Hancock Park Photographer Nancy Baron at LA Museum of the Holocaust

Hancock Park resident and photographer Nancy Baron has opened an exhibition of her latest work at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. “Into the Light,” features Baron’s portraits of holocaust survivors who have retired to Palm Springs.

“I was taken with the idea of that these people have survived the darkest of dark times and ended up in this amazingly bright and sunny place,” Baron told the Buzz. “For me, they really survived and triumphed, they had families, owned businesses, lived a full life and came to live in Palm Springs in their retirement.

Baron, who also lives part-time in sunny Palm Springs, and whose earlier work captures the “Good Life” there, learned about the work of Sunshine Circle that pairs teens with holocaust survivors to share their stories. Concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism and hate crimes, Baron wanted to document and celebrate the last generation of survivors who witnessed the atrocities of World War II. She and Sunshine Circle founder Shaindy Friedman visited more than three dozen survivors over the past several years to photograph them and document their stories. Since they started, about two-thirds of the interviewees have passed away in their 90s, enjoying a long life.

“All their stories are very different,” said Baron. “It wasn’t as easy as people think. I hope the portraits show how they live and the brightness of their lives now. I tried to present it so they are relatable, these are just people with real lives and families.”

Thanks to Baron for the photos below of the exhibition which is on display until March 15, 2020.