(Jewish Group) Portraits of Holocaust survivors show their strength, not their sorrow

B.A. Van Sise, who has worked primarily as a travel photographer, has turned his attention to photographing Holocaust survivors. Photo by B.A. Van Sise

At 92 years old, Auschwitz survivor Sam Sillberberg hikes about 3 miles every day. And before he let B.A. Van Sise photograph him atop a rock on a beach in Southern California, Van Sise had to arm-wrestle him and drink his homemade cherry liqueur.

“I exercise and hike a lot because when you’re out in nature it elevates the spirit. I also wanted to show that I’ve still got some strength,” Silberberg said.

Sam Sillberberg was 9 when the Germans invaded his hometown of Jaworzno, Poland. Photo by B.A. Van Sise
He was imprisoned by the British on Cypress, fought in Israel’s war for independence and then made his way to the United States, where he worked as a linotype operator in Ohio. After living in New York City for a time, he moved to California, where he worked in real estate.

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