The Reconciliation

Several years ago, I began photographing Holocaust memorials. I have photographed 30 of them, across 17 cities in 8 countries. I really wanted to create a book or traveling exhibit for people who couldn't (or wouldn't) visit a proper memorial.

As I continued making these photographs, I recognized that all of the stories of horrible things that people can do to each other no longer made me cry. But whenever I read a story about even the tiniest nugget of kindness offered between a guard and a prisoner, or by a family willing to hide Jews, or prisoners making gifts for each other, I couldn't help but be very moved, and often, cry.

So, instead of continuing to document hate, I decided to start finding stories of kindness throughout the Holocaust. And there are many. I found one video on YouTube titled, When a former Nazi meets a Holocaust survivor.

The signatures you see here are what each of the women wrote in the other's memoir.

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