Art Exhibition "A Hole In Time" unites a local artist and Holocaust survivor to tell the story of pre-war Jewish Poland

August 31 - October 16
Special Artist Reception
Tuesday, October 4, 7:00 pm.
St. Paul JCC

Susan Weinberg, an internationally exhibited artist, combines her passion for genealogy and cultural history in this two-part exhibit "A Hole in Time," developed through a partnership with local Holocaust survivor and educator Dora Zaidenweber and "The Silence Speaks Loudly" inspired by time spent in Vilnius,Lithuania.


"A Hole in Time" is a unique partnership forged through a connection both women have to Radom, Poland. Dora was fifteen and living in Radom when the war broke out. She survived both Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen. Susan's grandfather emigrated from Radom in the early1900s, leaving behind a large extended family that later perished in the Holocaust.
The exhibit contains Weinberg's paintings based on the community prior to the war, stories she collected, and photographs that Dora's family saved through the Holocaust by hiding them in their shoes. In Poland there is a growing interest in the pre-war Jewish community, and in April 2011 Susan and Dora traveled to Radom for the opening of this exhibition where they shared their story with local residents.
"The Silence Speaks Loudly," recounts the time Weinberg spent in Vilnius, Lithuania learning Yiddish. In Lithuania, the discomfort associated with what happened to the Jews in wartime manifests itself in silence. Weinberg's paintings give a voice to the stories that reside in that silence.
Meet the artist: Artist Reception
Tuesday, October 4 • 7pm
Weinberg will speak about her artwork and Dora Zaidenweber will join her in talking about their recent visit to Radom, Poland. Together through art, they will tell the story of pre-war Jewish life.
For more information, contact Jeffrey Richman, Jewish cultural arts director,
651.255.4752, jrichman@stpauljcc.org.
To learn more about Dora Zaidenweber visit her page on the CHGS website.
Read the article: Weinberg's art illuminates Jewish history, AJW 9-14-2011

Art Exhibition: The Old Wooden Synagogues of Lithuania

Friday, September 23 - Friday, December 30, 2011
Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library
210 Rapson Hall
Artist Joyce Ellen Weinstein

Wooden synagogues that were constructed from the seventeenth century to the early twentieth century once dotted the landscape of Lithuania as well as Western Europe. Today only 23 remain in the world, eight in Lithuania. Based on visits to the remote villages in Lithuania and conversing with the villagers who still reside there, artist Joyce Ellen Weinstein's photographs, paintings, and artist books illustrate the history, documentation, and memories of these old world structures.
Exhibit Coordinator
Deborah Ultan Boudewyns
This event is free and open to the public.