The exhibition showcases contemporary photographer Evvy Eisen’s 15-year-long project to create portraits of survivors living in California and to collect their personal histories. Critically lauded, the project works are included in the archives of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC, the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, and the Centre de Documentation Juive Contemporaine in Paris, France.

By featuring individual survivor portraits and stories, “Multiply by Six Million” offers viewers a personal perspective on the Holocaust. Survivors tell their stories in hopes that the seeds of today’s intolerance and bigotry are recognized in time to prevent tomorrow’s genocides. The exhibition describes the horrors that the survivors experienced in Europe during the Holocaust and how they then come to the United States to create meaningful lives and contribute to society in their adopted county. Survivor Frank Roubicek shares, “The horror years of the wartime taught me how to appreciate the basic values of life and to fully appreciate the good things it has to offer.”

“Multiply by Six Million” includes 37 stunning black and white photographs and is accompanied by a stunning 24-minute DVD and an album of additional survivor portraits. Interpretive text allows visitors to understand historical events in Europe leading up to the Holocaust and contemplate current concerns about intolerance and genocide. The exhibition will be on display at the Sutter County Memorial Museum from June 11 to through August 1.

The “Multiply by Six Million: Portraits and Stories of Holocaust Survivors” exhibition tour was organized by the California Exhibition Resources Alliance (CERA), with support from photographer Evvy Eisen. CERA is a network of professionally operated museums and cultural organizations that collaborate to create and tour smaller, affordable, high quality exhibitions that enhance civic engagement and human understanding. CERA is generously supported by The James Irvine Foundation, The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, and the California Council for the Humanities.

Image credit: Ernie Levy and Erwin Levy. ©2007 Evvy Eisen.

The Sutter Butte Agency Flood Control Agency (SBFCA) Board of Directors unanimously authorized balloting for a property assessment for levee repairs.

Assessment revenues would provide the local cost share for $250 million in levee improvements along the west bank of the Feather River, from Thermalito Afterbay south to the Sutter Bypass.

Assessment ballots will be sent on or about May 1 to owners of 34,000 properties in Butte and Sutter Counties that receive a special benefit from levee improvements. In this case, properties will benefit from stronger flood protection and the avoidance of water damage to structures, their contents, and land.