The Face of Life
Six million perished, in an attempt to wipe out a people and their language forever. May she be the poster child that breathes life back into them... and beckon us to listen to their stories and dreams.~Debbie Herman
Unfortunately, many world cultures have experienced similar tragedies and can relate to so much sadness and loss. Debbie and the IAYC have given me the opportunity to share my painting as "The Face of Life." This privilege perfectly fits my mission to "heal the world one painting, one word at a time." Thank you, Debbie and the IAYC for this privilege.
I am grateful to be a sponsor of the 2013 IAYC International Yiddish Conference.
As a young girl, during a period of time before Hawaii's annexation to the United States, my mother and her classmates were severely punished for speaking the Hawaiian language in school. Because of this, the Hawaiian language in its pure form was lost. Today, the Hawaiian culture is undergoing a renaissance and the Hawaiian language is taught in schools.
When I married my Sweetheart and moved away from my "home," Hawaii, to his home on the mainland, I didn't realize that I was also leaving behind my beloved Hawaiian culture, its music, dance, lifestyle, love of the land and language. Holding on to my Hawaiian culture was important because it is a part of me, a part of my history, where I came from, my ancestry. When my daughters were born, I began teaching them their Hawaiian culture at a young age. I shared everything I knew with them, especially music and dance. They enjoyed learning too. We became a performing family and shared our culture through music, song and dance with our audiences for eighteen years. Understanding one's history is important.
We intend to open the portal of Yiddish life and usher you in.
~2013 IAYC International Yiddish Conference
~2013 IAYC International Yiddish Conference
Discover Yiddish Culture, as you embark on a journey of a thousand
years and fall in love, along the way. Experience a multi-sensory
explosion of Yiddish Culture.
Among their many projects, I am impressed with their Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names
The Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names is a unique international undertaking led by Yad Vashem. It is the endeavor to recover the names and reconstruct the life stories of each individual Jew murdered in the Shoah. It is our moral duty to respect their last behest and remember them. ~IAYC
To date, the Central Database has collected 4 million names with 2 million names yet to be recovered.
Let us breathe life back into the millions who perished.
Let us listen to their stories and dreams. ~Debbie Herman
Thank you, Debbie, IAYC, 2013 IAYC International Yiddish Conference, Yad Vashem, and others for all the work you do.
