Deportation
Background:
This piece, with a railcar in the background, signifies the final liquidation of the Vilna Ghetto in 1943.
In the final days of the ghetto, confusion and fear were experienced by all in the ghetto.
The elderly and children were taken to Sobibor, a killing site in Poland or were taken to Ponar and shot.
Men and younger women were sent to slave labor camps in Latvia and Estonia. Those sent to labor camps were ultimately executed.
Soviet forces liberated Vilna in 1944.
The train rides were harrowing, often lasting for days in cramped, dark cattle cars with no food, water or necessities.
Upon arrival at Sobibor, almost all the victims were led immediately to their death.
Both the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, United States Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem's online exhibit, "The Jerusalem of Lithuania: The Story of the Jewish Community of VIlna" contain more information about the final deportations from the Vilna Ghetto.
In the final days of the ghetto, confusion and fear were experienced by all in the ghetto.
The elderly and children were taken to Sobibor, a killing site in Poland or were taken to Ponar and shot.
Men and younger women were sent to slave labor camps in Latvia and Estonia. Those sent to labor camps were ultimately executed.
Soviet forces liberated Vilna in 1944.
The train rides were harrowing, often lasting for days in cramped, dark cattle cars with no food, water or necessities.
Upon arrival at Sobibor, almost all the victims were led immediately to their death.
Both the Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, United States Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem's online exhibit, "The Jerusalem of Lithuania: The Story of the Jewish Community of VIlna" contain more information about the final deportations from the Vilna Ghetto.
To Consider:
Take a close look at the painting. What catches your eye first, where does your eye travel? Is the railcar evident in the background? What emotion do you see in the subjects? In the majority of pieces in the collection of Holocaust art, Labkovski's work alone shares terror and pain. This piece is harrowing when you understand the context, but without understanding the history, what would you think was happening? What other emotions do you see?
Remember, for these grandmothers, mothers and children, this separation marks their final moments together.
Remember, for these grandmothers, mothers and children, this separation marks their final moments together.
