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 HUC-JIR Museum - New York Albanian Muslim Rescuers During the Holocaust: Photographs by Norman Gershman 
February 28 - July 11, 2008
When post-World War II Europe found itself devastated by the loss of its Jewish population, Albania was the only country to boast a larger number of Jewish people than it had housed prior to the Holocaust. Over 2,000 Jews from Albania, Greece, Austria, and Italy were hidden in the homes of Albanian Muslim families throughout the War. Gershman, an American photographer fascinated by these stories, traveled to Albania and Kosovo to chronicle the tales of the righteous Albanians and their devotion to Besa, an Albanian code of honor, which means "to keep the promise." Full Press Release Here Reception: Thursday, February 28, 2008, 5:30-7:30 PM Program: 6:30 PM RSVP and Photo ID Required RSVP to emueller@huc.edu or (212) 824-2205
About the Artist Norman Gershman was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in August 1932. He grew up in Bayonne where he graduated from High School in 1950. After graduating from New York in University in 1954, he served as an officer in the US Air Force. Gershman began to study photography in 1976 at the International Center of Photography with Ansel Adams, Roman Vishniac, Gene Smith, Arnold Newman, George Tice, Cornell Capa, and Phillip Hallsman. Gershman's first major project, commissioned by John Denver, was to photograph concerts in the USSR during the 1980s. Gershman's art is included in the collections of The International Center of Photography in New York, The Brooklyn Museum, The Aspen Museum of Art, as well as in galleries in Russia and private collections. He currently resides in Colorado. About HUC-JIR Museum The Museum at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York is the visual extension of the spiritual, cultural, and educational life of the College-Institute, which provides graduate and professional programs for students of all faiths. Visit us at www.huc.edu/museums/ny. |
