We will outlive them

All proceeds from this print will be donated to Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS). They’re an incredible organization that helps individuals of all origins and faiths by sponsoring refugee applications and running newcomer programs.

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“Mir veln zey iberlebn” is Yiddish for “we will outlive them.” This phrase dates back to one of the earliest acts of organized Nazi violence against Jews in Poland. Jewish residents of the city were rounded up at gunpoint and ordered to sing for the amusement of the local commandant. In defiance, they ad-libbed a song with these words, possibly their last. In recent years, this phrase has become something of a rallying cry for Jewish activists protesting injustice and far-right authoritarianism – we will outlive you, we are not going anywhere.

Both sides of my family came to Canada as refugees, fleeing anti-semitic violence in Europe. Two of my grandparents are survivors of the Holocaust. They, like thousands of others, made a home, set up businesses, and created a life here. The design of this piece is drawn from the signage and imagery that they, and others like them, set up in their communities and in particular on their storefronts. Over the years, these communities have changed and much of this historic signage has disappeared, but its remnants will always be a visual reminder of a community that did indeed endure and thrive and outlive those those who would prefer we fade away.

I am still here. We are still here. There are too many other families who can relate to this sentiment – it is not uniquely Jewish. There are lots of us, from many different communities, who are defiantly still here. This piece was designed for all of us.

Each print is numbered and signed. Limited edition run – once they're gone, they're gone!

• 5x7"
• Printed on Epson Hot Press bright paper
• Giclée printed in Toronto, ON