March 2025 Portrait of the Month — Dora Rivkina

Dora Rivkina

This month we are featuring a portrait of Dora Rivkina. Dora was extremely brave; at 19 years old she joined a resistance movement called the partisans. As a member of this group, she fought and died defying the Nazis. This portrait was created by middle school student Anya H. in Omaha, Nebraska. It was featured in an art show that displayed work from students in the Omaha area who were studying the Holocaust.

Though her story ends very sadly, Dora’s courage has touched and inspired many. Students around the world have drawn Dora's portrait and reflected on the experience of remembering through art:

“The story of how Dora almost escaped but was caught at the very end showed me just how detailed life can be and there's more to life than how it ends.”
—Jamie

“It was something I've never experienced before. It was really interesting to look at the little girl and try to put myself in her shoes.”
—Demi

“This person made a great effort to continue on with her life, and I also believe that it’s important to remember what she went through. She was a beautiful young girl who tried to push through despite the pain she was facing.”
– Anastasia