Gay Block, Maria Grafin von Maltzan, Germany, 1988. Courtesy the artist and Jack Fischer Gallery.
Gay Block, Maria Grafin von Maltzan, Germany, 1988. Courtesy the artist and Jack Fischer Gallery.


1275 Minnesota St / Jack Fischer Gallery, Gallery Space 106

RESCUERS: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust

Opening Reception | September 3, 2022 | 3 pm


In 1992 photographer Gay Block’s first major exhibition, Rescuers of the Holocaust: Portraits by Gay Block, was shown at the Museum of Modern Art, NY, and following, at over fifty venues across the nation. This September, thirty years later, Block’s Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust will return for public viewing, thanks to the generosity of Bay Area donors Pamela and David Hornik.

Rescuers opens at Jack Fischer Gallery, Saturday, September 03 – October 15, 2022 in gallery space #106, located in the Minnesota Street Project. The exhibition features 28 color portraits of rescuers from around the world who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust, and includes the corollary exhibition didactics articulating the historic and contemporary stories of these remarkable men and women. In addition, Block’s short film, They Risked Their Lives: Holocaust Rescuers, will screen in the adjacent media room throughout the run of the show.

“We are honored to open this remarkable exhibition to the public,” notes Jack Fischer, Jack Fischer Gallery, “at a time in which violence against LGBT communities, Asian hate crimes, Anti-Semitism, and war continue to permeate our daily lives. Gay’s work is an important reminder of our capacity to act outside of our own personal gain, and that courage and selflessness in protection of others is the greatest act of altruism, of humanity.”

Jack Fischer Gallery