Visiting this remarkable exhibit just before Yom Kippur was fitting, as it gave me an opportunity to learn about the life of a remarkable woman and her family, and reflect on my own life. Esther Nisenthal was a 12 year old girl in rural Poland when the Nazis invaded her village in 1939. She and her sister were the only two from her large family to survive the war, and through 36 tapestries she paints a picture of what life was life in her village before the Nazis, during the occupation, and throughout the war.
The Oceanside Museum of Art has always brought to the community unique exhibits, from the wonderful quilt exhibits to Pop Art exhibits, to this tapestry exhibit. The museum is a little gem, and I always check their calendar for upcoming exhibits. This collection of tapestries can be viewed through October 25, and I encourage everyone who hasn't seen it to try and do so. You won't soon forget Esther Nisenthal Krinitz.
After the war, Esther and her sister came to America, where they had relatives in New York. Esther married, and lived a happy life here, until her death in 2001. While raising her children in New York, she decided to make a tapestry, first for one daughter, then later another one for the younger daughter, depicting her life in Poland. Her obsession with recording her history in this way continued for over 20 years, as she described her childhood through her coming to America in 36 beautiful tapestries. Unfortuntely, she passed away before she was able to tell the story of her life in America through tapestsry. We have her daughters to thank for putting the exhibit together.
Esther was not a trained artist, but was magically able to evoke great emotion through her art. Her work looks somewhat primitive but she tells through these tapestries the transformation of a young innocent girl, to an adolescent who learns to do whatever it takes to survive.
We've all seen, heard, and read many accounts of Holocaust survivors, but this one is different. It showed me that there are many ways to tell a story, and there is no end to the imagination of man. It also taught me that in our darkest hours, man is still hopeful. As you view these tapestries you can see hope in every panel. I hope you have a chance to see the works of this remarkable of woman, Esther Nisenthal Krinitz.
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