More about
LEDI
Lives Eliminated, Dreams Illuminated
Lives Eliminated, Dreams Illuminated (LEDI), features remarkable portraits based on archival photographs of girls and young women whose lives were senselessly lost during the Holocaust. The lives they never had and the dignity they had stolen are reimagined via art and music. LEDI aims to tell their stories, personalize the horror they experienced, and provoke important conversations about the Holocaust and dangerous recent escalation of antisemitism.
American painter Lauren Bergman began the series of paintings in response to the 2017 "Unite the Right" white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia which included chants of "Jews shall not replace us!", a repulsive echoing of Nazi gatherings and behaviors from the 1930s. Through her unique musical compositions for each portrait, Israeli composer Ella Milch-Sheriff extends the compelling emotional impact of Bergman’s paintings. An exhibition tour is planned for 2023-2025 with educational and other special programming included.
Updates
Visit our all-new 3D LEDI Gallery Tour
Can’t visit in person? Experience the Lives Eliminated, Dreams Illuminated exhibit in an immersive virtual walkthrough.
Tenets of LEDI
What we hold true
- 01
The Holocaust happened. Any attempt to deny this reality or dismiss its primacy to the Jewish people is unacceptable and must be resisted.
- 02
The human story is replete with terrible events affecting individuals and communities—including genocide such as happened during the Holocaust to the Jews, and tragedies throughout history impacting so many innocent victims of war and conflict.
- 03
Art and artistry provide needed tools and learnings to connect us emotionally to difficult realities like antisemitism, hate, and intolerance in all forms, past or present, fostering insight and nurturing understanding.
“For the dead and the living, we must bear witness. Not only are we responsible for the memories of the dead, we are responsible for what we do with those memories.”
LEDI Media Gallery
News coverage
News 12 NJ
WGBH Boston
News 4 NY
CBS Boston
FOX 5 NY
WPIX 11 NY
Interviews and endorsements
Chuck SchumerUS Senator
Phil MurphyGovernor of NJ
Maura HealeyGovernor of MA
Deval PatrickFormer Governor of MA
Classes and education
Opening Night at Brandeis
Class Presentation — Debbie Colton
Class Presentation — Cheryl Weiner
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