Murals
No More War
The Mural
This mural is a portrait of my grandfather Erahmiel Simson (Milya), a concentration camp survivor, but it is also a monument to thousands of Latvian Jews who followed the same path of deportation and suffering.
I painted Milya's face large against a brick wall, with wire encircling the names of the camps.
The brick holds memory.
The wire holds warning.
The names hold truth.
And the face holds humanity.
Art does not stop rockets. But it can stir empathy, reflection and the will to act.
When people stand in front of this mural, I want them to connect through shared understanding, their concern for war today allowing them to empathize with the suffering of my grandfather and thousands of Latvian Jews during the Second World War.
The Srory of Survival
Milya grew up in a big happy Jewish family, living peacefully with Latvian neighbours. But when Nazi's invaded the town, they were reported as Jews to Gestapo, and the whole family was arrested, forced move to a Ghetto, then Kaizerwald, then to Stutthof concentration camp. Milya was let live as a skillfull worker, but his whole family - parents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews - was killed in front of his eyes. His wife Azriella refused to abandon their baby and died in the gas chamber together with her child. Milya's hair turned gray overnight.
After the war was over, Milya returned to his home town. He found strength to start a new life. Although he carried his memories silently, never revealing them to younger generation, he had testified as a witness in a several Nazi war crime trials in Germany.
Milya 18 years old
Stutthof Prisoner Card
Milya 50 years old
The Story Behind The Mural
July 2022. The 11th Annual Convention of Liepaja Jews. I returned to my birthplace in Latvia at a time when the world once again felt unstable. War was no longer something confined to history books. For someone whose family history was shaped by deportation and survival, these global tensions felt deeply personal. I felt compelled to respond - through public art.
But public art does not exist in isolation. A local journalist Liba Mellere recognized the importance of the project early on. Understanding both the historical weight and the contemporary relevance of the mural, she helped secure a wall — a visible, meaningful space in Redans Museum, where the work could live publicly. What might have remained an idea became reality because someone believed it deserved to be seen.
Liba documented the process, photographing the mural. An article followed. Through that publication, the mural reached far beyond the wall itself. It reached readers who may never visit Redans. It framed the mural as a clear anti-war message for today.
Liepaja Jewish Community provided full support for the project. A famous local painter Eduard Kaplan kindly shared his supplies and artistic ideas. Many helped with logistics and transportaion. This collaboration transformed the project into something larger than one artist’s expression.
It became a community act. A shared statement.
We remember.
We learn.
No more war.
