READY TO ‘RESIST’
Accompanying “Girls Kill Nazis” is “Resist,” an informational exhibit featuring the Nazi-fighting women of the Jewish Resistance.
Jesus Fidel, curator of The Empty Space Gallery, said the display consists of biographies of eight female resistance fighters alongside one or two photos of each.
The inspiration came from the original production of “Girls Kill Nazis,” which had an informational board in the theater’s lobby, displaying women who defied Nazis.
Fidel, alongside Claire Rock and Jordan Fulmer (who are both in the show) and Missy Lonsinger, Justin Thompson, Julia Rios and Kristina Saldaña, spent the past two months researching and writing the biographical material for the exhibit.
While some of these women are still known, such as American-born entertainer turned WWII spy Josephine Baker, others may not be familiar.
“A lot of these women were forgotten in time because people became hesitant to teach or talk about the Jewish resistance, fearing that it would make the Holocaust look not as bad as it really was,” Fidel wrote. “And highlighting fighters would make the victims look bad for not standing up for themselves like these women did. We want people to see these women, and know what they sacrificed for greater mankind.”
Fidel said he hopes this exhibit moves people the way it did for him when he was installing it.
“Nurses, regular looking everyday nurses that could very well be my sisters, beauty queens, the girl next door. I was happy for these ... babes to be hung on our walls for all of our patrons to see them, and celebrate them, and mourn with them. It’s an amazing tribute to these forgotten warriors, and I hope the exhibit encourages everyone to go home and educate themselves beyond what we’re showing them.”
“Resist” will be on display for the run of the show, which closes Oct. 30.