Besa: Muslims Who Saved Jews During the Holocaust

The Photography of Norman H. Gershman

Norman H. Gershman, the acclaimed Jewish American photographer, studied with and was influenced by the works of the photographers Ansel Adams, Roman Vishniac, Arnold Newman and Cornell Capa. Ultimately, Gershman developed a personal style focusing on portraiture in which he lent a personal touch emphasizing the special personality of each subject. His approach was not taking pictures but capturing stories. Each of his photos reveals the soul of the subject.

Upon first learning of the stories of Muslims saving Jews during the Holocaust, Gershman was captivated. Over a five-year period, Gershman travelled to Albania and sought out, photographed and collected these powerful and moving stories of righteous Muslims and their heroism. He published these photographs in his book, Besa: Muslims Who Saved Jews in World War II.

The Lakewood Public Library is honored to exhibit a selection of Norman H. Gershman’s photographs in the Main Library Second Floor Gallery. These photographs, curated by Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, are on loan from the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City.