This article appeared in the Nov. 6,
2003 Jewish Advocate.
Pucker Gallery continues mission
With Project Search event
By Susie Davidson
Advocate Correspondent
BOSTON - Amid artifacts of multicultural
beauty delicately crafted in stone, clay, porcelain, soapstone, precious
metals, cloth and other natural and man-made materials, as well as remarkable
paintings, photographs and graphic prints, friends and relatives of Holocaust
victims spoke of finally receiving information about their long-ago, but never
forgotten, loved ones.
Professionals,
interested persons, community leaders and Holocaust survivors noshed and shared
emotional stories on Oct. 29 as the Pucker Gallery hosted an event for Project
Search, the Massachusetts Bay Chapter of The Red CrossÕ Holocaust and War Victims Tracing and Information Services Center. Regina Szwadzka, a native of Poland who has directed the
Red CrossÕ International Social Services (ISS) Division and Project Search
since 1997, who organized the event, and Mark Robinson, Chief Operations Officer for the Red CrossÕ Mass
Bay Chapter, began the evening. Voices broke as several attendees then
recounted their learning that lost relatives had (mercifully, in a sense) never
made it to the camps, were living elsewhere in the world, or had gone on to
live full post-war lives in Europe. For many more, answers never came. But the
support in the room was nonetheless vital and unwavering.
The groupÕs dedicated staff, mainly comprised of volunteers who include trained psychologists and grief counselors, search World War II documents and other resources; since 1990, over 30,000 inquiries have been recorded.
ÒIt was a heartwarming evening listening to clients, with their
scraps of old letters, pictures and stories,Ó said Szwadzka. ÒIt was true group
support. The Gallery, with its colorful exhibits and music, was very
stimulating and welcoming.Ó
The gallery, located on 171 Newbury St., has long hosted events
and exhibits of Judaic relevance. Its original mission, to show the work of
Israeli artists, has grown to include high quality artwork from every region of
the world.
Founded in 1967 by Bernard H. (ÒBernieÓ) Pucker, the four-floor space features monthly exhibits in their main gallery and varied collections in its other rooms. Pucker, a Kansas City, Missouri native, came to Boston in 1961 to attend Brandeis, where he obtained a masterÕs degree in Modern Jewish History. He also holds degrees from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Columbia College in New York.
A Past President of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston as well as the Newbury Street League and the Metropolitan Commission-Hillel Foundation, Pucker maintains high involvement in community affairs. A member of the Boston Art DealerÕs Association, the Saint Botolph Club and the Arts and Letters Council of the Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, he is currently an Overseer at the Boston ChildrenÕs Museum, a Trustee of Facing History and Ourselves, and is on the Advisory Board of the Terezin Foundation. On the Board of Directors of the Japan Society of Boston. Pucker also serves on the Advisory Committee of the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston and is on Project SearchÕs Board of Directors. Finally, he is on the Board of Directors of both the Jewish Publication Society and Kehillath Israel Synagogue.
Pucker and his wife Suzanne, who also directs the gallery, have
three sons: Michael, an attorney in Chicago, who has three daughters; Kenneth,
who lives in Boston, has two daughters, and is with Timberland, and Jonathan of
Boston, who has one son and is also with Timberland. Pucker is working on a
book of contributorsÕ recollections, due out this year, of Rabbi Gershon Hadas,
whom he studied with while growing up at Beth Shalom in Kansas City.
The gallery recently held an exhibition of the works of Holocaust
artist Samuel Bak, who was present at the reception. Currently, new work by
Mark Davis and ÒArtistic Equilibrium,Ó an exhibit by Zevi Blum, will be on
display until Nov. 10. On Nov. 15, Makoto YabeÕs ÒLife AffirmedÓ will open,
with a reception with the artist from 3-6 p.m., and show through Jan. 6, 2004. Hideaki
MiyamuraÕs ÒRisk and DiscoveryÓ and Gunnar NorrmanÕs ÒSeason's MemoryÓ
will open Jan. 10 with a 3-6 p.m. reception, and run through Feb. 10. B.A.
KingÕs ÒThe Seeing SpiritÓ will then be on exhibit from Feb. 14 (with a 3-6
p.m. reception) through March 16.
The Pucker Gallery is located at 171 Newbury St. (between
Dartmouth and Exeter Streets), Boston. The gallery, which is closed on major
holidays, is open Monday -Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. One
hour of validated parking is offered in the lot on the corner of Newbury and
Dartmouth Streets (Fitz Inn, 149 Newbury St.). For more information, call 617
267-9473, email contactus@puckergallery.com or visit
www.puckergallery.com.
For more
information about Project Search or any Red Cross tracing services, call Regina
Szwadzka at 1-800-564-1234, ext. 240, or email szwadzkr@usa.redcross.org