Finding Parallels Between the Holocaust and the Present

Fred Terna is a Holocaust survivor who spent years at Auschwitz, Theresienstadt and other camps. These days, he often thinks about how fascism rose in the mid-1930s when he was in teenager living in Prague, and how easily it (or something resembling it) could rise again.

"It is not something that comes out of nowhere," said Terna, who is now 93 and one of twenty survivors whose monumental portraits greet visitors to the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Aviva Blumberg

(B.A. Van Sise)

The series of photographs is called "Eyewitness" and is meant to serve as a reminder that democracies are only as strong as the citizens who tend to them.

"My teaching is, get involved. Be involved. Don't just stand by and let history or events flow about you," said Terna. "And do your very best to bring about a fair, just, open community, where we are all responsible for each other." 

Eugene Girtner

(B.A. Van Sise)

Inge Auerbacher

(B.A. Van Sise)

Leon Gleicher

(B.A. Van Sise)