad Vashem holds one of the world’s most significant collections of Holocaust-era art — works that were often the final expressions of Jews before they were murdered. With Tal’s exhibition, we see how that legacy continues to evolve.
“Her work speaks powerfully to this generation’s anguish while honoring the memory of another. Through these canvases, we witness the transmission of collective pain — and the resilience that springs from it.”
Kibbutz Kfar Aza residents, twins Gali and Ziv Berman, remain captive in Gaza.
- “Journey in the Wake of Catastrophe” is now open to the public at Yad Vashem’s Art Museum in Jerusalem
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
