Lydia Bergida

Humanism. Civil Courage. Values. Dignity. Responsibility. 

What counts. Then and now.

With our exhibition "On the same side" we would like to shed light on the last of the living »Righteous Among the Nations«. Like the survivors of the Shoah, those honored by the Yad Vashem Institute as »Righteous Among the Nations«, Rescuers of Jews during World War II, are attestants of our times who should be seen and heard. 

Through portraits and photographic narratives we would like to give venerable attention to the »Righteous«, give them a voice at a time when hatred, wars, endangered democracies, anti-Semitism and other forms of misanthropy are once again on the rise in our societies. We would like to emphasize their humanity and convey their values as a contribution to how we can preserve humanity and dignity and show civil courage. We wish to show what we can learn from these »silent heroes« as role models for today and how we can take responsibility for the here and now. 

Especially when there will soon no longer be any contemporary attestants - neither on the side of the persecuted nor on the side of the Righteous. We envision our work as a contribution to contemporary history. It is our goal to create a photographic document as a reflection on the reality of life today and the importance of humanity, combined with a message for the present and the next generation.

Lydia Bergida & Marco Limberg