Through the Eyes Holocaust survivor art show reopens in November
Two local Holocaust survivors, Yakov Tsatskin and Rita Geifman, showcased their art at the “Through Their Eyes” exhibition at the Venice Art Center, brought by Jewish Family & Children’s Services of the Suncoast. The collection, a combination of paintings and drawings, was on display in October, and will continue again in Sarasota in November.
The exhibition served to highlight the artists and to support other Holocaust survivors in the community. Jewish Family & Children’s Services of the Suncoast provides paramount services for survivors, such as home care, medical care, dental care, chavurah groups, and more. The generosity of donors at the exhibition played a significant role in aiding these initiatives, with Kavod-SHEF (Survivors of Holocaust Emergency Fund) matching donations dollar-for-dollar. As of Sept. 30, this effort has raised a total of $7,480.
Tsatskin was two years old when Nazi forces invaded his hometown of Tiraspol, Moldova. The memory of these events never left him. However, it was only at age 55, after experiencing a surreal dream, that these memories began to appear in his artwork.
In the dream, Tsatskin’s father, grandfather, and art teacher stood before him. They asked, “Why haven’t you painted your memories of the Holocaust?” He answered, “I’m afraid.” To this, they responded, “Paint, we will be by your side.” This moment inspired Tsatskin to confront his past and begin the Holocaust series.
The exhibition showcased a central painting from the series “Liberated,” which portrays Tsatskin and his family returning to their home in Tiraspol following the aftermath of the war. In 1941, as Nazi forces closed in, Tsatskin and his family had to flee and leave everything behind. Three years later, Tsatskin’s uncle, Arkadiy Shteiman, found himself serving as a surgeon in the Red Army and participating in the Soviet effort to liberate Tiraspol. This battle would stretch for five months before the Soviets were finally able to reclaim the city.
After the liberation, when Tsatskin and his family returned, they found a message inscribed in charcoal on the walls of their marred home: “Liberated, live, Arkadiy,” signed by Shteiman. Tsatskin reflects, “For me, ‘Liberated’ is the most hopeful and positive painting, and also the conclusion of the Holocaust series. This piece represents the end of the horrors of the war and the beginning of new hopes, a new chapter of our lives.”
Geifman, on the other hand, was seven years old when she and her family escaped the Leningrad Siege. Despite the hardships she endured in her past, her artwork instead focuses on the beauty of nature. Yet, it wasn’t until she turned 63, while nurturing her granddaughter’s passion for art, that Geifman discovered her own.
She took her granddaughter to art lessons and helped her with projects despite having no prior artistic experience. It was during these moments that she developed a joy for art, describing the feeling she experienced while painting as if “time stopped.” As a result, she began independently painting photographs from her travels.
The exhibition showcased “Stone & Silence in Lourdes,” a painting Geifman created in 2019 inspired by a picture she took in 2000 during a visit to the Loire Valley in France. “I didn’t want to copy the photograph exactly,” she said. “Instead, I wanted to translate the way I experienced that moment … The soft light, the golden tone of the plants and the château’s bridge were the things that stayed with me.”
Through such details, Geifman strives to express her fond perspective of the world, whether in still life or landscapes. As she puts it, “When people look at my paintings, I hope they walk away with a greater love for life and its beauty.”
The emotional impact of the exhibition was felt by many, including Nelly Fooksman, a local attendee who shared, “I cried in front of one painting and then felt peace in front of another; it’s an emotional journey.”
The exhibit will be seen in November at the Jewish Federation Art Gallery, located at 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, including Nov. 9, 10, 18, 21 and 26. Talia Eckstein was an intern this summer at the Boca Beacon.
