Places of HaShoah
a photographic series by Cy Lehrer
Our exhibit "Prejudice and Memory" includes a remarkable set of photographs of concentration camps by renowned photographer Cy Lehrer of Tucson, Arizona. These represent the camps as the look today: as Lehrer says, "devoid of human presence, the photos can only suggest the dark, incomprehensible evil perpetrated throughout Europe. It is left to the viewer to imagine the terror, noise and stench as the Nazi engine of murder did its work. Today, when there are those who seek to minimize and totally deny the historic fact of the Holocaust, it is especially important to experience, to learn, and to remember."
Lehrer produced "Places of HaShoah" while travelling in 1994, though a few of the photos date from 1985. He works exclusively in the black and white "fine print" mode and has also produced photo series on Route 66 and on Egypt, Israel, Rome, Greece, Turkey and Mexico. His work has been exhibited in the Field Museum (Chicago), the Milwaukee Public Museum, Yeshiva University (New York), and many other venues. He has participated in the US Department of State "Art in Embassies" program, and has published a book, "Texas Canyon, Arizona: An Eloquence of Stone. He started photography as a hobby while in the US Army and studied at the Art Center of Minnesota.