My Biography

At the age of about fifty, Sara began to paint with a community circle once a week. There had been group exhibitions. But even when she painted flowers and oranges, she was sure this would be only the preparation for her real aims. When she came back from a trip to Hungary and Austria, she began to put on canvas what she remembered from her horrible experiences during the Holocaust.Sara Atzmon-Gottdiener was born in 1933 in Hajdunanas, Hungary, as the fourteenth of sixteen children. At the age of nine, her father and four of her brothers were taken to a forced labour-camp. The family was deported to Auschwitz in 1944 with a children's transport. At the Polish border the train stopped, and, after a stay of some days, returned to a forced labour-camp in Austria. In the same year, 1944, her father died in her presence of hunger and depravation. At the end of November 1944 they spent four days for the second time, going through the disinfection camp at Strasshof. They were stripped naked and were "taken care of"... Half clothed, they were sent to Bergen-Belsen. They were made to stand outdoors there for long hours in the snow, during the appel. The small girl had a red child's shoe on one foot, and a lady's shoe with high heels on the other.In April 1945 they were liberated by the American Army near the town of Magdeburg. At the age of twelve, weighing seventeen kilograms, Sara received the present of her life once more. Her father, Israel, three of her brothers, four nephews, her grandmother, brothers-in-law, uncles, cousins and many others had not returned from the camps. The American Army gave them two choices - they could either go to Palestine or to the United States. Without thinking twice, Sara and her family traveled, via Buchenwald, to Palestine, through the Emigration Department. First, they had to go through a British transit-camp of Atlit in Palestine. She belonged to the first immigration-group, arriving in Palestine in 1945, after the "deluge".After the War of Independence in 1949, Sara graduated from the seventh grade. She began to work at odd jobs, and completed her education through evening courses. In 1951 she was drafted into the Israeli Army. In 1954 she married Uri Atzmon, an Israeli born in Kfar Sirkin, an Israeli agricultural settlement. They had six children. The Holocaust was never mentioned during all these years.About twenty years ago, Sara began to lecture at schools on the Holocaust. In spite of the tears of several children, Sara felt that some of the attendants did not really comprehend what she wanted to convey to them. The thought, that may be professional actors could bring home the message more clearly to them. Otherwise it may be forgotten.Sara arranged several important exhibitions in Israel; in the Knesset, where the paintings are exhibited permanently, and at "Yad Vashem" and other museums in community-centers in Israel. She also arranged exhibitions in Hungary and at the Catholic Community Center in Graz/Austria. Her paintings are being studied by students at the Sherover-Center, in the Museum of Israel in Jerusalem.Two years ago Sara received the Sussman-Price on account of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Her work is also being studied by pupils of higher education through literature about History and Art. In 1996, Sara opened exhibitions of her work in the United States; in Cleveland Ohio, and in the Jewish Community Center of Philadelphia. In 1997 Sara opened exhibitions in Historical Museums in Germany Saarbruecken, in the Educational Center of Political Science in Sacshausen, Neuwied, and in Berlin.She designed an envelope on the occasion of the signing of the Peace Treaty with the Kingdom of Jordan.

Timeline
1933
Born in Hungary
1944-1945
Concentration Camps
1945
Aliya
1982
Beginning of painting studies
1987
After a visit in Hungary, starts painting, inspired by Holocaust feelings and experiences
1982-1992
Participates in group exhibitions
1990
One person exhibition at Nir Galim, near Ashdod"Mofet" Hall, Ramat-Gan
1991
Emanuel House, Ramat-Gan; lgal Alon House, Zefat; Yad Vashem Jerusalem; "Zerubavel" House, Rishon Lezion; Bar llan University, Ramat-Gan; "Metro-West" Education Center, Raanana; "Kugel" Education Center, Holon; Cultural Center, Kfar Sirkin; Jewish Community Center, Budapest, Hungary; Gallery Carneri, Catholic center, Graz, Austria
1993-1995
Permanent exhibition at "Beit Edud", Nir Galim; Knesset, Jerusalem
1993
Binyanei - Ha’Umah, Jerusalem - Ministry of Defense
1994
Beith-Berl, Cultural Center of Kfar-Sirkin
1995
Pedagogical Center Metro West, Raanana; Cultural Center Kfar-Sirkin
1996
Cleveland, Ohio, Philadelphia, USA
1997
Pedagogical Center, Kfar-Sirkin; Metro West, Raanana
1998
Pedagogical Center Amit Dror Jerusalem; Memorial Bergen-Belsen Neuwied




During 1999, 20 exhibitions took place, eight in Hungary and at the Villa Wannsee, in Berlin, where the conference about the destruction of all Jewish Communities was held.
In 2000, an exhibition was held at the Stockholm Historical Museum to mark the International Conference of the Holocaust. Currently, Sara is exhibiting in several German cities, including Emmendingen, Neuwied and Stuttgart.
A successful exhibition was also held at the Madrid Parliament.
Sara has been invited to hold an exhibition at the site of the former concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen.
The Israel Foreign Office has agreed to take upon itself the patronage of these exhibitions and to forward the art works through diplomatic channels.
2001 – Germany: Sara held an exhibition and workshop at the diplomatic school in Bonn. Other exhibitions in Germany were held at the Hannover Parliament; Bergen-Belsen; Bischofsheim Mission Camp; and at the Berlin Foreign Office.
Czeck Republic: Terezin Ghetto Museum Prague, New City Hall.
Ukraina Kiev, Babi-Ya’ar 60 years after the great murder of tens of thousands of Jews.
Israel: Kochav Yair, Nir Galim, Kfar Sirkin.
2002 – Israel: Petach Tiqva and Kfar Sirkin.
Germany: Koblenz “Florens Kirche”, with about 13,000 visitors.
A permanent exhibition has been held in “Beit Haedut Lashoah” in Nir Galim since 2001. Thousands of students and soldiers are visiting the exhibition every month.
2003 – Israel: The Bible Museum, Tel Aviv; and in many education centers throughout Israel.
2004 – Stockholm, to mark the International Conference of the Holocaust.
Germany, several cities.
2005 – Israel - Beer-Sheva , Ramat-Gan, Hulon, Germany – Diplomatic School Bonn, Hohenwart forum congress center
2006 – Israel - Several exhibitions , Invitation to Florida – Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center.
2007 – Germany – Bergen Belzen Gedenkstatte
2007 - Mesada, Israel - Mombay, India.

Group Exhibitions
1996 - Ha’aretz Museum, Tel Aviv (twice)1997 - International Congress, Brussels, Belgium
Works in Public Collections

Museum of Arts "Yad Vashem" Jerusalem.Museum of Hungarian speaking Jewry Saved.University "Bar Ilan" Ramat-GanGaleria Carneri, Graz/Austria

Works in Private Collections
K. D Bruhl, Graz, Austria