Lives Eliminated, Dreams Illuminated (LEDI), features remarkable portraits based on archival photographs of girls and young women whose lives were senselessly lost during the Holocaust. The lives they never had and the dignity they had stolen are reimagined via art and music. LEDI aims to tell their stories, personalize the horror they experienced, and provoke important conversations about the Holocaust and the dangerous recent escalation of antisemitism.

American painter Lauren Bergman began the series of paintings in response to the 2017 “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia which included chants of “Jews shall not replace us!”, a repulsive echoing of Nazi gatherings and behaviors from the 1930s. Through her unique musical compositions for each portrait, Israeli composer Ella Milch-Sheriff extends the compelling emotional impact of Bergman’s paintings. An exhibition tour is planned for 2023-2025 with educational and other special programming included.