The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation in Center City announced this week that it has decided on an artist for its mural project planned for the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza. The organization, in conjunction with Mural Arts Philadelphia, announced that Israeli citizen Ella Ponizovsky Bergelson will be tasked with creating the piece.
Ponizovsky Bergelson is known for her work’s deeply personal themes. Much of what she depicts reflects the experience of being uprooted from one’s homeland, something she went through as a child when the Soviet Union dissipated and her family had to move to Israel. She now identifies as a Russian-born Israeli who currently lives in Berlin and gets “more German” with the more time she spends there.
The mural will be roughly 2,500 square feet and created with help from the community. Ponizovsky Bergelson said in an interview that she is excited by the prospect of working with community members to create something lasting.
“It’s definitely an exciting opportunity for me to work with the communities in Philadelphia, with the diversity it offers,” she said. “I’m very curious, and my main goal here is to remain open. I do have a very detailed concept already, and each and every detail there has a reason and methodology, but I am determined to stay open and to see what happens once I’m in Philadelphia and interacting with the people there.”
Ponizovsky Bergelson said that the community collaboration aspect is a huge part of the undertaking and, to her, the most interesting part of it. She said her goal is to create something that is rooted deeply in the community, references Philadelphia’s culture, and resonates with all residents.
Eszter Kutas, executive director of the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, said that this work of art comes at a crucial juncture for the Jewish community.
“At a time when antisemitism and bigotry are rapidly rising, and Holocaust education is more critical than ever, we are proud to partner with Ella, whose artistry bravely explores the impact of intolerance and dehumanization,” Kutas said. “Centered around the topic of displacement, Ella’s innovative approach will examine the aftermath of the Holocaust and its continued presence in our everyday lives, making this mural a powerful new addition to the Memorial Plaza.”
Ponizovsky Bergelson said that this project is important largely because art can approach important subjects like the Holocaust from an angle that academic mediums cannot.
“I think art has a very special way of interacting with the human mind and psyche and emotional world,” she said. “Information and history and texts are much more cognitive, whereas art goes directly into the heart. Art has the ability to convey messages that contain good and bad, black and white, and all the shades in between all together, and it is very important in relation to major political incidents, atrocities and historical events.”
While Ponizovsky Bergelson has a diverse background, she is not American; however, she spent time living in the United States in her early 20s and has been here many times. Regardless, she knows she is an outsider and plans to learn from the locals.
“I planned my message according to the American lens, but being an outsider, all I can do is project what I think the American audience is, and therefore it’s really important to me to visit Philadelphia soon and spend as much time as possible absorbing and listening to people and learning the culture,” she said. “It’s really important to get the context from the people in Philadelphia.”
Ultimately, what will come out of the project is a beautiful work that combines the personal experiences and artistic skill of Ponizovsky Bergelson with the vision and context of Philadelphia via input from all sorts of locals. The foundation saw the potential for this partnership, and chose Ponizovsky Bergelson out of more than 50 applicants. For a country that is experiencing rising antisemitism, there might not be a better outside voice to bring in.
“I spent most of my life living in places and in cultures [where] their entire identity is built upon Holocaust history: cultural, political, social and national identity,” she said. “Israel and Germany, these countries were raised from the ashes of the Second World War. In the States, I think it’s different, and it requires a different approach.”
The final product will develop over time, but the focus and themes that were identified by the Foundation as winning material have already been formed, Ponizovsky Bergelson said.
“What I submitted is an idea which is very universal yet very personal to me. It addresses Holocaust history not as something distant in the past, but rather examines how it influences our lives today. Not only Jewish life, but everyone’s life,” she said. “I also was searching for bridges within this concept — how can we relate to people who have no knowledge of Holocaust history and no connection to this history and what will resonate with them today. I suggested a sophisticated but simple way to democratize the creation process and reflect Philadelphia’s communities and diversity within it.”
Ponizovsky Bergelson will travel to the United States soon and the work will begin. There are two planned community meetings where citizens can offer input. Those are scheduled for Dec. 8 and 11. Public registration can be made at philaholocaustmemorial.org/mural.
