Among drawings made by camp prisoners, images of the killing process are rare. The Scrolls of Auschwitz, accounts of the extermination hidden by members of the Sonderkommando (Special Units) —most of whom were murdered— have been found, preserved, translated and published. Less attention has been paid to the immediate post-war works made by Jewish artist and Sonderkommando David Olère (1902-1985). Carol Zemel considers Olère’s images as evidence and direct testimony of the Nazi extermination.

Carol Zemel is Professor Emerita of Art History and Visual Culture at York University, Toronto. Her book, Looking Jewish: Visual Culture and Modern Diaspora,was published 2015 by University of Indiana Press. Current projects include Art in Extremis, a study of images made by prisoners during the Holocaust.

Co-presented with the Miles Nadal JCC.

Presented by the Congregation Shir Libeynu.