This new exhibit in NYC showcases striking portraits of Holocaust survivors and celebrities

Opening April 22, the day before Yom HaShoah, “Borrowed Spotlight” is a new photography exhibition at Detour Gallery by the High Line (545 West 23rd Street) that invites visitors to reflect on identity and the urgency of remembrance. The exhibit features large-scale portraits of Holocaust survivors alongside well-known public figures, each one captured by fashion photographer Bryce Thompson.

The goal is simple but profound: to ensure that the stories of Holocaust survivors continue to be heard. By placing survivors next to celebrities like Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Garner, Billy Porter, David Schwimmer, Wolf Blitzer, Chelsea Handler, George Stephanopoulos, Nicola Peltz Beckham and Barbara Corcoran, among many others, the project seeks to “lean on the celebrities’ public spotlight” to draw attention to survivor testimony and extend its reach, especially among younger generations, according to a press release.

“This exhibit was created to combat rising antisemitism and preserve Holocaust history,” Thompson said in an official statement. “Hate is survivable; indifference is not. These Holocaust survivors stand as living testaments, urging us never to forget that empathy and action are often the difference between life and oblivion.”

With antisemitic incidents increasing globally—and public knowledge of the Holocaust fading—projects like “Borrowed Spotlight” feel more and more necessary. Many of the survivors featured in the show are now in their 80s, 90s and beyond. Their voices remain powerful, but time is running out to hear them firsthand.

All portraits in the show will also appear in an accompanying coffee table book, featuring a foreword by Crawford. Proceeds from the book will go toward Holocaust education efforts. Select prints will be auctioned privately, with proceeds benefiting Selfhelp, an organization that provides support to Holocaust survivors in New York, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“For me, it was an instant yes,” Crawford said in an official statement. “I’ve always believed in being part of the solution. The opportunity to meet and converse with a Holocaust survivor felt deeply meaningful.”

The exhibit offers space not just for reflection, but for a kind of quiet witnessing—of lives lived, histories endured and the responsibility we all carry to remember.