September 2024 Portrait of the Month — Gerard Horst Meyerfeld

Gerard Horst Meyerfeld

September’s Portrait of the Month features Gerard Horst Meyerfeld. It was created at a workshop at the Omaha Jewish Community Center. Each year, the Institute for Holocaust Education in Omaha, Nebraska partners with Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) around Nebraska to put on workshops for middle school students that teach about the Holocaust through art. One of the programs they regularly use is the Memory Project Productions workshop. More than a quarter of middle school students from Nebraska receive this programming and thousands of portraits have been created over the years. View pictures from some of the workshops.

Students around the world have reflected on the experience of drawing Gerard’s portrait:

“It made me feel like I did a good deed by honoring Gerard Horst Meyerfeld by creating a pastel portrait tribute to his life.” —Kaleb H.

“It felt good to spend so much time observing a photograph and then making art based on the photo. It also took a lot of time and you have to put shadow and light, and it was like putting together puzzles.” —Shipar M.

“I got to learn a lot about [Gerard] and I was actually feeling it.” — Marlee L.