Judith Dazzio has never forgotten the story of the Holocaust Survivor who spoke to her 6th grade class. As she recalls, “I can still see her holding up those faded pictures of her children that had been killed, and remember how she started crying when she talked about them.” She doesn’t remember her name, nor has she been able to find out who she was, but as a 12-year-old schoolgirl, Dazzio made a promise: one day, she was going to honor the extraordinary woman whose story cannot be forgotten.

Over the course of 10 years, this St. Petersburg, FL-based artist fulfilled her promise. As a series of acrylic paintings, The Profound Effect visually represents the testimony of the Survivor through intense color and deeply emotional imagery. The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida is hosting this exhibit through the end of the year.

Executive Director Pam Kancher believes this is an incredible way to experience a Survivor’s story. “This series of paintings is extraordinary. These are powerful pieces of art that truly capture the human experience as well as the horrors of the Holocaust. The fact that this story stayed with Judith for so many decades speaks to why it is so important to continue to tell these stories; they have the power to change hearts and minds.”

The Profound Effect will be the emotive backdrop to the Holocaust Center’s programming. Orlando Reparatory Theatre will present Boy with a Suitcase, a story about a young boy’s journey out of his war-torn homeland. American composer Lori Laitman will discuss the inspiration and story behind Vedem, her original oratorio based on an illegal underground magazine of the same name created by the teenage boys of the Terezin camp-ghetto. Resource Teacher Mitch Bloomer will speak to how art created during the Holocaust restored the creator’s dignity in the face of persecution. It will be a season that speaks to the resiliency of the human spirit—a lesson that the Center hopes will have a “profound effect” on everyone who visits.