ARTspace

ARTSPACE

FACES OF RESILIENCE: PORTRAITS OF SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST BY DR. FREDERICK N. LUKASH

On display through May 31 (you do not need to be a member to visit, click here to view our building hours)

For most, the Holocaust was an event in history that’s commemorated once a year. For those second and now the third-generation families, there are the added effects of residual trauma, continued survival, and legacy.

This exhibit displays twenty survivors of the Holocaust each overcoming insurmountable obstacles to live and leave stories for the future generations to “never forget.”

Dr. Frederick N. Lukash has taken old faded and forgotten photographs and attempted to bring their faces back to life, under the tutelage of Steven Foster and the Long Island Academy of Fine Art in Glen Cove.

The personal side of these portraits pertains to the experience of his wife Yaffa. She is a “Second Generation.” Her parents were the sole survivors of their immediate families. They journeyed from Eastern Europe, after liberation, to Israel, and then the United States.

Along the way they reconnected with cousins and friends who also survived. New communities of ‘family’ were established.

Yaffa’s life experiences are heavily viewed through the lens of the Holocaust. She is in essence the curator of the exhibit. Whether parents, parents of friends, distant cousins, fellow travelers on the March of the Living, a visit to her mother’s eastern European hometown, or someone she read about – they are all personal to her; and therefor to Dr. Lukash.

ABOUT DR. FREDERICK N. LUKASH
Frederick N. Lukash, MD, FACS, FAAP, is a nationally recognized, board-certified plastic surgeon with over forty years of experience practicing in the New York area. He is currently a part of New York Plastic Surgical Group. Dr. Lukash received his college and medical degrees from Tulane University. His postgraduate training in surgery and plastic surgery includes Emory University, State University of New York, and Harvard University, where he held the position of instructor of surgery.

Dr. Lukash’s motivation as a physician has always been to provide patients with the ability to feel comfortable in their own skin. Early in his career, he developed an appreciation for the arts as it allowed him to better communicate with his pediatric and adolescent patients. In collecting their creations, Dr. Lukash learned how to assess each child’s emotional journey with self-esteem and their subsequent experience with plastic surgery. Since that time, his appreciation for artistic expression has manifested into a variety of personal pursuits including writing, learning to play the piano, and taking portrait painting classes. Today, he’s been a piano student for three decades, authored three books on body image and self-esteem, and most recently, completed his first novel– a medical murder mystery set in his beloved New Orleans.