‘Many voices overlapping,’ Jewish Berlin artist says of new Holocaust mural in Philadelphia

When Ella Ponizovsky Bergelson thinks about the 2,000-square-foot Holocaust mural she created, recently installed in downtown Philadelphia amid an audience of 300, she draws on a musical term “polyphony,” which refers to layered melodies.

The Jewish artist, who was born in Moscow, emigrated to Israel and moved to Berlin in 2016. She created this work using calligraphy in 28 languages; it combines and draws upon lullabies, prayers and poems contributed by Philadelphia residents.

“It’s built out of language—contributions from people all over Philadelphia,” Bergelson told JNS. “The result looks like a polyphony of many voices overlapping.”

The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, a nearly 20-year-old nonprofit, and Mural Arts Philadelphia, a 30-year-old nonprofit directed by Jane