Gertrude

Gertrude is a pictorial interpretation of reality that occured to Gertrude Monderer, a Jewish girl during the Nazi occupation of France in 1942. It describes the critical moments of Gertrude´s life during the big round-up of Jews, the 16 July 1942 in Paris.

Gertrude Monderer (born 7 April in1923 at Vienna, Austria) lives with her oncle Jacob at 34 rue de Turenne in the Marais. During the big round-up of Jews on 16 July 1942 at 5.00 am in the morning the French Police comes to rue de Turenne to arrest Jewish families, including Gertrude and her family.

First Gertrude is transported to the Vélodrome d´Hiver, then to the internment camp in Drancy, from where she is deported on train convoy numbered 13 to Auchwitz-Birkenau, where she dies, at the age of 19 years, 30 of July in 1942.

After the round-up people empty apartments of the deported taking possession of furniture, clothes, tableware. The rests of life are lying here and there. The faces in hundreds of photos are lost in gutters.

The past consists of what narrator sees in the present context. Gertrude´s past was described by her cousin, a lifelong friend of mine. During 2017-2019 we frequented Gertrude´s place of arrest, 34 rue de Turenne. In March 2020 I returned there to shoot photographs.

A series of the photographs was presented in group exhibition in March 2022 in France,

Le Havre Site: areyou-experiencing.fr/gertrude-savileppa

Gertrude

​​​First Gertrude is transported to the Vélodrome d´Hiver, then to the internment camp in Drancy, from where she is deported on train convoy numbered 13 to Auchwitz-Birkenau, where she dies, at the age of 19 years, 30 of July in 1942.

First Gertrude is transported to the Vélodrome d´Hiver, then to the internment camp in Drancy, from where she is deported on train convoy numbered 13 to Auchwitz-Birkenau, where she dies, at the age of 19 years, 30 of July in 1942.