Alice grew up in a Jewish family in Sarvar, Hungary, near the Austrian border. She had two younger brothers and an older sister. Her father worked for the family's carpet weaving and import/export business and was often away, traveling to their Budapest office. Alice's grandfather was a community leader and president of one of Sarvar's synagogues.
1933-39: Alice had a very special relationship with her grandfather. She admired him. People knew that they could always come to him for help of any kind. He often invited Jewish orphans to their home for meals. Every Sabbath their home was open to guests who came to study holy texts together. Alice loved to listen to the wonderful stories that her grandfather told, and he asked her to be his scribe and write those stories down.
1940-44: In April 1944, when Alice was 15 years old, the Germans invaded Sarvar and a ghetto was set up. Two months later, she was deported to Auschwitz with her mother, sister, and brothers. On arrival she was sent to a camp with children aged 15 and under. Alice searched all over for her sister Edith, and when she located her she sent a message. Miraculously, Edith switched places with someone in Alice's camp. Every Friday night, the Sabbath, Alice and her sister would pray where they could assemble secretly--the latrine. Other children joined them for these prayers.
Two days after liberation, Alice's sister was taken to a Red Cross Hospital. Alice never saw her again. After the war, Alice made her way to a rehabilitation center in Sweden, then Israel, where she met her husband, Rabbi Moshe Cahana. Alice emigrated to the United States and became an artist. Later, she began her formal art education at the University of Houston and Rice University. Her works are displayed at the Holocaust Museum Houston, the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. and are held by private collectors.
"Alice was gifted as a story teller," Judith Rosenstock said. "Painting was a big release to her. She started painting and then the painting became an expression." Alice spent her last years in Portland, where she moved with her daughter after Rabbi Moshe Cahana died in 2004.
In 2006, Alice travelled to the Vatican to present "Her life wasn't considered worth the cost of a bullet to end it," her son said. "That she could stand in front of the Pope and teach him about the Holocaust was really significant for her." The canvas is covered in numbers which, Alice told the Jewish Herald-Voice, represented the loss of identity many Jews suffered when they entered concentration camps.
"On our arrival at Auschwitz, we were renamed with no names," Alice said. "People's (identities were) erased. They were given a number. You give a number to an animal."
"No Names" remains the only piece of Holocaust art in the Vatican Museums; it is the last piece of artwork one passes before entering the Sistine Chapel. Pope Benedict XVI with "No Names," a dark, abstract piece depicting her first moments at Auschwitz. "None of us can hear six million voices at the same time," Alice wrote in the artist's statement for "No Names." "…And still, all of us who survived took a silent oath, made a promise to tell a glimpse of the story. Not to let the world forget. My art and my writing are my Kaddish for those who did not survive."
Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Houston Chronicle
1933-39: Alice had a very special relationship with her grandfather. She admired him. People knew that they could always come to him for help of any kind. He often invited Jewish orphans to their home for meals. Every Sabbath their home was open to guests who came to study holy texts together. Alice loved to listen to the wonderful stories that her grandfather told, and he asked her to be his scribe and write those stories down.
1940-44: In April 1944, when Alice was 15 years old, the Germans invaded Sarvar and a ghetto was set up. Two months later, she was deported to Auschwitz with her mother, sister, and brothers. On arrival she was sent to a camp with children aged 15 and under. Alice searched all over for her sister Edith, and when she located her she sent a message. Miraculously, Edith switched places with someone in Alice's camp. Every Friday night, the Sabbath, Alice and her sister would pray where they could assemble secretly--the latrine. Other children joined them for these prayers.
Two days after liberation, Alice's sister was taken to a Red Cross Hospital. Alice never saw her again. After the war, Alice made her way to a rehabilitation center in Sweden, then Israel, where she met her husband, Rabbi Moshe Cahana. Alice emigrated to the United States and became an artist. Later, she began her formal art education at the University of Houston and Rice University. Her works are displayed at the Holocaust Museum Houston, the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. and are held by private collectors.
"Alice was gifted as a story teller," Judith Rosenstock said. "Painting was a big release to her. She started painting and then the painting became an expression." Alice spent her last years in Portland, where she moved with her daughter after Rabbi Moshe Cahana died in 2004.
In 2006, Alice travelled to the Vatican to present "Her life wasn't considered worth the cost of a bullet to end it," her son said. "That she could stand in front of the Pope and teach him about the Holocaust was really significant for her." The canvas is covered in numbers which, Alice told the Jewish Herald-Voice, represented the loss of identity many Jews suffered when they entered concentration camps.
"On our arrival at Auschwitz, we were renamed with no names," Alice said. "People's (identities were) erased. They were given a number. You give a number to an animal."
"No Names" remains the only piece of Holocaust art in the Vatican Museums; it is the last piece of artwork one passes before entering the Sistine Chapel. Pope Benedict XVI with "No Names," a dark, abstract piece depicting her first moments at Auschwitz. "None of us can hear six million voices at the same time," Alice wrote in the artist's statement for "No Names." "…And still, all of us who survived took a silent oath, made a promise to tell a glimpse of the story. Not to let the world forget. My art and my writing are my Kaddish for those who did not survive."
Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Houston Chronicle
Alice grew up in a Jewish family in Sarvar, Hungary, near the Austrian border. She had two younger brothers and an older sister. Her father worked for the family's carpet weaving and import/export business and was often away, traveling to their Budapest office. Alice's grandfather was a community leader and president of one of Sarvar's synagogues.
1933-39: Alice had a very special relationship with her grandfather. She admired him. People knew that they could always come to him for help of any kind. He often invited Jewish orphans to their home for meals. Every Sabbath their home was open to guests who came to study holy texts together. Alice loved to listen to the wonderful stories that her grandfather told, and he asked her to be his scribe and write those stories down.
1940-44: In April 1944, when Alice was 15 years old, the Germans invaded Sarvar and a ghetto was set up. Two months later, she was deported to Auschwitz with her mother, sister, and brothers. On arrival she was sent to a camp with children aged 15 and under. Alice searched all over for her sister Edith, and when she located her she sent a message. Miraculously, Edith switched places with someone in Alice's camp. Every Friday night, the Sabbath, Alice and her sister would pray where they could assemble secretly--the latrine. Other children joined them for these prayers.
Two days after liberation, Alice's sister was taken to a Red Cross Hospital. Alice never saw her again. After the war, Alice made her way to a rehabilitation center in Sweden, then Israel, where she met her husband, Rabbi Moshe Cahana. Alice emigrated to the United States and became an artist. Later, she began her formal art education at the University of Houston and Rice University. Her works are displayed at the Holocaust Museum Houston, the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. and are held by private collectors.
"Alice was gifted as a story teller," Judith Rosenstock said. "Painting was a big release to her. She started painting and then the painting became an expression." Alice spent her last years in Portland, where she moved with her daughter after Rabbi Moshe Cahana died in 2004.
In 2006, Alice travelled to the Vatican to present "Her life wasn't considered worth the cost of a bullet to end it," her son said. "That she could stand in front of the Pope and teach him about the Holocaust was really significant for her." The canvas is covered in numbers which, Alice told the Jewish Herald-Voice, represented the loss of identity many Jews suffered when they entered concentration camps.
"On our arrival at Auschwitz, we were renamed with no names," Alice said. "People's (identities were) erased. They were given a number. You give a number to an animal."
"No Names" remains the only piece of Holocaust art in the Vatican Museums; it is the last piece of artwork one passes before entering the Sistine Chapel. Pope Benedict XVI with "No Names," a dark, abstract piece depicting her first moments at Auschwitz. "None of us can hear six million voices at the same time," Alice wrote in the artist's statement for "No Names." "…And still, all of us who survived took a silent oath, made a promise to tell a glimpse of the story. Not to let the world forget. My art and my writing are my Kaddish for those who did not survive."
Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Houston Chronicle
1933-39: Alice had a very special relationship with her grandfather. She admired him. People knew that they could always come to him for help of any kind. He often invited Jewish orphans to their home for meals. Every Sabbath their home was open to guests who came to study holy texts together. Alice loved to listen to the wonderful stories that her grandfather told, and he asked her to be his scribe and write those stories down.
1940-44: In April 1944, when Alice was 15 years old, the Germans invaded Sarvar and a ghetto was set up. Two months later, she was deported to Auschwitz with her mother, sister, and brothers. On arrival she was sent to a camp with children aged 15 and under. Alice searched all over for her sister Edith, and when she located her she sent a message. Miraculously, Edith switched places with someone in Alice's camp. Every Friday night, the Sabbath, Alice and her sister would pray where they could assemble secretly--the latrine. Other children joined them for these prayers.
Two days after liberation, Alice's sister was taken to a Red Cross Hospital. Alice never saw her again. After the war, Alice made her way to a rehabilitation center in Sweden, then Israel, where she met her husband, Rabbi Moshe Cahana. Alice emigrated to the United States and became an artist. Later, she began her formal art education at the University of Houston and Rice University. Her works are displayed at the Holocaust Museum Houston, the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. and are held by private collectors.
"Alice was gifted as a story teller," Judith Rosenstock said. "Painting was a big release to her. She started painting and then the painting became an expression." Alice spent her last years in Portland, where she moved with her daughter after Rabbi Moshe Cahana died in 2004.
In 2006, Alice travelled to the Vatican to present "Her life wasn't considered worth the cost of a bullet to end it," her son said. "That she could stand in front of the Pope and teach him about the Holocaust was really significant for her." The canvas is covered in numbers which, Alice told the Jewish Herald-Voice, represented the loss of identity many Jews suffered when they entered concentration camps.
"On our arrival at Auschwitz, we were renamed with no names," Alice said. "People's (identities were) erased. They were given a number. You give a number to an animal."
"No Names" remains the only piece of Holocaust art in the Vatican Museums; it is the last piece of artwork one passes before entering the Sistine Chapel. Pope Benedict XVI with "No Names," a dark, abstract piece depicting her first moments at Auschwitz. "None of us can hear six million voices at the same time," Alice wrote in the artist's statement for "No Names." "…And still, all of us who survived took a silent oath, made a promise to tell a glimpse of the story. Not to let the world forget. My art and my writing are my Kaddish for those who did not survive."
Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Houston Chronicle
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THE SOUL OF OUR FAMILY
A DEDICATED SISTER, WIFE, MOTHER, AND GRANDMOTHER
SHE CALLED FORTH BEAUTY AND GRACE IN EVERYONE
RENOWNED ARTIST, SHOAH, SURVIVIOR, WITNESS
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