A powerful new book is available that sheds light on the Holocaust while educating younger generations about the atrocities that took place during this horrific time in world history.
“Borrowed Spotlight” is a 320-page portrait series book that brings together survivors of the Holocaust, when Nazi Germany executed approximately 6 million Jewish people in Europe from 1941 to 1945. With photos taken by fashion photographer Bryce Thompson, the portraits pair celebrities of today, including Cindy Crawford, Billy Porter, Wolf Blitzer, among others, with Holocaust survivors.
Although the book leans on the celebrities’ fame to raise awareness about the Holocaust, the true stars of the project are the survivors themselves.
“When I got my tattoo, I had no name anymore. That number was my name,” said 101-year-old Holocaust survivor Joseph Alexander.
Alexander is just one of many survivors featured in the hardcover book, which was published last month by Snap Collective.
“Hate is survivable, indifference is not,” Thompson said. “These Holocaust survivors stand as living testaments, urging us never to forget that empathy and action are often the difference between life and oblivion.”
Borrowed Spotlight, which just completed an exhibit at Detour Gallery in Chelsea on April 27, comes at a time when New York is experiencing a surge in antisemitic harassment and violence since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023.
In fact, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), New York documented 1,437 antisemitic incidents last year — an 18% increase above the previous record set in 2023.
The alarming statistics come at a time when Holocaust knowledge is rapidly diminishing, according to recent research. The ADL reports that 20% of survey respondents from across the world have never even heard of the Holocaust. And less than half recognized the horrific event’s historical accuracy.
Thompson, as well as the people photographed in Borrowed Spotlight, are hoping to reverse this trend. Model and businesswoman Cindy Crawford wrote the foreword of the coffee-table book.
“When I was asked to participate in this book, it was an instant yes. I’ve always believed in being part of the solution, not the problem,” Crawford said. “The opportunity to meet and converse with a Holocaust survivor felt deeply meaningful.”
According to a press release, proceeds from the book sales will support continued campaigns to educate younger generations about the Holocaust.
The release states that proceeds from a private auction of select prints will benefit two organizations dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and survivor support: Selfhelp, which provides services and assistance to living Holocaust survivors in New York, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
