Anita Zakaj Ruben is a Holocaust survivor, born in 1932 in Sarajevo, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Coming from a Sephardic Jewish family, Anita grew up surrounded by traditions and the Ladino language. With the outbreak of World War II and the Nazi occupation, her life changed dramatically: her family was persecuted because of their Jewish heritage.
Throughout the conflict, Anita survived by hiding and receiving help from courageous people who risked their own lives to protect her. After the war, she emigrated to Latin America, settling in Uruguay, where she rebuilt her life, formed a family, and dedicated herself to preserving the memory of the Holocaust. For years, Anita has shared her story to educate new generations about the horrors of intolerance and the vital importance of historical memory.
Testimony:
“I was just a child when the world turned dark. I remember the fear in my mother’s eyes, the whispers that we had to hide, that being Jewish was enough to die. We were torn from our home, from our streets, from our traditions. Every day was a struggle not to be seen, not to be taken. I learned to live in silence, to silence my games, my tears, my dreams. I survived, but the pain never left.”
Montevideo - Uruguay 2024 www.aaronsosaphotography.com
Digital Photography Size: 6000 x 4000px 300 DPI
About this project:
In the history of mankind there can be found no other crime so heinous, nor so coldly calculated, as the one that as that which annihilated millions of human beings in the Nazi concentration camps.
This project has allowed me to enter for a brief moment into the lives of an important group of these exiles and survivors, who arrived in Latin American lands many years ago to start a new life; and who have given me the honor of knowing a little about them and their experiences, as well as to photograph them and immortalize them through photography.
My intention with the sale of the NFTs is to self-finance the project to give it continuity. Soon I must travel to Chile where there are 13 survivors waiting to be portrayed and then continue moving around Latin America to continue with the project. Another of the main objectives is to finance the printing of a book that gathers all the portraits, biographies and testimonies of each survivor.
License: NFT holders are free to use it in advertising, private exhibition, in groups, virtual galleries, magazines or any other digital or physical media by the NFT holder, as long as the original artist is credited and be communicated by e-mail aaronsosaphotographer@gmail.com. No merchandising, commercial distribution or derivatives are allowed. Copyright remains with the creator.