The Birmingham Holocaust Education Committee (BHEC), in partnership with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI), is pleased to announce the premier of the expanded exhibition Darkness into Life: Alabama Holocaust Survivors through Photography and Art.  The collection will be on display at BCRI in the Odessa Woolfolk Gallery beginning September 7 through October 26, 2008.  

In this sensitive assembly of photography by Becky Seitel and art by Mitzi J. Levin, viewers are provided intimate glimpses into the private memories of twenty Alabama Holocaust survivors. Seitel and Levin spent hours visiting each survivor and listening to their stories. The survivors began with their memories of life before occupation and imprisonment.  Their stories continue with their lives in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile and Opelika.
 
Both artists provide bold, thought-provoking and moving paintings and photographs with text explaining the personal stories behind each piece.  Newly-created survivor biographies and maps provide an additional historical dimension to the exhibit.
 
"Through the stories of these Alabama Holocaust survivors, we hope to impart this history, as well as a richer understanding of its impact on these individuals and their families, to a larger audience. View their pictures. Read their stories. Allow this exhibition to move you."
 
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is located at 520 Sixteenth Street North.  Darkness into Life can be viewed during regular business hours—Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.  Admission is free on Sunday. 
 
Contact the BCRI Education Division for program information at (205) 328-9696, ext. 228 or visit the Institute's Web site at www.bcri.org.  For information regarding school or special group tours, please contact the BCRI Group Tour Coordinator at 205-328-9696, ext. 222.

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