CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A worldwide exhibit providing photographic images of the Holocaust recently made its North American debut in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The ‘Seeing Auschwitz’ exhibit is currently on display at the Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery in the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Center in Charlotte. 

It’s being hosted by the Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center at Queens University of Charlotte. 

The exhibit takes people on an eye-opening journey, immersing them in the grim realities of what transpired at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp.

The exhibition will showcase a collection of 100 photographs, sketches and testimonies, allowing attendees to gain a deeper understanding of the German Nazi camp Auschwitz and the Holocaust.

Associate Director for The Greenspon Center Judy LaPietra first saw this exhibit in London. She said it was important to bring this experience to the United States. 

“To bring an exhibit like this to Charlotte, that has such an impact, it really speaks to the fact we are ensuring this legacy, the story of the Holocaust continues,” LaPietra said. “I want our survivors and witnesses to know that we take that responsibility on, and I think this exhibit moves that idea forward.” 

She added over 13,000 people have seen the exhibit so far, hopefully each of them learning about the victims’ stories.

“What this exhibit does so well is really underscore, even in a photo, the story of the victim,” LaPietra said.

The ‘Seeing Auschwitz’ exhibit evokes strong emotions for Holocaust survivors and their families, such as Frieda Schwartz, bringing back painful memories.

“We have to make the most of having [the exhibit] here,” Schwartz said. 

Schwartz’s parents were living in Poland when they escaped the Nazi invasion. Her parents were taken in and concealed by an elderly couple in Siberia.

However, Schwartz’s father was eventually apprehended and sent to a work camp.

Schwartz’s mother would soon give birth to her in a dirt cellar.  

The family was reunited after the war ended, but faced many hardships before coming to the United States. 

“My family ran from Poland, so our history is totally different,” Schwartz said. “But some of my parent’s families stayed. [At this exhibit], I could be looking at the back of an uncle or cousin and I would never know it.” 

Schwartz added she’s grateful to the Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center for bringing this exhibit to North Carolina. She’s encouraging people and younger generations to see all these images, so this part of history is neither repeated nor erased. 

“Let it all touch us however it does to make us better and to make the world understand we can’t go back. We have to learn from history,” Schwartz said. 

The 'Seeing Auschwitz' exhibit will be on display at the VAPA Center through April 15.