Jenna Dewan reflects on working with Holocaust survivor

At the Los Angeles opening of the Borrowed Spotlight exhibition, actress Jenna Dewan described her collaboration with Holocaust survivor Risa Igelfeld as transformative.

Jenna Dewan described a recent collaboration with 108-year-old Holocaust survivor Risa Igelfeld as a “life-changing moment,” reflecting on the encounter during the opening of the Borrowed Spotlight exhibition in Los Angeles on February 3.

According to People, the exhibition, part of a broader project by fashion photographer Bryce Thompson, pairs celebrities with Holocaust survivors, aiming to elevate their personal histories and confront fading public memory of the atrocities committed during World War II. 

Moreover, the project includes a book and photography showcase featuring a number of well-known figures alongside survivors.

Dewan told the outlet that she immediately agreed to participate in the project and left with a profoundly changed outlook. 

As per the publication, she highlighted Igelfeld’s enduring “positivity and light” despite having lived through unimaginable horror, saying the encounter reshaped how she “sees life and hears life.”

At the event, Igelfeld was seen singing and dancing, an expression of resilience that moved Dewan and other attendees. 

Furthermore, the exhibition, running through March 1 in Hancock Park, is designed to ensure that firsthand stories of Holocaust survivors are shared widely at a time when such voices are dwindling.