The Jotter of Rotter

One of the most memorable sessions was the meeting with Manya Friedman, a Holocaust Survivor. After telling us about her ordeal in Nazi occupied Poland where she lost almost all of her formerly large family, she talked about her life in the US. When her son got married, the photographer wanted to take separate pictures of the bride’s and the groom’s family. When it was time for the groom’s family to assemble, there were only Manya and her daughter (her husband had died earlier) that could join the newly weds in this photograph. There was nobody else left.

When somebody asked her if she could forgive the German, she said: “No, I can’t forgive them. I don’t hate them, because hate does not accomplish anything, but I can’t forgive them.”