Roman Vishniak’s Photographs of Jewish Life in Eastern Europe Before the Holocaust

Roman Vishniak’s Photographs of Jewish Life in Eastern Europe Before the Holocaust

These photographs, taken by the renowned Jewish photographer Roman Vishniac (1897-1990) and curated by Maya Benton, reveal glimpses of pre-war Jewish life in Eastern Europe. Vishniac was commissioned by the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to photograph poor Jewish communities in order to help raise funds for the Jews of Eastern Europe who were suffering due to government decreed anti-semitic boycotts.Â