Hollywood Stars Share the Spotlight With Holocaust Survivors in Powerful Photo Series

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In August 2023, Yetta Kane, an elderly Holocaust survivor, enters the Hollywood photoshoot set amidst the sweltering heat of Los Angeles. At ninety-two years old, she gracefully dons a knee-length skirt and jacket, adorning her lapel with a Star of David pendant. Her silver hair cascades like a gentle wave, mirroring the clear blue sky above L.A. Her granddaughter Emily Kane Miller, pregnant with her third child, accompanies her, taking a seat in the studio’s lounge area. In that moment, as Yetta opens her purse to apply lipstick, I am reminded of a past conversation I had with another Holocaust survivor.

I inquired if you had any dreams while you were here,” I had asked her. We found ourselves near the train tracks at Auschwitz, a place I visited during my time on the March of Living Holocaust study tour at Hebrew University. The woman, who was once a child detained in this horrific concentration camp, responded to me by saying, “I dreamt about lipstick and a party dress that I would wear after the war.

I shared this story with Kane, and naturally, she grasped it well: The survival of Jews has often been at the crossroads of the extraordinary and the everyday. Throughout history, our destiny has been intertwined with seemingly ordinary items, such as a garment, for instance.

Originating from an Orthodox Jewish family in the Polish resort town of Miadziol, Kane was a young girl when the Nazis gained power, leading to the tragic death of six million Jews. For over three years, Kane and her immediate family managed to evade capture by hiding amongst partisans in the Belarusian forest. They drank from rainwater pools and scavenged for raw potatoes to eat. Eventually, they were transferred to a work camp deep within Siberia where Yetta lived in a room with a horse and consumed frozen food. In 1949, Kane and her family moved to Los Angeles.

From 400 family members, only three survived. 

Kane is one of many Holocaust survivors showcased in the photography series and book titled “Borrowed Spotlight: Narratives of Holocaust Survivors”. Created by New York photographer Bryce Thompson, this project combines these survivors with influential figures from the entertainment industry. Notable celebrities included in the series are Cindy Crawford, Wolf Blitzer, Billy Porter, David Schwimmer, Scooter Braun, George Stephanopoulos, Sheryl Sandberg, Nicola Peltz Beckham, and Barbara Corcoran, among others. Kane is partnered with Kat Graham, the Swiss-American actress and singer who has been nominated for an Emmy.

However, the true heroes are the survivors themselves, each with a tale of survival that details their harrowing journey escaping the horrors of the Holocaust-era Europe. Given that only 20% of the world’s population is aware of the Holocaust and antisemitism continues to rise – according to FBI statistics, anti-Jewish hate crimes in the U.S. are at an all-time high – the exhibition Borrowed Spotlight, which premiered at Detour Gallery in New York City, will serve a dual purpose: educating people and fostering anti-hate initiatives. The profits from book sales will be used to educate future generations about the Holocaust, while proceeds from a private auction of select prints will aid two organizations focused on Holocaust remembrance and survivor support: Selfhelp (offering services to living Holocaust survivors in New York) and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This summer, the Borrowed Spotlight exhibition will move to Los Angeles.

On the day Kane was shot, we were yet several months from the Hamas attacks on Israel scheduled for October 7. Despite not being Jewish, Thompson, who grew up in a Jewish community in South Africa, felt driven to act against the rising hatred.

A while back, I observed an increase in anti-Semitism – swastikas appearing on bridges in Los Angeles, incidents of individuals being assaulted at synagogues, and businesses being damaged solely because they were owned by Jews,” Thompson explains. He shares a personal connection to Judaism as his mother’s second spouse was Jewish, and he converted when Thompson was nine. Additionally, Thompson has a brother and sister who are Jewish.

Thompson shares that although he didn’t personally convert, as a child we attended synagogue and Shabbat dinners. Even after moving away from Cape Town, he remained deeply connected to the Jewish community. When he noticed an increase in antisemitism, he reached out to contacts within the New York community, asking what could be done to aid affected businesses and cover their medical expenses. He suggested that instead of writing a large check, he could organize a photo exhibition and sell some of his prints as a way to contribute.

Thompson’s fundamental belief was clear-cut. He expressed, “We can endure hate, yet it’s unbearable when we’re on our own. Indifference towards hate is not something we can survive.

Thompson and his team contacted celebrities, survivors, and their families with an invitation to engage in discussions about the Holocaust on social media. They requested that these celebrities share their personal experiences related to the Holocaust with their followers. Thompson explained that they didn’t simply want a brief moment of their time; instead, they sought to leverage their influence and platform to bring attention to the survivors’ stories. Thompson emphasized that he did not intend for this initiative to be politically charged. Rather, his goal was to create a forum where people could express their agreement that the Holocaust was a tragic event and join the conversation if they wished. Those who disagreed with this view were asked to refrain from participating in the project.

As a passionate admirer, let me share a story that resonates deeply with me. I’m talking about Molly Stern, the renowned makeup artist based in Los Angeles who has worked magic on stars like Reese Witherspoon, Maya Rudolph, and Greta Gerwig. But there’s more to her story than just Hollywood glamour. You see, Molly is a descendant of Holocaust survivors, a fact that gives her journey an extraordinary depth.

Her father, Andrew Stern, was born in 1944, hidden away in a basement within the Jewish Ghetto in Budapest, Hungary. His father, like countless others, endured multiple concentration camps during those dark times. The family braved two years in displaced person camps before they found their way to California.

Without hesitation, Molly Stern decided to join in. Upon learning that Chelsea Handler was on board, Stern recalled thinking, “Absolutely! It seems they offered Chelsea multiple choices, and she selected my father because I’ve worked on her makeup on numerous occasions, and we’ve shared Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah at our home, making her a valued friend of ours.

However, upon their arrival on set, Handler found herself pleasantly surprised to discover that Andrew Stern, who was there with his daughter Stern, was none other than the survivor she was about to photograph. This information had eluded her prior to this encounter.

In a dressing room with my father, I helped him put on his blazer, and then we stepped out onto the set. As we emerged, Chelsea was approaching from around the corner, and she exclaimed, “What are you two doing here?” I joked to her, “You’re fibbing! I thought for certain you knew it was us.” She replied, “Are you joking? No way!” It turns out that Chelsea had no idea she would be teamed up with my father. The producers didn’t inform her about the pairing. Everyone was taken aback. It was pure luck, a fortunate coincidence.

The photographs Thompson took of Handler and Andrew Stern seem to show a special connection that feels inevitable or predestined, much like the Yiddish word basheret implies. This term means destiny or fate. Elie Wiesel, the renowned author who survived the Holocaust and won the Nobel Peace Prize, frequently spoke about how language is insufficient to describe the horrors of that time. He said, “It became apparent that a new language would have to be created.” Thompson’s portraits, taken around 80 years after Auschwitz was liberated in 1945, capture many aspects that words simply cannot express.

According to Stern, the images radiate an overwhelming sense of joy – a deep bond and happiness that was palpable. He believes the participants desired to immortalize this particular moment, a moment where someone met a Holocaust survivor.

The first time Stern displayed the completed images to her father, she says he began to cry. “It felt like a powerful confirmation,” she explained. “This is exactly what ‘never again’ represents. This is what educating our children entails. I was witnessing my father experience a sense of relief, joy, and recognition that we are not alone.

Thompson aspires that viewers, upon seeing the “Borrowed Spotlight” photos, will experience a sense of participation in every photoshoot.

He explains that the sequence of events in the portraits is evidently chronological, but there’s also a “before” and “after” for each image. Initially, the subjects are strangers, but by the end, they’re exchanging hugs, embraces, holding hands, and walking off together. This was the aim behind organizing each story within the book, as it effectively illustrates the journey of people coming together.

On the day of their photo shoot, the meeting between Yetta Kane and Kat Graham feels natural and instantaneous. Their dialogue flows effortlessly, as if they were old friends catching up after a long time apart.

According to Thompson, Kat’s unique behavior during the photoshoot stood out. In his words, “Kat’s response was exceptionally honest and open, a quality we rarely encounter.” He noted that unlike Yetta, who was wearing flats, Kat had heels on. However, instead of letting this difference affect their dynamic, Kat removed her shoes and continued barefoot for the entire shoot, as they were now at the same height. This act, Thompson said, showcased Kat’s sensitivity and understanding, a quality that resonated with him deeply. They shared laughter and tears throughout the session.

The moments Thompson recorded that day: Kat extending her arms towards Yetta, Kat weeping profusely, and the two of them, Kat and Yetta, interlocking their hands.

According to Thompson, Kat had been crying profusely and was emotionally exhausted when Yetta took her hands. The force in Yetta’s grip was noticeable on Kat’s hands. Yetta reassured her, saying, “It’s alright. We’re alright. We survived. We’re alright.” This scene often played out during these filming sessions, with tears being shed and then the Holocaust survivor offering comfort, stating, “We’re fine, we’re okay, we’ll be all right.

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2025-05-14 21:27