A Legacy of Survival

As the last Holocaust survivors reach old age, their children and grandchildren are vowing to keep their powerful memories alive.

Photos by Alison Brockhouse

“I did not witness the most important events of my life,” says artist David Gev. “They happened before I was born, yet their memory persists. How does one take on the memories of another individual, let alone the collective memory of millions?”

Gev, 53, lives in Los Angeles and has finally found a way to heal from a traumatic event he experienced long ago—some might say, in a different life. After a long career in international telecommunications commodities, he now has a new profession, that of artist. His medium is glass. Covered head to toe in protective clothing he fuses the scalding hot material and combines it with acrylic, aluminum, and wood. The final products are abstract “mixed-media sculptures,” as he calls them—monochromatic linear panels made with rectangles of multi-colored glass arranged in rows. Each is titled “Journey,” followed by a number. At first glance you would likely not link Gev’s artwork to the Holocaust, but once you read his captio…