Remember the Yom
IT was always going to be a difficult task for photographer Larnce Gold to produce as powerful a drone-captured image in the lead-up to Yom Hashoah as he did 12 months ago high above the sands of Bondi Beach, when 28 volunteers formed the shape of the tattooed Auschwitz prisoner number of Robyn Pakula's late father, Joseph – but he just might have done it.
IT was always going to be a difficult task for photographer Larnce Gold to produce as powerful a drone-captured image in the lead-up to Yom Hashoah as he did 12 months ago high above the sands of Bondi Beach, when 28 volunteers formed the shape of the tattooed Auschwitz prisoner number of Robyn Pakula’s late father, Joseph – but he just might have done it.
For the second annual Remember the Yom campaign, which aims to encourage discussion, thought and engagement about Holocaust commemoration via social media, Pakula came up with the idea of a yellow Star of David formation along train tracks.
Gold planned and directed the photo shoot with striking effect featuring 67 participants – mostly descendants of Holocaust survivors – along a disused section of line about 45-minutes’ drive from Melbourne, with the blessing of VicTrack.
He had at his disposal drone operator Jayden Beville, and stills camera operator Sav Schulman.
A film crew, directed by Michael Rymer, was also present to create a short documentary.
Pakula told The AJN “The train line setting, to me, is something that straight away represents the transportation of Jews to Auschwitz concentration camp by the Nazis, and the yellow Magen David was chosen as a symbol of what Hitler made the Jews of Europe wear.
“The response we received to the campaign last year in Sydney was remarkable, the enthusiasm of the Melbourne participants this year was overwhelming, and when I saw his [Gold’s] face after the photo shoot, I knew he’d got it exactly right.
“I hope the image will help generate even more engagement, especially among young people.”
Gold said, “We had participants aged between 11 and 92, and the eldest was an inspirational Holocaust survivor from Melbourne called Tuvia Lipson, who was so happy to be involved.
“When I saw him in his wheelchair and heard about his story, I knew he needed to be positioned in the centre of the Star of David.”
Lipson said he has two numbers – one was tattooed on his left forearm by the Nazis at Auschwitz, and the other was the number issued to him as an officer in the Israeli army in 1948.
Other members of the formation included Barry Fink and his daughter Sharen Krite, whose parents and grandparents respectively, were important sponsors of the voyage of a ship called the Johan de Witt that transported about 700 Jewish refugees from Holland to Sydney on March 16, 1947.
Robyn Pakula’s uncle, Joseph, was on that ship – and his son, Peter, also took part in the photo shoot.
To view and share the image, visit www.facebook.com/remembertheyom.
SHANE DESIATNIK
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